A 79-year-old woman from an aristocratic background is taking a defiant stand against a veterinary practice, refusing to pay a £2,000 bill after her beloved dog died following what she describes as a catastrophic series of misdiagnoses. Kiloran Murrell's battle with the vets, who presented total bills of £26,000, highlights growing national concerns over pet care costs, now under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority.
A Life of Resilience: From Family Strife to Pet Loss
Kiloran Murrell is no stranger to adversity. Despite a lineage that includes duchesses and billionaire cousins like the 8th Earl Cadogan and the late Aga Khan, her childhood was marked by hardship. She witnessed her father, Lord Ebury, assault her mother before leaving the family penniless after a divorce, forcing both Kiloran and her mother into menial work. Now, she is channelling that same fortitude into a fight for her 11-year-old Welsh Terrier, Martha.
"I told them this morning: 'You'll see me in jail first'," Kiloran stated with vehemence to Richard Eden. Her stance will resonate with millions of UK pet owners who collectively spend £4 billion annually on veterinary fees, many of which are levied by large corporate firms.
A Tragic Sequence of Errors
The ordeal began when Martha developed a bloated stomach, started vomiting repeatedly and suffered from severe thirst. The first vet diagnosed stomach cramp and prescribed tablets. When her condition worsened, a recommended bran diet made no difference.
"Then they had her on a drip overnight," Kiloran remembers. "Then, suddenly, they realised that they had not diagnosed her properly; she had pyometra." This is a serious infection of the uterus which is fatal unless treated promptly. A late spay operation was performed, but Kiloran believes the poison had already spread through Martha's body.
Martha was transferred to a second veterinary clinic near London. Kiloran claims that by this point, the dog was gulping persistently due to the number of pipes that had been down her throat, but this was mistaken for a separate illness. Martha died soon after.
Refusal to Pay and a Wider Industry Issue
Kiloran is adamant she will not pay the outstanding £2,000, split between two practices. "We owe that vet £1,000. They're not getting a penny out of us – not a penny," she insists. Her new vet has since explained that a simple blood test would have immediately identified the life-threatening infection.
Her frustration was compounded by one incident where, she alleges, a vet did not properly examine Martha but handed her to a receptionist, who apologised saying the vet had had 'a bad night with his children'.
This personal tragedy unfolds against the backdrop of a major CMA probe into the veterinary industry, scrutinising whether corporate ownership and complex fee structures are leading to overcharging and a lack of transparency for consumers.
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