THE vet bills for my dog Layla have been so high attimes,I haveseriously considered putting the payments on the mortgage.
At one point, after my eight-year-old pooch was diagnosed with cancer, I forked outnearly £10,000.
Soyou would think pet owners like me would applaud news the Government will soon force vets to be more transparent about costs by giving estimates and publishing price lists for common treatments.
You would also presumethat I think itis great they will have to reveal whether they are a small independent practice or owned by one of the big fat companies.
And while I do welcome the proposal, I also find it utterly tragic we have been robbed for so long.
It feels like the stable door is being shut after the horse has well and truly bolted.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the move as part of a long overdue consultation on what is being called the “biggest reforms” to the sector in more than 60 years. But for the millions ofus withageing pets, it is too little, too late.
Without any regulation, some vets have beenoperatinglike cowboys in the Wild West for years — charging a fortune for essential treatment and preying on pet owners when they are at their most desperate and distraught.
We used to have vets like those caring, tweed-wearing experts on TV’s All Creatures GreatAndSmall who only charged what they needed to cover their costs and make a living.
But it is nowa very differentworld.
These greedy, money-making companies have been cashing in for solong,Ican’tsee them suddenly dropping their prices — even if theyhave tobe transparent about them.
Six ‘fat cat’ firms now control more than 60 per cent of practices in the UK — up from ten per cent in 2013.
Soit’smaybe unsurprisingthat the Competition and Markets Authority found prices for veterinary care soared by 63 per cent between 2016 and 2023.
That isTWICEthe rate of inflation.
Or, in simple terms, it is an absolute rip-off.
These greedy, money-making companies have been cashing in for solong,Ican’tsee them suddenly dropping their prices — even if theyhave tobe transparent about them.
Costs a fortune
That will only happen when customers turn their backs on them.
And that will come down to new pet owners, who can take their time when checking out prices or only need to see a vet for routine jabs and check-ups.
But it won’t help owners like me.
My poor boxer dog has so many allergies that even walking on grass aggravates her.
She has kidney disease which calls for expensive regular scans and has had chemotherapy for skin cancer.
Layla also has a dodgy heart and recently had an operation to save her sight after my son accidentally caught her eye with the sharp end of a banana (yes, have a look . . . potential lethal weapons).
The bills we have to pay are staggering.
But although my vet costs a fortune and his business is owned by one of the fat-cat companies, I’d rather give him my last penny than sack him.
I am fortunate to have insurance that covers some of the costs and our vet has always been transparent with me about the hideous prices long before I have needed to pull out my credit card.
But the real issue is that, despite all the times he’s operated on Layla, she always wags her tail with delight when she sees him.
So for owners who have found a vet they trust — one who has saved their pet’s life many times and given that animal the best care possible — there can’t be any shopping around.
Because that peace of mind is something money truly can’t buy.
Syrn alarm bells
WHEN it comes to trying to flog your goods, you have to hand it to Sydney Sweeney.
To push her new lingerie range the actress has been flinging bras around the Hollywood sign.
She describes Syrn as lingerie you wear for YOU and for the four “personas” of seductress, romantic, playful and comfy”.
As she posed in her black undies, she looked amazing.
But I just know that those straps would dig into my thighs and that waist garter would make me look like the Michelin Man.
Sadly, all I could think was, “They’re really not for me, I’ll stick with M&S thanks!”
A PRICE WORTH PAYING?
I HAVE interviewed Katie Price many times and I get why she has married Lee Andrews – but I am confident it has nothing to do with love.
This is a marriage of convenience, a working relationship that is purely about attention seeking and fame.
Katie is great fun to chat to, but she has always come across as a bit vulnerable and insecure when I’ve met her,a woman who will pretty much say or do anything to stay in the spotlight.
Without that, she struggles to be happy or have a true purpose.
Lee has been described as a “lying swindler” and all-round wrong ’un. But I doubt she will care.
She’s got the headlines, and so has he.
Suddenly, this nobody is somebody with thousands of new followers. Job well done all round.
Maybe they deserve congratulations for that – but certainly not for this fake tying of the knot.
‘Old up on this ageism
I REALLY wish ageism would disappear.
It is tragic when dedicated people are made to feel as though they should retire.
I have friends who have been plotting the day of their retirement for years but I would love to follow in my family’s tradition of working until my 80s, if I’m able.
The wonderfully talented Prue Leith has revealed she quit Bake Off because of her age, saying: “At 86, it was time I jumped before I was pushed.”
With a new study revealing that 67 is the age when we reach our creative peak, it would seem ridiculous to shove many wise old owls out of the door if they are still willing and able.
Plus they often work harder than those decades younger.
A hard-knock life…
I AM thrilled Claire Sweeney has landed her dream job.
The Corrie actress has had a tough time in the past year, but she is leaving the Cobbles to take on the role of orphanage boss Miss Hannigan in the UK theatre tour of Annie.
She is a fine performer and on Wednesday, I booked tickets for the Manchester show before Claire announced she would be joining the production.
I’m gutted I won’t see her on stage as she’s not taking on the role until later in the tour.
But I’ve since got angry, too, because if I’d waited and booked to see Claire in, say, Newcastle, I could’ve saved £30 even with train tickets.
Why are some theatres so much more expensive than others?
It just doesn’t seem fair.
I DON’T get offended when I am not invited to antique fairs or on skiing breaks by my friends – because they know what my response would be.
This week a judge threw out the case of Shelby Caughman who was angry that she’d not been invited to the work Christmas party.
She is agoraphobic, fears crowded places and was on sick leave and too “overwhelmed” to return to work.
The company didn’t send an invite to “avoid creating further anxiety”. Which I get.
You wonder if she would have been just as raging if they’d ignored her issues and invited her to join them.
What a farce
THERE is nothing I love more than a good thriller.
But a little heads-up if you’re considering Netflix’s Run Away – don’t bother.
Somehow the rich, privileged mum – the kind you’d imagine shopping in Selfridges and spending her time on the PTA – gets really angry and murders someone with a large knife.
The woman, played by Minnie Driver, chops off his fingers to make it look like a gangland killing, then returns to work in a hospital without a spot of blood on her – or a moment’s anguish.
More comedy than thriller.