Is this Vet bill very expensive or am I just out of touch?

Sincere Condolences icanhandthemback. Our dogs bring such love to our lives.

My dogs are insured, it’s expensive and I often ponder a savings account instead. Several years ago, very suddenly my 6 year old dog became ill. He was put to sleep at hone by our lovely vet 24 days later. She wept with me after he slipped peacefully away, his suffering over. A week later my 10 year old dog had a fit. MRI scans etc. She needed surgery but lived 3 more good years. The cost for these 2 totally unexpected illnesses was almost £12,000. The insurance paid.

My vets are good clinically, they’re friendly, knowledgable and good with my dogs. Private health cover for humans is astronomical. £250 per consultation is the norm. I pay about £40 for my vet to thoroughly examine, diagnose and prescribe.

Sarnia

Vets bills are astronomical. One way my daughter reduces cost is not to buy medication from the vets. She asks for the prescription and gets it on-line. Last example, an eye cream prescribed for her dog would have cost £39 at the vets and she bought the identical cream on-line for £6. Quite a mark up. Anyone without pet insurance these days is taking a huge gamble.

As ours would be without the NHS.

Advice please.
I have a 9yr old Labrador who was a rescue. He was a rescue because he occasionally has seizures. In the 7 1/2 years we have had him he has had 14 seizures. The longest period he went without a seizure was almost 14 months. I have kept a diary of his seizures and can not find a common link between them. I have been away, he's had an episode, my husband has been away, he's had an episode. We've both been away and nothing. It's not thunderstorms, food, enviiroment. So the conclusion it that it is genetic.
When we first had him I took him to my vet for an assessment and was told the doseage of phenobarbital was so low as to not be effective and to stop. Watch and monitor the seizures he has. So in the last 13 months he has had 4, the last one, last week, was quite severe and he took a while to come out of it properly. Husband and I concerned so made appointment with vet. New vet as we have recently relocated. Vet had only seen dog to have claws clipped. Did blood test, suggested we start medication and gave doseage as 2 x 100mgs daily exactly 12 hours apart. Charged $510 Aus dollars. Dog became a zombie, lurching around, bumping into walls, furniture etc. This was over a weekend, phoned Vet on Monday explained how dog had been and was told to cut morning doseage by half. Have started this today. he is not quite so sluggish, but not his normal silly self. I appreciate getting the doseage correct can take a while.
Sorry this is so long winded but I'm wondering if it would have been better not to have the medication and to let things be as they were. Or does anyone have recommendations for a natural therapy. Obviously the seizures are horrible to watch and he's normally sleepy for the rest of the day after a seizure. They always happen around 5.00am
Apoloogies for being so long winded but I want to do the right thing by him as he is such a beautiful natured dog. Thanks for reading.

Think I may have posted this in the wrong section!!

Daughter has just been charged £700 for sedation and x ray!.Thought dog had eaten a toy after being sick but nothing was found. Luckily she was insured.