Specialist referral centres have been developed at great cost. They provide incredible care, probably superior to what we may experience in the NHS but their costs have naturally risen substantially.
At the same time, the insurance providers are being challenged by repeated crises hitting the nation. They no longer make the profits they once did, and consequently they need to save more money from pet owners.
This combination of factors has produced a perfect storm making many surgical procedures and investigations inaccessible for many owners.
Even owners of insured pets can discover they have far too little cover, or the small print prevents them from using their policy.
I have been providing this service since April 2014, based in the Staffordshire Moorlands and the North West.