thepetbill

End-of-life care

Euthanasia prices at UK vets

Ending a pet's life humanely, carried out by a vet.

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

PDSA describes the usual appointment: a consent form, sometimes a light sedative first for pets likely to be stressed, and an injection, usually into a vein in a front leg (PDSA, When it's time to say goodbye).

Official price-list name: Euthanasia (CMA Order, Schedule 1).

What's included

  • Cremation is priced separately, as communal and individual cremation. If you are considering a cremation, the practice must talk you through the end-of-life options before you decide, unless you would rather not (Art. 20(3)(b)).
  • Anything that is an essential part of the service, and VAT (Art. 7(2)(d) and (f))

Euthanasia and cremation

Euthanasia, communal cremation and individual cremation are three separate items. Every practice must offer a basic communal cremation (Art. 20(2)) and must set out its end-of-life options with equal prominence on its website: a communal cremation or, if offered, an individual one; arranging it yourself with a crematorium; or taking your pet home for burial (Art. 20(1), (3)(a) and (4)).

Why the price varies

  • 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.
  • Sedation and the consultation. The Order does not define what the euthanasia item includes, so ask whether sedation and the vet's time are in the price.
  • Home visits. Not one of the 36 items; PDSA notes that some private vets offer home visits.
  • Out of hours. A practice that charges more out of hours must show both prices (Art. 7(2)(h)).

Background

On the standard list, euthanasia and cremation are separate items. The CMA found some practices had charged a single price for both (final report Part A, paragraph 13.52).

Questions to ask the practice

  • What does the euthanasia price include?
  • Do you offer home visits, and at what price?
  • What are your communal and individual cremation prices?
  • When do you take payment?

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, “Euthanasia”, 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 cremation included in the euthanasia price?

Not on the standard list. Euthanasia, communal cremation and individual cremation are three separate items.

Will I get an itemised bill?

From 23 June 2027 at large groups, yes. For euthanasia and cremation a practice may give less detail if it reasonably thinks the detail would cause distress, but add-ons must always be shown and you can ask for the full breakdown (Art. 3 and 12(6)).

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

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.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.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.