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Origins

The Veterinary Voucher initiative came into fruition in January 1992 due to an elderly relative who was unable to pay vet bills and was reluctant to accept cash, labelling it as 'charity' or a 'hand-out'. There was no stigma attached to receiving gift vouchers, hence the concept of Veterinary Vouchers was born. The saver scheme came later, after I attended the 1995 B.S.A.V.A. Congress in Birmingham. Many of the vets interviewed concurred that a saver scheme would be beneficial to clients.

The objective was to provide a service in the veterinary field aimed at the small animal market. The service would enable pet owners to purchase saver stamps and/or receive vouchers as gifts. This would allow them to allocate sums of money solely for their pets, and to establish the Charitable Trust Fund.

Concentrating on the plight of the elderly, I submitted a paper to the B.V.A.

Although there are several options already on the market to alleviate the cost of veterinary treatments, they may also present some disadvantages for the elderly.

• Some vets do offer a discount scheme but there is always the danger of misuse.
• A problem may occur when a person claims that the animal is owned by an elderly relative who perhaps is unable to attend the surgery.
• The receptionists might receive abuse when enquiring if a client qualifies for a discount. The client might also suffer from embarrassment when asked if they qualify.
• Sometimes there are difficulties in judging a person's age and financial circumstances, and also not all vets operate a discount scheme.

Another option is pet insurance but this may not cover routine vaccinations, de-scaling, behaviour and hormonal problems. Animals that have been insured for 'life' may find, on reaching a certain age, that exemptions and restrictions may apply and this is the time that most animals require veterinary assistance. Many elderly people suffer from short-term memory problems and may forget to pay their insurance premiums, thus invalidating the policy. The adoption of Veterinary Vouchers and stamps could alleviate some of these problems. Animals needing treatment would not suffer due to lack of funds and it could prolong the partnership, if treatment can be afforded and effective rather than euthanasia. The scheme would also benefit low income families and multi-pet owners.

In 1993, thanks to Intervet, a questionnaire was distributed to all veterinary practices in the UK. The response was as follows:

• 365(16%) replied and 90% were in favor of the introduction of the scheme
• 1% were unsure and 9% not interested
• 257 were small animal practices
• 117 were mixed
• 14 were large animal
• 6 equine
• 1 exotic
• 39% of the practices were rural
• 42% were urban
• 7% inner city
• 12% were mixed

It appeared that the veterinary profession was ready to take on-board a voucher/saver scheme that had already proved successful in other areas. According to the correspondence received and due to publicity in various animal magazines, there is a ready market within the pet owning community. Many animal charities also expressed a wish to use them.

There was also interest from abroad. An article was published in the French Veterinary Journal. I was invited to present the concept at an International Conference on Human/ Animal Interactions in Geneva.

In 1997 a pilot scheme was introduced in the north west of England. All the vets that used the scheme are still on-board. In 1998, it was launched nationally and pockets have grown throughout the UK.