I actually don't think that vets cost this much when I first got Cookie. Partly it's location, but I also know from my family in Singapore that vet bills are also astronomical in Singapore now.
Earlier on it was much more affordable but I think there's been a lot of global consolidation of vet practices across the world, and vet bills have really soared.
This is the 'holy shit last 5 years got really $$$ thing'. Partly it's that Cookie got older, but also bills have gone up everywhere