Forgive me for sharing from the Guardian (yikes), but the article is indeed stating the obvious: pet care has got completely out of hand and is in a disastrous state. As a pet owner, you feel trapped: you’ve been manipulated to the point that you can’t even discuss cheaper options for treating your animal, as it sounds crass and somehow disrespectful (?!) to the vet.

In one case, the vet charged for “a phone conversation, even though I couldn’t hear what he was saying. ©

I never forget the moment when we were connected by phone with one of the junior vets after Pickle had been diagnosed with sarcoma, and how this guy was constantly avoiding our direct questions—simply stalling for time: afterwards we were charged for a “consultation” (it wasn’t that) a ginormous amount of money, well over £150. He waffled, and waffled, and we learned nothing.