thepetbill

Diagnostics and laboratory tests

Cytology test (ear swab) prices at UK vets

A swab from the ear examined under a microscope, as the official name "Cytology test (ear swab)" describes.

Published prices

No practice on our list publishes this price yet: vet businesses with 15 or more practices or out-of-hours centres must publish it, if they offer it, on each practice's website from 23 December 2026, and smaller practices from 23 March 2027.

What it is

Official price-list name: Cytology test (ear swab) (CMA Order, Schedule 1).

What's included

  • Anything that is an essential part of the service, and VAT (Art. 7(2)(d) and (f))

Diagnostics and laboratory tests

Schedule 1 groups nine items as diagnostics and laboratory tests, and says all of them include interpretation: the price should cover a vet reading and explaining the result, not only taking the sample or the image.

Why the price varies

  • Outside providers. If part of the work is done by someone else, such as an outside laboratory or a visiting specialist, the listed price must include their fees (Art. 7(2)(k)).
  • Further tests. If the result points to more testing, that is priced separately.
  • 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 the swab looked at in the practice or sent to a laboratory?
  • Does the price include explaining the result to me?

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, “Cytology test (ear swab)”, 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)).

A price that includes interpretation of the result (Schedule 1).

Any third-party fees for parts of the work done by someone else (Art. 7(2)(k)).

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 the laboratory fee included?

It should be. If part of the work is done by a third party, its fees must be in the listed price (Art. 7(2)(k)).

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

How we get prices

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.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.What's included in a neuter or spay priceThe seven tick boxes every UK vet price list must show for castration, spays and dentals, and how to read them before you compare prices.