CLOSER NEWS REPORT
Britain’s vets are facing a probe into pricing after it was revealed that pet owners could be paying over the odds for medicines, prescriptions and care. Here, two women explain why the investigation can’t come soon enough….
Emma Parsons- Reid was understandably devastated when she lost her beloved cat Phebe last February. What made it worse was knowing that her cat was in unnecessary pain in the last days of her life.
Emma, 56, who lives in Cardiff with her husband Kevin, 61, says, “I’m haunted by what she went through. I took her to the vet when she woke up one day with her eye looking white and she had gone off her food. They looked into her mouth, said it was agum infection and prescribed antibiotics. They suggested if they didn’t work, she’d need scans and blood tests costing thousands of pounds to see what else it might be.
SECOND OPINION
“We had to fight to get her to take the antibiotics but we did it because we thought it could make her better. A few days later we went back because they weren’t working, and they said we should persist.
“Phebe was clearly in pain and would hide under the bed.”
Emma was so concerned that she sought a second opinion with another vet aweek later.
She says, “They took one look in her mouth and could tell she’d got oral cancer. He showed it to me and it was clearly visible to the naked eye. He told me it was extensive and had travelled up to her brain and into her eye.
There was no hope and the kindest thing was to put her down –which we did.
“But I’m so angry. I don’t know whether they didn’t spot it because they were incompetent or if they just wanted to fleece me. Either way it was so cruel to try to prolong her life when she was in so much pain and would never recover. If I hadn’t got a second opinion, I’d have spent thousands of pounds on investigations. I adored her and would have done anything for her if it would have made her better – she was a part of our family. Vets know that and they’ve got you over a barrel.”
Sadly Emma’s shocking story is not uncommon. Our investigation revealed another woman spent £6,000 saving her dog’s life after an instrument had been left inside her from abdominal surgery. Acat owner was told over four or five visits that her cat was suffering from aggression when in reality he’d gone blind. One dog owner was told her pet should have radiotherapy for atumour in his jaw costing thousands of pounds followed by chemotherapy. She spent £2,800 before a second opinion showed that radiotherapy would have left the dog unable to eat and the kindest way ahead was strong painkillers. Her dog sadly died two months later but was enjoying his life up until the end. Another owner was char
