VET prescription fees are set to be capped at £21 in “big step in the right direction for pet owners” – but “it’s unlikely to make veterinary care affordable”.
Practices will have to publish price lists for services and a price comparison website would be introduced to help boost competition, the UK’s competition watchdog has said.
This comes after an in-depth investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found vet prices are rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation.
The CMA said the reforms would start to come into force later this year.
ManyPets research earlier this year claimed the average price of a vet prescription was £29.56, up 8% on 2025’s cost. The highest prescription fee it found was £40.
This is a big step in the right direction for pet owners
Martin Coleman, chair of the independent Inquiry Group, said: “Today’s reforms will make a real difference to the millions of pet owners who want the best for their pets but struggle to find the practice, treatment and price that meets their needs.
“Too often, people are left in the dark about who owns their practice, treatment options and prices – even when facing bills running into thousands of pounds.
“Our measures mean it will be made clear to pet owners which practices are part of large groups, which are charging higher prices, and for the first time, vet businesses will be held to account by an independent regulator.”
Pet owners welcomed the news, but said the large bills come from cost of treatment, rather than prescriptions.
Kate Underwood, Founder at Southampton-based Kate Underwood HR and Training, said vets are taking advantage of owners making emotional decisions.
She added: “Pet owners have been expected to make emotional decisions with their wallet wide open for far too long. As someone with both a cat and a dog, I know exactly how this goes. Your pet is poorly, you are worried sick, and you are hardly in the mood to start quizzing someone on pricing.
“So yes, more transparency is needed. Clear price lists and a cap on prescription fees should help owners feel less blindsided by the final bill. That said, there is a bigger issue here too. There is a real shortage of vets at the moment, and that absolutely affects cost and availability.
“Also, plenty of genuinely good independent vets already do the right thing and are upfront about prices, options and likely costs. They should not be lumped in with the worst offenders. The reforms are welcome, but they need to improve transparency without making life harder for the decent practices already trying to do things properly.”
Capping prescription fees won’t fix everything
Ranald Mitchell, Director at Norwich-based Charwin Mortgages, worries that vet fees may rise to off-set the lower prescription fees.
He said: “This is a big step in the right direction for pet owners, but the real test will be whether lower prescription charges are matched by genuine fairness elsewhere rather than simply being offset by higher vet fees.
“The cap matters, but so does transparency, because clearer pricing, ownership disclosure and easier comparison are what will stop costs being quietly shifted around. If this is enforced properly, it could mark the moment the market starts working more for pet loving Britain and less for opaque corporate profiteering.”
Sarah Gatford, Head of Interactions at Derby-based Sarah Gatford Ltd, said vet bills are extortionate.
She added: “Prices, profits, and precious little transparency have been the reality for pet owners for too long. When you’re standing in the vet’s office, your dog’s eyes looking up at you, you’re not shopping around, you’re saying yes, because they’re family.
“You’d remortgage the house before you’d say no to treatment. Last week I paid a £500 vet bill. I’ll be reimbursed, eventually, after a 90-day wait for my insurance to pay out. That’s three months of cash flow pressure because my dog needed care. Capping prescription fees and publishing price lists won’t fix everything.
“But when emotion is running the decision and the bills can hit four figures, transparent pricing isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the bare minimum.”
It’s unlikely to make veterinary care affordable
Patricia Ogunfeibo, Founder & non-practicing Solicitor at London-based tenant2owner, said she believes costs will be passed on.
She added: “As a long-time owner of pets, I think a price comparison site would be helpful. The ‘transparency’ idea is good, but, needless. I am not interested in who owns the practice – only about the level of service my pet’s getting.
“People who are concerned about who owns a vet practice, would have already searched for this information; those who haven’t simply don’t care about it.. I also think the capping of fees is unnecessary interference with commerce.
“All in all, I think the ideas are more likely to increase how much we pay for pet care. It wouldn’t surprise me if some practices start charging an appointment booking fee as their budgets still have to be met.”
Tony Redondo, Founder at Newquay-based Cosmos Currency Exchange, said the large bills come from cost of treatment, rather than prescriptions.
He added: “This is a welcome and much-needed set of reforms. The veterinary sector has seen substantial consolidation in recent years, with large corporate groups quietly buying up independent practices – often without customers realising the ownership has changed, yet noticing steep rises in prices.
“And it’s not just prescriptions: last year we paid £850 for a heart scan for our chihuahua. The lack of transparency has made it virtually impossible for pet owners to make informed choices or shop around.
“That said, a price cap and transparency rules don’t directly control the cost of treatment itself, which is where the really large bills come from. So, while these are welcome steps, they’re unlikely to make veterinary care broadly affordable on their own.”
Photo by Bharathi Kannan on Unsplash.
