thepetbill

Guide · updated

What's included in a neuter or spay price

The seven tick boxes every UK vet price list must show for castration, spays and dentals, and how to read them before you compare prices.

Neutering is the price people search for most, and it is the one that is easiest to misread. Two practices can both say "Castration, cat" and mean quite different things by it. One price covers the anaesthetic, pain relief and a check-up afterwards. The other covers the operation and little else.

The CMA Order deals with this head-on, for four items only: dental assessment (scale and polish), castration, spay (traditional/open) and spay (laparoscopic/keyhole).

The seven components

For those four items, the price has to include each of the following if the practice considers it typically necessary for the procedure (Art. 7(2)(e)(i)):

  1. General anaesthesia
  2. Local anaesthesia
  3. Sedation
  4. Post-operative pain relief
  5. Hospitalisation and monitoring
  6. Pre-operative blood tests
  7. Post-operative check-ups

And the line of the price list that shows the price must carry a tick box for each of the seven, showing which are included and which are not (Art. 7(2)(e)(ii)).

Note the wording. The Order does not say every price must include all seven. It says the practice includes the ones it thinks the procedure typically needs, and then shows you, box by box, what it decided. A practice that leaves pre-operative blood tests unticked is telling you they are not in the price.

Reading the boxes

Ticked means it is in the price. Unticked means it is not, and if your pet needs it you should expect to pay for it on top.

Pre-operative blood tests are the obvious example. "Pre-surgical/pre-anaesthetic blood test" is also an item in its own right on the standard list, in the diagnostics group. So if a spay price leaves blood tests unticked, the same practice's list should also show what the test costs on its own, if the practice offers it. Add the two together and you have a fairer figure to compare with a practice that includes the test.

On our practice pages each component shows as included, not included, or not stated. "Not stated" means we could not read a tick or a cross for it from the practice's page. We never guess one.

Open or keyhole spay

Spay (traditional/open) and spay (laparoscopic/keyhole) are two separate items on the list, with separate prices. Many practices offer only one. Compare like with like: a keyhole price against other keyhole prices.

If a practice offers more than one version of an item, each version has to appear as its own line, with the standard option clearly marked (Art. 7(2)(b)).

Dogs are priced by weight, cats are not

Where the price depends on the animal, the list uses six fixed bands: cat, then five dog bands (under 10 kg, 10 to under 25 kg, 25 to under 40 kg, 40 to under 60 kg, and 60 kg and over) (Art. 7(2)(c)). A practice that charges the same for every dog may show a single price instead.

If your dog sits near the edge of a band, ask which band the practice will use. A 24 kg dog that weighs 25 kg on the day moves up a band.

What the price still does not cover

Every price list has to say that its prices are for the typical case and may rise in more complex or complicated cases (Art. 7(2)(l)). A retained testicle, a pregnant cat or a dental that turns into extractions are not the typical case.

For bigger treatment plans, from 23 June 2027 large vet groups (23 September 2027 for smaller ones) must give 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 (Art. 3 and 11). Below that threshold, the price list is your main guide.

Two further rules help. If part of the work is done by someone else, such as an outside laboratory, the listed price must include their fees (Art. 7(2)(k)). And all prices include VAT (Art. 7(2)(f)).

Questions worth asking

  • Which of the seven boxes are ticked, and what do the unticked ones cost if my pet needs them?
  • Which weight band will my dog be in?
  • Is the price for the open or the keyhole spay?
  • Are post-operative check-ups included, and how many?
  • If my pet stays in overnight, is that covered by "hospitalisation and monitoring"?

Comparing on The Pet Bill

Our treatment pages for castration, spay (traditional/open), spay (keyhole) and dental assessment show what practices charge for each pet band. Practice pages show the ticks next to each price, with the date we checked it and a link to the practice's own list. For more on comparing fairly, see how to compare vet prices.

Sources

Prices mentioned in this guide

Cat neutering cost in the UK: castration and spay prices comparedWhat UK practices that already publish charge to neuter a cat, what a castration or spay price must include under the CMA Order, and where to get help with the cost.Dog neutering cost in the UK: castration and spay prices by weight bandWhat UK practices that already publish charge to neuter a dog, by the five weight bands on the CMA price list, open versus keyhole spay, and what the price must include.Low-cost and charity vet care in the UK: who qualifies and where to find the cheapest vetWho qualifies for free or reduced-cost vet care from PDSA, Blue Cross, RSPCA branches, Cats Protection and Dogs Trust, and how to find the cheapest paid practice near you if you don't.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.How to complain about a vet bill or a price in the UKThe steps that work for a disputed vet bill or price: the practice's own complaints process, free mediation through the VCMS, what the RCVS can and cannot do, and what the CMA Order changes from 23 March 2027.How to compare vet prices in the UKA practical checklist for comparing vet price lists fairly, from consultation minutes and vaccine bundles to out-of-hours cover and cremation.