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Requiring a degree or certification (at a legal leval) is a form of regulation. That it's costly and time consuming just makes that regulation a larger barrier.

Requiring a degree or certification (at a legal leval) is a form of regulation. That it's costly and time consuming just makes that regulation a larger barrier. If you can somehow remove much of those people that already have the means to satisfy that regulation from the market, you've successfully controlled the supply for at least the amount of time it takes the pipeline to produce more of them. Now I'm wondering if the VC firms took steps to disrupt that pipeline as well in some way. That would be pretty overt, but I've never gotten the impression that these people feel the need to be at all subtle.

mattmaroon 2y ago
I mean, it’s always been regulated if you count that. I think what’s really happened is pet ownership (and the amount of care per pet) has simply grown at a higher pace than vet schools.
- amirhirsch 2y ago
  pet insurance has expanded the demand
  - mattmaroon 2y ago
    Yes. That must be true because every vet office I go to advertises it heavily. The way car dealers push warranties. And also, some theorize low birth rate is causing people to treat their pets like children thus necessitating more care. Think how many people call themselves a dog mon. Also, it’s really only been a couple decades since Frontline caught on and people largely let their animals live inside. Vet schools are largely for-profit, often in other countries. I have a good friend who does admissions for one in St Kitts, they turn down a lot of people. I bet they all do. Demand grows faster than supply, prices go up. Prices go up enough, PE firms start buying them.
- kbenson 2y ago
  Most (all?) states in the U.S. require state licenses to practice, and you can't get much more regulatory than that, so yes, I count that. There have been a few different reports put out about the current situation and how vets are being bought out. The article here is one of them. Is your theory that they aren't actually buying vets, or that they aren't raising prices, or that what they're doing is irrelevant to the current problems? I know in my town and from my personal experience over the last two years dealing with five different vet practices, one of which is a local VCA branch and also one associated withe the local humane society, all the reports ring startingly true. VCA is extremely expensive compared to all other vets, but is also the only emergency location in the area. If we go in and it's not an emergency it's about 40% more than other vets. If it is an emergency it's much more, but at least there's a plausible reason in that case. That said, there are more pets. Our local humane society is at well over double capacity for animals that are mostly aged suspiciously close to the beginning of covid. Multiple things can be happening at the same time though. Why do you think VC decided now to get into animal health care?

mattmaroon 2y ago

I mean, it’s always been regulated if you count that. I think what’s really happened is pet ownership (and the amount of care per pet) has simply grown at a higher pace than vet schools.

amirhirsch 2y ago
pet insurance has expanded the demand
- mattmaroon 2y ago
  Yes. That must be true because every vet office I go to advertises it heavily. The way car dealers push warranties. And also, some theorize low birth rate is causing people to treat their pets like children thus necessitating more care. Think how many people call themselves a dog mon. Also, it’s really only been a couple decades since Frontline caught on and people largely let their animals live inside. Vet schools are largely for-profit, often in other countries. I have a good friend who does admissions for one in St Kitts, they turn down a lot of people. I bet they all do. Demand grows faster than supply, prices go up. Prices go up enough, PE firms start buying them.
kbenson 2y ago
Most (all?) states in the U.S. require state licenses to practice, and you can't get much more regulatory than that, so yes, I count that. There have been a few different reports put out about the current situation and how vets are being bought out. The article here is one of them. Is your theory that they aren't actually buying vets, or that they aren't raising prices, or that what they're doing is irrelevant to the current problems? I know in my town and from my personal experience over the last two years dealing with five different vet practices, one of which is a local VCA branch and also one associated withe the local humane society, all the reports ring startingly true. VCA is extremely expensive compared to all other vets, but is also the only emergency location in the area. If we go in and it's not an emergency it's about 40% more than other vets. If it is an emergency it's much more, but at least there's a plausible reason in that case. That said, there are more pets. Our local humane society is at well over double capacity for animals that are mostly aged suspiciously close to the beginning of covid. Multiple things can be happening at the same time though. Why do you think VC decided now to get into animal health care?