Yep, well and truly cornered. I'm not even convinced it would be cheaper to source the drugs ourselves. I don't believe it costs that much per year, we will have to get the vets to give us a breakdown of what we spent last year and have a think about things.

Ah well.

That's dreadful Linda they have got you in a situation where you have little choice haven't they ......

OK so I am not in the UK and as you know I have no insurance for Pereg [apart from third party which is a part of my household policy] but I do know a fair bit about the cost of drugs - assuming you mean Pb and Kbr. If your vet will give you a prescription for Pb [I am not too sure about Kbr] then you can buy it a lot cheaper from one of the 100% reputable online UK veterinary supplies companies. I know that it is called Epiphen in the UK but am not sure of what mg they are or what Loki has. I can only get 100mg and 15mg Pb here.

Blood tests. Until now Pereg has had blood tests every six months - she will be having another one in February, three months since the last, because I am reducing her Pb. Her basic blood tests cost peanuts as Ram does them at his little surgery, but Pb and Thyroid have to go to an outside laboratory and that costs. Only we are not going to bother with Thyroid tests any more as Pereg is definitely not hypothyroid.

I know that Loki has had to go to the ER for treatment on a number of occasions. I do not have an ER here but Ram is always at the end of the phone 24/7 and if it ever came to it I guess we would sort something out. But in the meantime somehow we, Pereg and I, have managed to cope. Somehow.

What will happen in the future I do not know.

Yes it all costs money but at least I know that the money I have to pay to Ram does not go to line the pockets of any insurance company.

But Linda - to have to pay such an exorbitant price for insurance? I would sit and work out how much your beloved Loki has cost you over the years, and balance it against how much you have paid in insurance - and I would wonder whether it is now time to stop all insurance and just hope and pray that you have enough money to pay for emergencies.

I am sorry but I honestly have no better suggestions to offer you.

What a shock.

Really thought you'd made a typing error...OMG that's unbelievable If I win the lotto tonight i promise I'll pay it for you

I'm not sure of your dog's medical issues but I would certainly give them a call and ask them why it is costing that much

Linda, please forgive me for answering this.

Julie - Linda's Loki is epileptic and was very recently diagnosed as having a grade 2 heart murmur.

His epilepsy alone has cost a lot of money and Linda has relied on her insurance for him. Now it appears that her insurance company want an excessive increase in premiums to cover him.

Thanks guys - yeah he's 9 and we've claimed a lot over the years so they obviously want pay back now. Perhaps if the drugs and consultations were cheaper ...

Great walking buckets of cucumber shreds.

We're with Petplan and they've been excellent to us-- have you talked to them? I've probably got a magazine with a 2 months free voucher for recommend a friend somewhere if they're good for you.

Thank you Strangechilde but I don't think they'd touch us now. Loki is 9 and has pre-existing conditions. M&S have always paid out so I can't really fault them there.