Over the last 4 years my dog's weight has increased from 14 to 24+ lbs. The vets at our group practice always insisted he was just fat even though he ate very little. Finally in September last year they found he had diabetes and pancreatis.He was put on insulin but it didn't control the diabetes at all. Beginning of the year he went almost bald and that's when the true diagnosis of untreated long standing Cushings disease was made - seems he had all the symptoms for years, a very fat stomach and roll of fat on the neck while the rest of him was thin and wasted. The Cushings is why he had diabetes and now he's blind from the diabetes! His bills over the last 6 months alone are over £2500 and i have insurance. But theres deductible for 3 conditions( £300) and the vet charges filing fees - averaging £10 a month. In a few months time he'll be 9 years old and my deductible go up and I'll have to pay 10-15% of his bills. He's in this shape because the vets insisted he was fat not sick. What should I do- should I complain to the vet?

It's always better to try and sort it out amicably with your vet. If you try to be fair and reasonable then they should too. I'm assuming you have a halfway decent relationship as you've stayed with the same vet.

Remember that unlike your average GP, a vet doesn't only deal with a single species and their patients can't tell them what's wrong or where it hurts. With that in mind try to forgive a good vet a little for a past oversight and look to negotiate some sort of discount for future treatment. I think I'd be looking to get rid of the filing fee and about 15-20% off your excess payments. You have been and will continue to be a regular customer so there's no reason not to come to a sensible arrangement to offset your increased costs as your dog ages.

to right to complain. it costs alot of money and a lot of years to train people to be vetenary surgeons. and it also costs pet owners their mistakes. i would take this further - you would if you didnt get the correct treatment, this has also been to the distress and discomfort to the animal.