Cost of Vet Care

I am with Animal friends who are very reasonable even for lifetime cover
I was pleased i had my dog insured as she needed a lot of medication and tests, but just a week before she had to be pts, her insurance had been renewed, so the cost of that i ended up having to pay for as the original one had run out, so had to pay the £99 excess,and insurance paid £16-95
Although my cats [except one] have not needed to use it they are now all aged 10+11 so might need to soon
The older they get they are more likely to need it, but needs to be started when young

Vet fees do vary considerably. Shop around. Not even sure insurance is worth paying either. Annual premiums rocket each year, some insurers will only pay so much for a particular ailment then you have to pay the rest if on going. others will argue the toss. Insuring an older animal is high to start with. Most will have excesses.

I think putting money away is better than paying insurance tbh.

Don't know your circumstances, but you might qualify for an interest freew credit card. If so, it would give you a lot more time to pay. Hope Ginger recovers quickly from the op.

I find its not so much the charge for the treatment but the charges for the consultation with the vet,one vet locally charges £32.50 and another charges £18.00 I don't know how they can justify the difference one new Vets Clinic not to far away does not charge for a consultation fee and it is not just for people on reduced incomes it is for everyone they are opening up across the country apparently.

Vet fees can be horrendous and vary hugely. I have 4 dogs a staffie and 3 Pugs. Tbf they have hardly cost me a bean over the years but I keep a credit card with a 15k limit for unforeseen animal expenses. It's come in handy a few times in the past when presented with a £2500 bill.
Hope the op goes well x