im sorry man, that sounds like a shit time of things.
see, i think there are definitely clinics that do things in a shady manner to maximize profits while providing poor or mediocre care. i mean, it's been seen in a clinic a couple towns over from me, even. but there's a lot of practices that aren't raking in money like that. it costs a hell of a lot of money to run a veterinary clinic, one on the up and up anyways. idk. there's for sure sharks in the water but i can't begrudge them for wanting to make a profit for the work they're doing. like you say though, doesnt make dropping all that cash easy. its painful even, but you do it because losing your little buddy is a worse pain than that.