thepetbill

Guide · updated

How to compare vet prices in the UK

A practical checklist for comparing vet price lists fairly, from consultation minutes and vaccine bundles to out-of-hours cover and cremation.

The new standard price lists make vets comparable for the first time. They do not make comparison automatic. A cheap headline price can hide a short appointment, a weight band that doesn't fit your dog, or an out-of-hours provider a long drive away.

Here is what we look at, in roughly the order it matters.

1. Same item, same name

Every practice has to use the names in Schedule 1 of the CMA Order, with no free text (Art. 7(2)(a)). That is the whole point: "First consultation" at one practice is the same item as "First consultation" at another. If a practice offers a variant, such as a longer appointment, it appears as a separate line and the standard option is marked (Art. 7(2)(b)). Compare standard against standard.

2. Same pet band

Prices that depend on the animal use six bands: cat, small dog (under 10 kg), medium (10 to under 25 kg), large (25 to under 40 kg), extra-large (40 to under 60 kg) and giant (60 kg and over) (Art. 7(2)(c)). A Labrador and a Chihuahua sit in different bands, so pick your band before you compare. On our map the pet selector does this for you.

3. Minutes, not just pounds

For a first consultation, a nurse consultation, physiotherapy and laser therapy, Schedule 1 asks practices to give the standard appointment length in minutes. A short standard slot and a longer one are not the same deal, even when the price looks similar.

4. Know what is bundled

  • Vaccinations: the three vaccination items are all named "including consultation", so the price should cover the check-up that goes with the jab.
  • Surgery and dentals: castration, both spays and the dental assessment carry seven tick boxes showing what the price includes (Art. 7(2)(e)). Our neuter and spay guide explains them.
  • Diagnostics: Schedule 1 says every diagnostic and lab item includes interpretation, and some names spell out more. The X-ray item, for example, includes sedation or general anaesthesia and three images.
  • Pet care plans: the price is the monthly cost, with a link to what the plan includes. Read that page before deciding a plan is cheaper.

5. Check the date

Each price on The Pet Bill shows the date we last checked it and links to the practice's own page. Practices must update their list before they charge a new price (Art. 7(5)), so the practice's own page is always the final word. If we are out of date, tell us.

6. Think about out-of-hours care

Emergencies are where bills jump. Practices that charge more out of hours have to show those prices alongside the daytime ones (Art. 7(2)(h)). Many practices hand nights and weekends to another provider; in that case the list must give that provider's consultation price and link to its price list (Art. 7(2)(i)). A cheap daytime practice with an expensive out-of-hours partner may cost you more in the year you need it.

7. End-of-life costs

Euthanasia, communal cremation and individual cremation are separate items. Every practice must offer a basic communal cremation (Art. 20(2)) and show its end-of-life options with equal prominence, including arranging cremation yourself or taking your pet home (Art. 20(4)). If a third-party crematorium does all of the work, the practice's list must link to that crematorium's prices (Art. 7(2)(j)). Add-ons such as an urn must be priced separately (Art. 20(5)(b)).

8. Remember the price is for the typical case

Every list has to say that its prices relate to the typical case and may increase in more complex cases (Art. 7(2)(l)). Use the list to choose a practice, then ask about your own pet.

For larger treatment, from 23 June 2027 at large vet groups (23 September 2027 at smaller ones) you have a right to a written estimate when the treatment is likely to cost £500 or more including VAT, and more than £100 of it (a fifth of the £500 threshold) is for costs still to come, and an itemised bill afterwards (Art. 11 and 12).

9. Medicines can be bought elsewhere

Vets will have to tell you that you can ask for a written prescription and buy the medicine from another retailer (Art. 14). The fee for a written prescription will be capped, at first at £21.40 for the first medication and £12.70 for each extra one, including VAT, from 23 March 2027 at large groups and 23 September 2027 at smaller businesses (Art. 3 and 18).

How our area average works

On the map, each practice's pin is coloured by how its price compares with the area average for the same treatment and pet band. The average is the median of published prices within 5 miles. If fewer than five practices nearby have that price, we widen the circle in 5-mile steps up to 25 miles. If there are still fewer than five, we say so and show no average, rather than an average of two practices.

We use the median, the middle price, rather than the mean, so one unusually expensive practice doesn't drag the figure up.

Sources

Prices mentioned in this guide

Pet euthanasia cost in the UK: what the price includes and what is charged separatelyHow vets price euthanasia, why cremation is a separate item, what the CMA rules require practices to tell you, and the questions worth asking before the appointment.Out-of-hours and emergency vet costs in the UK: why nights cost more and what you can checkWhy emergency vet care outside normal hours costs more, who usually provides it, and the new CMA rules that make practices show out-of-hours prices and providers in advance.What the CMA vet price rules mean for pet ownersFrom 23 December 2026 big vet groups must publish a standard price list. Here is what changes, when, and what you can do with it.Cat vaccination cost in the UK: kitten course, boosters and what the price includesWhat a cat or kitten vaccination price covers under the new CMA price lists, why a primary course costs more than a booster, and what to ask before you book.Pet cremation cost in the UK: communal vs individual, ashes, and what vets must now tell youThe difference between communal and individual cremation, what the CMA found pet owners were paying, and the new rules that make vets show cremation prices and options from December 2026.Vet consultation fees in the UK: first, repeat, nurse and out-of-hours appointmentsHow much a vet consultation costs, what the CMA found, why first and repeat appointments are priced differently, and why the appointment length now sits next to the price.