Hi, Sarah,
Pet-owners are very often reluctant to ask the cost of a course of treatment or an operation in case they may be thought to be putting money considerations above the wellbeing of heir pet. Similarly some veterinary surgeons, sadly, may not consider the financial situation of their clients and assume that if an owner brings an animal to them for treatment, they must provide the gold standard of treatment, whatever the cost, and the client must be prepared to pay.
Sadly, the veterinary profession today is not the only 'caring' profession where the care for money sometimes replaces the care for the patient.
On the other hand, the pet-owning public must recognise that modern treatments are more expensive - a bottle of Rimadyl costs more than a bottle of aspirin, practice iverheads like rates and staff salaries have to come outbof the fees charged, and when new graduates are entering the profession with massive student loans to repay they need to be paid more to be able to do so.
I share your concerns, but I do not know the answers.
W