thepetbill

Consultation and preventative care

First consultation prices at UK vets

A first consultation is the standard appointment with a vet for a new problem or a general check-up.

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

  1. Hope Veterinary SurgeryStoke-on-Trent£54.40 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 "a first consultation with a vet surgeon for all new conditions, or general check-ups for the standard appointment length" (Explanatory Note, Annex 1).

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

What others have published

Figures from published reports, not prices we collected, and not a current UK average.

What's included

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

The four consultation items

The price list has four consultations: a first consultation for a new problem or a check-up, a repeat consultation for a follow-up, an out-of-hours consultation and a nurse consultation. For a first and a nurse consultation, Schedule 1 asks for the standard appointment length in minutes next to the price, so compare the minutes as well as the pounds.

Why the price varies

  • Appointment length. Schedule 1 makes the practice give its standard appointment length in minutes next to the price, because a consultation's price depends on its duration (Explanatory Note, paragraph 64(d)).
  • Who owns the practice. The CMA found that between January 2023 and July 2024, average prices at five of the six large vet groups were together 18.3% higher than at independent practices for consultations, treatments and medicines (final report summary, paragraph 25).
  • Mobile vets. A mobile practice must tell you about any price factors that come only from seeing your pet on a mobile basis (Art. 7(2)(m)).
  • 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)).

Background

Using one pet insurer's claims data, the CMA calculated an average consultation price of £53.20 in 2023 (final report Part A, footnote 919). Prices vary by practice; see the map for published prices from 23 December 2026.

Questions to ask the practice

  • How long is a standard first consultation, and what happens if it runs over?
  • What does a follow-up cost: is it the repeat consultation price?
  • Could a nurse consultation do this job instead?
  • Who handles calls out of hours, and what do they charge for a consultation?

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, “First consultation”, 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)).

The standard appointment length in minutes (Schedule 1).

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 general check-up a first consultation?

Yes. The CMA's definition of a first consultation covers new conditions and general check-ups.

Will I know the price when I book?

Yes. The first digital confirmation of a consultation booking must state the price of the consultation and link to the practice's price list (Art. 7(3)(c)).

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

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.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.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.