People in Russia definitely don’t skimp

People write to us...

We go to the store—and to a large shopping mall, no less—almost every day. I caught myself thinking that people are buying things, bustling about, getting ready for the holidays, and definitely not skimping. That’s great! And today, while sitting in a veterinary clinic, I watched people and caught myself thinking that in Russia, people, regardless of their income level, can afford to take their pet to the vet. In some European countries, only the very well-off can afford this, or they have to go into debt, because there it’s frightening even to think that you might have to go to the vet. To help you understand the difference, in Sweden I paid almost 5000 kronor for 2 blood tests for my dog (that’s +\- 50 000 rubles); today I paid 1800 rubles for the appointment, ultrasound, and tests. Yes, before this we went to another veterinary clinic and had tests done there too; they were all reasonably priced. If anyone thinks that salaries in Europe are different and people can pay 7000-8000 euros (+\- 700 000 rubles) for an emergency operation for a dog, no, that’s not the case. Salaries there are high, but expenses are even higher, and when a pet gets sick, it’s twice the stress because everyone knows that getting help for your furry friend costs a fortune.