I was left with an £8,000 vet bill when my insurer cancelled my pet policy

I was left with an £8,000 vet bill when my insurer cancelled my pet policy15 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJim Connolly & Esyllt CarrBBC News InvestigationsBBCKim Watts with her beloved dog Darcey When Kim Watts found out her pet insurance company had cancelled her policy, leaving her with £8,000 to pay in treatment costs, she says she burst into tears.Her beloved dog Darcey was left with a crushed disc after a "savage" attack by two other dogs while on a walk. Watts says she checked that Darcey was covered for the treatment, with the insurer confirming "on speaker phone in front of the vet" that she would be.However, nine weeks later, while looking at the pending claims on her online account, Watts discovered the policy had been terminated. She had to pay for the treatment using her own savings. 'Badly treated'"I feel badly treated," she says. "I wasn't even given an email to read. I looked at a screen and saw 'policy cancelled'. It's just unbelievable."I think they were trying to get away with it. They just thought, 'you're a customer and you won't fight us'. I honestly didn't think they thought I'd fight them."Frustrated with the firm's refusal to pay out, she took her case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) - which can order insurers to pay compensation.Watts lost her initial claim but won on appeal and got the £8,000 back in full. However, she says she still had to pay £900 for specialist legal advice.Her insurer, Purely Pets, says it had implemented the ombudsman's recommendations in full and reinstated the policies for Darcey, her border collie.About 17.2 million UK households own a pet, and over the last two years BBC News has reported in detail about the rising cost of vet care, hearing from some who have even taken their pets abroad to save on rising fees.We've also spoken to vets and animal charities worried tha...