While increasing health care costs are a concern for Iowans — many apparently will pay whatever it takes to have their pets treated. The state board of Regents last week approved a proposal to allow Iowa State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital to purchase nearly three-and-a-half million dollars in specialized equipment. The purchases will include animal M-R-I and x-ray machines.
I-S-U Vice President for Business and Finance, Warren Madden told the regents the Veterinary hospital has worked out a detailed business plan that will allow them to pay for the equipment. He says the procedures will cost up to 800-dollars, but he says that cost doesn’t appear to be too much. He says they have a number of cases where people are willing to make the investment in their pets.
Madden says they have a good customer base, and he says it’s not Iowa farmers. He says, “Most of the animals that come that will be using this are being referred by other veterinarians, and it’s been an interesting process to work through that. These are primarily pets, not production agriculture, which has a different kind of economic valuation, although there are racehorses and animals of that kind that will potentially use this facility. Madden says the school did have deal to take the animals to the local Ames hospitals for x-rays and other procedures — but he says scheduling the animals has become a problem. He says having the equipment on sight of the veterinary school will make the scheduling easier for the animal doctors and their patients.