Pet owners pay thousands of pounds to save their animals’ lives

In early 2025 a routine appointment at the vets suggested that something was not right with Kobi the cat.

Co-owner Paul Lovatt knew something was wrong: “When he played he would pant heavily and then when he was asleep his neck would pulse.”

They were told to visit a specialist referral animal hospital that only deals with cats and dogs.

“Without the operation he would have died for certain,” said Marie Ruffell, Paul’s partner.

It was discovered that Kobi had additional arteries feeding blood to the heart and was in the early stages of heart failure because of the extra work it was having to do.

The hours-long operation to block some of the circulation routes was one of the most complex of its type carried out at Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists in Ringwood, Hampshire.

“I love the challenge,” said its Head of Cardiology Tobi Wagner.

He believes Kobi’s case is an example of how far veterinary surgery has come.

“The operation in total cost £21,000,” said Lovatt, adding that “he’s probably the most expensive cat in Bournemouth”.

“The thought of not being able to buy a motorbike to pay for a cat kind of hurt, but it was alright,” he added.

The couple never had any doubts about going ahead with the procedure to save what they referred to as “one of their babies”.

“What Tobi’s done for Kobi… I can’t thank him enough,” said Ruffell.

Insurance and grants, because of the unique nature of Kobi’s case, helped cover a significant percentage of the cost.

However, even for more routine surgeries, Wagner worries owners are increasingly not seeking treatment for pets because they worry it will be too expensive.

“It has changed a lot,” he said, adding that many more animals are “put to sleep rather than treated and this is probably somehow financially driven. It’s a sad thing”.

Ruth Parkinson, from Gillingham in Dorset, said she was feeling “nervous” as she dropped off Peggy, her Jack Russell, at the vet’s hospital reception.

Peggy had a blood vessel that did not close after birth and it was putting her heart under extra strain.

Within 90 minutes she was checked, anaesthetised and in an operating theatre that shares a lot of the same look and equipment as a conventional hospital.

Cardiology clinician Vicki Greet said: “People don’t often realise that the hospital is set up like this. A bit like a human hospital – obviously not quite the same, but modelling that same approach.

“I feel very fortunate, very privileged that I get to do a job that I enjoy.”

This site had an expansion two years ago, doubling its size to 30,000 sq ft (2787 sq m), making it one of the largest specialist-led referral centres in the UK.

Peggy’s keyhole surgery to put a small plug in her artery went well and within 48 hours she was back home with her owner and made a full recovery.

“We definitely feel very responsible to do the very best because we know they’re very precious to the owner,” said Wagner.