thepetbill

Consultation and preventative care

Out-of-hours consultation prices at UK vets

This is the price of seeing a vet outside the practice's normal working hours, through whatever out-of-hours arrangement the practice has.

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

The CMA's definition is a "consultation with a vet surgeon using the practice's OOH provision" (Explanatory Note, Annex 1).

Official price-list name: Out-of-hours consultation (CMA Order, Schedule 1).

What's included

  • If the practice hands its out-of-hours care to another provider, its price list must include the price of a consultation with that provider and a link to the provider's own price list (Art. 7(2)(i)).
  • Where the practice runs its own out-of-hours service and charges differently at night or at weekends, the out-of-hours prices must sit alongside the daytime ones (Art. 7(2)(h)).
  • 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

  • Who provides it. With outsourcing common, the price is often set by a different business. The practice's own list must still show that provider's consultation price and link to its price list (Art. 7(2)(i)).
  • Staff costs. The CMA concluded that costs of out-of-hours consultations and surgery can be higher (the figure is redacted), with a dedicated night team often paid more for antisocial hours (Part A, paragraph 12.30).
  • Registration. The RCVS notes that out-of-hours services are generally more expensive and that vets may charge higher fees to unregistered clients (chapter 3, paragraph 3.54).
  • Day and night prices at the same practice. A practice that runs its own night service and charges differently must show both prices (Art. 7(2)(h)).

Background

Every vet in practice must take steps to provide 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief, but not personally: when off duty they must direct clients to another appropriate service (RCVS supporting guidance, chapter 3, paragraphs 3.1 and 3.4). The CMA found that 80% of first-opinion practices outsource out-of-hours care to another site (final report Part A, paragraph 12.1).

Questions to ask the practice

  • Who provides your out-of-hours care, and where is it?
  • What does an out-of-hours consultation cost there, and are weekends or bank holidays different?
  • If my pet needs to stay overnight, who looks after it?

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, “Out-of-hours 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)).

If out-of-hours care is outsourced, the provider's consultation price and a link to its price list (Art. 7(2)(i)); if the practice charges differently out of hours itself, both prices side by side (Art. 7(2)(h)).

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

Will my practice's list show the out-of-hours price if another business does nights?

Yes. Where a practice outsources out-of-hours care, its own price list must include the price of a consultation with that provider and a link to the provider's price list (Art. 7(2)(i)).

Will I be treated if I can't pay at once?

RCVS guidance says immediate first aid and pain relief should not be delayed while payment is agreed (chapter 3, paragraph 3.55). Discuss costs as early as you can.

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

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.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.