"A plague of locusts" is a great metaphor, maybe a perfect one. I've never heard it before.

Yes, what could go wrong? Letting the public dollar fund remediation - that's a new angle for me. I've heard that private equity firms hire the most aggressive workers that they can.

Knowing the veterinary business, I think it is so sad that poor people, many working very hard, I've seen it, either decide they can't afford a pet or are anxious about health expenses or go into high-cost debt to pay for emergencies. Some young people use GoFundMe, but they are people with tech awareness and some savvy and some contacts. Pets are so important for the mental health of so many.