Consultation and preventative care
Anal gland expression prices at UK vets
Emptying a pet's anal glands, the small scent glands beside the bottom, at the practice.
Lowest published prices
Prices are copied from each practice's own website on the date shown and can change. Check with the practice before you book. How we collect prices
All pets 1 practice
- Parc Vetcare£18.14 checked (practice's own price list) from the practice's own price list (published before the CMA standard list)
In-hours, standard prices including VAT, from 1 practice that already publishes; not a UK average. We show a range once 3 practices list a price and a median once 5 do. Fewer than 3 practices list a price for all pets so far.
What it is
The CMA's definition is an "appointment with the vet surgeon or RVN" (Explanatory Note, Annex 1).
Official price-list name: Anal gland expression
(CMA Order, Schedule 1).
What's included
- Anything that is an essential part of the service, and VAT (Art. 7(2)(d) and (f))
Why the price varies
- Plan inclusion. In the CMA's analysis, some large groups' care plans included anal gland expression (final report Appendix G, footnote 5).
- Your pet's band. Where the price depends on species or weight, the list must show it for a cat and five dog bands, from under 10 kg to 60 kg and over (Art. 7(2)(c)). A practice that charges the same for every animal shows one price.
- Complexity. Every list must say that its prices are for the typical case and may go up in more complex or complicated cases (Art. 7(2)(l)).
Questions to ask the practice
- Is it done by a vet or a nurse?
- If it is done during a consultation for something else, is this price added on top?
- Is it included in your care plan?
We explain prices, not treatment. Ask your vet about the clinical choices for your own pet.
The rules
What the practice's price list must show, with the Order's article references
The exact name from Schedule 1, “Anal gland expression”, with no free-text description (Art. 7(2)(a)).
As for every item: each version on its own line with the standard one marked, a cat price and five dog bands where the price depends on the animal, and VAT included, kept up to date and changed before a higher price is charged (Art. 7(2)(b), (c), (f) and (g), and 7(5)).
Large vet groups must publish from 23 December 2026 and smaller practices from 23 March 2027 (Art. 3 and 7).
Unhappy with a bill or a price? Our guide explains how to complain, from the practice's own process to free mediation.
Questions
Is a consultation fee charged as well?
The CMA's definition treats this item as an appointment in its own right. If it is done during a consultation for something else, ask how the two are charged.
Why might my bill be higher than the listed price?
Listed prices are for the typical case. Each price list must say so, and must warn that prices may go up in more complex or complicated cases (Art. 7(2)(l)). The price must still include anything that is an essential part of the service (Art. 7(2)(d)).
How up to date are the prices here?
Every price shows the date we last checked it and links to the practice's own page. We re-check weekly, and daily from 23 to 31 December 2026. If a price looks wrong, email [email protected].
Sources
- Competition and Markets Authority, The Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026 (published 22 September 2026): Article 3 (compliance dates), Article 7 (price list) and Schedule 1 (the 36 price-list items).
- CMA, Veterinary services for household pets: summary of the final report (24 March 2026).
- CMA, Annex 1 to the Explanatory Note: indicative price lists (22 September 2026; definitions to support practices, guidance rather than part of the Order).
- CMA, Final report Appendix G: whether LVG pet care plans provide value for money (24 March 2026).
- Practice prices: each practice's own published price list, linked next to every price.