Why I am willing to pay the veterinary bill

What two hours beside a Black-winged Kite taught me about the real cost of skilled care

Opinion: This article reflects my personal view and does not necessarily represent the official position of Parys WADER.

On Monday, 24 August 2026, I had the privilege of standing in a veterinary theatre beside our consulting veterinarian while he treated a Black-winged Kite. A rescuer had found the bird trapped against a farm fence. In its struggle to escape, the kite had damaged the soft tissue around one wing.

The bird arrived at our rehabilitation facility on the Sunday. We cannot afford routine after-hours emergency veterinary services, so I cleaned the wound as carefully as I could, provided basic care, and waited for the practice to open the following morning. We still needed the veterinarian to examine the wing properly, clean the injury more thoroughly, and check for damage that I could not see.

He started by anaesthetising the kite in a gas chamber. He stayed with the bird and monitored it while the anaesthetic took effect, which took about 20 minutes. He then took an X-ray to rule out broken bones before spending roughly half an hour cleaning the wound, removing dead tissue, and preparing the area so that I could continue treatment under his supervision. During that process, he found a small tear in the soft tissue and stitched it. He dressed the wing, prepared the medication, and watched the kite through recovery.

The entire process took about two hours.

That matters, because people often see a veterinary bill without seeing what happened before the total appeared at the bottom. They may imagine a quick examination, a little medication, and ten minutes of a veterinarian's time. That is not what happened in this case.

Why I do not consider this expensive

The practice billed us R965.10 for the Black-winged Kite's treatment. For that amount, a skilled veterinarian spent about two hours anaesthetising the bird, cleaning and assessing the wound, stitching the damaged tissue, dressing the wing, taking an X-ray, preparing medication, and monitoring recovery. They did not charge us a consultation fee.

The previous month, veterinary treatment for a Black-headed Heron amounted to R1,077.80. That care included anaesthesia, medication, suture material, surgery, and recovery food. Once again, the practice did not charge for the consultation.

I do not consider either amount expensive for the work involved.

Some of our supporters ask why we do not receive free veterinary support. I understand the question. They want Parys WADER's limited funds to help as many birds as possible, and they know that veterinary expenses can place pressure on a small rehabilitation facility. However, I do not believe that a veterinarian should have to work for free because the patient is a wild bird, or because a non-profit organisation brought it through the door.

We already receive meaningful support from our consulting practice and I appreciate every discount and every waived fee. I regard those concessions as voluntary contributions to our work, not as something we should expect or demand.

We pay for knowledge, not only time

A South African veterinarian studies full-time for at least six years to complete the Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree. After graduation, the veterinarian must register with the South African Veterinary Council and complete one year of compulsory community service. By then, at least seven years have passed since the student first entered university. Experience with difficult cases, specialised equipment, and less familiar species takes even longer to build.

The learning never stops. The South African Veterinary Council requires registered veterinary professionals to continue developing and documenting their knowledge and skills. Veterinarians attend conferences and seminars, study new treatment methods, learn to use new equipment, and keep up with changes in medicines and clinical practice.

I have seen the shelves of veterinary books at our consulting practice. It is an impressive working library, and those books did not arrive for free. Neither did the knowledge inside them. When I pay a veterinary bill, I am paying for the years of study, practical experience, additional reading, and careful judgement that allow a veterinarian to make the right decision when a fragile wild bird lies on the table.

A veterinary practice also has bills to pay

Our consulting practice has four veterinarians. Two mainly treat small animals, while the other two work with agricultural animals. They do not work alone. A veterinary practice needs staff, suitable premises, administration, medicines, consumables, and reliable equipment before any veterinarian can help the animal in front of them.

During the kite's treatment, the veterinarian used an anaesthetic system, surgical instruments, an X-ray unit, medication, suture material, and bandages. The practice must buy, clean, maintain, service, stock, and eventually replace those items. It must pay its staff, keep the lights on, and meet the professional standards that apply to a registered veterinary facility. The fee does not simply become personal income for the veterinarian who treated the bird.

A practice that gives away too much professional time and too many resources will eventually struggle to remain open. Then it cannot help wildlife, domestic animals, or livestock.

This is why I hold a very strong personal view: veterinary services are not a charity, and they should not become one, even when the client is a charity. A veterinarian may choose to donate time or waive a fee. That generosity can make an enormous difference to us. But the choice belongs to the veterinarian and the practice. It should never become an expectation attached to every wildlife case.

Someone still has to fund the rescue

When a veterinary practice waives a fee, the cost does not disappear. The practice absorbs it by contributing the veterinarian’s time, equipment, medication, bandages, and expertise. Someone still carries the bill, and I am willing to pay a fair fee for professional veterinary care.

What the public does not always realise is that Parys WADER needs its supporters to make that payment possible. The organisation cannot admit and care for injured birds if its bank account cannot cover the treatment they may need.

I have also made a deliberate decision not to use my private income to keep the rehabilitation facility running. I care deeply about every bird that enters our care, but an organisation cannot build a sustainable service around one person's household finances. Parys WADER must work within a responsible budget, account for every contribution, and make honest decisions about what it can afford.

Once I accept a bird, I accept responsibility for far more than a safe box and a bowl of food. The bird may need an examination, X-rays, surgery, medication, follow-up visits, species-appropriate food, heat, clean housing, enrichment, physical therapy, and weeks or months of care. I cannot promise that care if the organisation does not have the funds to provide it.

Words of thanks from the community mean a great deal to me. They tell me that people see the work and value it. But words cannot pay a veterinary bill.

Public support turns concern into treatment. Corporate support turns environmental promises into practical conservation. A monthly contribution, funding for emergency cases, or the decision to cover one veterinary bill gives us the means to act when the next injured bird arrives.

If you believe the work at Parys WADER should continue, please help us carry the real cost of rescue. Your contribution becomes veterinary care, medication, food, recovery, and, when everything goes well, another chance for a wild bird to return to the sky.

Banking details

Account name: PARYS WADER
Bank: Capitec Business
Account type: Capitec Business Account
Account number: 1054348650
Branch code: 450105
SWIFT address: CABLZAJJ