thepetbill

Surgeries and treatments

Open spay (neutering) prices at UK vets

Neutering a female animal through an open surgical incision.

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

Cat 1 practice

  1. West Edinburgh VetsEdinburgh£210 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 a cat so far.

Struggling with the cost? See who can get help from PDSA, Blue Cross, RSPCA branches and others, and how to find the cheapest paid practice: low-cost and charity vet care.

What it is

The CMA's definition is "midline ovariohysterectomy" (Explanatory Note, Annex 1), which removes the ovaries and the womb.

Official price-list name: Spay (traditional/open) (CMA Order, Schedule 1).

What's included

For a dental assessment, castration and both kinds of spay, the price must include each of these seven components if the practice considers it typically necessary, and the price list must carry a tick box for each one so you can see what is in the price and what is not (Art. 7(2)(e)):

  • General anaesthesia
  • Local anaesthesia
  • Sedation
  • Post-operative pain relief
  • Hospitalisation and monitoring
  • Pre-operative blood tests
  • Post-operative check-ups

An unticked component is not in the price, so you would pay for it separately if your pet needs it.

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

Neutering: castration and the two spays

Neutering is three items on the price list: castration for males, and two kinds of spay for females, open (traditional) and keyhole (laparoscopic). Each can have its own price for a cat and for five dog weight bands, and each line carries seven tick boxes showing what is in the price (Art. 7(2)(c) and (e)).

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.
  • The ticks. Hospitalisation and monitoring, pre-operative blood tests and post-operative check-ups differ most between practices.
  • 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)).
  • Open or keyhole. Keyhole spay is a separate item with its own price; compare like with like.

Questions to ask the practice

  • Which of the seven boxes are ticked, and what would the unticked ones cost if my pet needs them?
  • Which weight band will my dog be in, and what happens if the weight is on the edge of a band?
  • How many post-operative check-ups are included?
  • Is a pre-anaesthetic blood test included, or is it the separate blood test price?
  • Do you also offer a keyhole spay, and what does it cost?

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, “Spay (traditional/open)”, 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 tick box for each of seven components, showing which are in the price (Art. 7(2)(e)).

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

What is the difference between an open and a keyhole spay?

On the price list they are two separate items. The CMA defines the open spay as a midline ovariohysterectomy and the keyhole spay as a laparoscopic ovariectomy. Which suits your pet is a question for your vet.

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

Cat neutering cost in the UK: castration and spay prices comparedWhat UK practices that already publish charge to neuter a cat, what a castration or spay price must include under the CMA Order, and where to get help with the cost.Dog neutering cost in the UK: castration and spay prices by weight bandWhat UK practices that already publish charge to neuter a dog, by the five weight bands on the CMA price list, open versus keyhole spay, and what the price must include.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.