Average vet bill UK (2026): what common treatments cost

There is no official national price list for vet treatment yet, so the figures below come from practices and referral centres that publish their prices. They show the range you might see, not a national average. Your vet's price can be higher or lower, and the final bill depends on your pet, any complications and aftercare.

How much is a vet consultation in the UK?

A standard daytime consultation cost £44 to £64 on the six general-practice lists we read on 21 October 2026: Old Registry Vets £44, Medivet Ashby £47, Canterbury Vets £52, Chantry Vets £54.50, Hill Park Vets £57.50 and Medivet North Oxford £64. An out-of-hours consultation cost £99 to £252 before any treatment, and a first referral consultation with a specialist £200 to £380. Medicines, tests and procedures are extra, which is why the final bill is usually higher than the consultation fee.

Rows marked “One practice's price” show a single practice, practice group or hospital's list, not a national range. Prices checked on 21 October 2026. Most price lists carry no effective date; Hill Park's out-of-hours fee is stated as of May 2026, Langford's guide as of 1 May 2026 and Vets Now Manchester's as of January 2025.

What do vaccinations, neutering and dental work cost?

Routine care is priced on the same published lists. These ranges are the lowest and highest prices across the eleven general practices behind our procedure cost guides, read on 21 October 2026; each guide names every practice and its price, and our UK Vet Price Tracker puts them all in one table. Pet insurance does not usually pay for vaccinations, neutering or routine dental cleaning.

To turn these into a monthly figure with food, flea treatment and insurance, use the pet cost calculator or read our guides to the cost of owning a dog and the cost of owning a cat.

Vet bills for dogs and vet bills for cats

Dogs account for most of what UK insurers pay out. Of the £1.23 billion paid on pet insurance claims in 2024, £933 million (76%) was for dogs, £232 million (19%) for cats and £61 million (5%) for other pets (ABI figures, reported by Insurance Times, 27 May 2025). We found no primary source for an average bill per species, so we do not give one.

Vet bills for dogs: the surgery prices above are for dogs, and dog neutering and dental prices rise with weight: a spay cost £235–£620 and a scale and polish £200–£565. Vet bills for cats: routine care is cheaper, with a kitten course at £78–£115, a cat spay at £105–£176 and a cat scale and polish at £200–£565. Chantry Vets listed a CT scan for a cat at £1,400, against £1,450 to £1,650 for a dog. For a new pet, see puppy insurance and kitten insurance.

Why UK vet bills have risen

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigated the vet market and published its final report on 24 March 2026. It found that average vet prices rose 63% between January 2016 and December 2023, while general inflation (CPI) was 32%. Over the same period, average first-year treatment costs rose 53%. Six large groups own over 60% of UK practices, and between January 2023 and July 2024 prices at practices owned by five of them (Medivet, IVC, CVS, VetPartners and Linnaeus) were on average 18.3% higher than independents' (CMA final report summary).

Price lists are coming

The CMA's final Order of 22 September 2026 requires practices to publish prices for common treatments, including consultations, out-of-hours consultations, vaccinations, written prescription fees, neutering, microchipping, routine dentistry, common scans, some tests and common operations, parasite treatments, and euthanasia and cremation. Referral centres' prices are not included. The first phase applies to larger businesses (15 or more first-opinion practices) from 23 December 2026; smaller businesses have longer. On 15 October 2026 the CMA added guidance on the web form practices must complete. When we checked on 21 October 2026, the case page showed no appeal against the Order (CMA case page). We will update this guide with those lists once they are published.

What insurers pay out

The Association of British Insurers reported a record £1.23 billion paid on pet insurance claims in 2024, with an average claim of £685 across 1.8 million claims (ABI, May 2025). Whether insurance is worth it for you depends on your pet and budget; our guide to whether pet insurance is worth it works through the numbers, and lifetime vs annual cover explains which policies keep paying for long-term conditions.

Ways to reduce vet costs

• Buy medicines online with a prescription: The CMA found medicines from online pharmacies are typically 50–60% cheaper, and its final decision caps the written prescription fee at £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for each additional one, including VAT and adjusted yearly for inflation.
• Ask for a price before treatment: Ask for an estimate for any non-urgent procedure, and compare it with other practices' published lists once they appear.
• Consider a practice health plan: Many practices bundle vaccinations, check-ups and parasite treatment into a monthly plan. Check what is included and whether there is a minimum term or cancellation fee. Our guide to health plans vs insurance compares the two.
• Check charity eligibility: The PDSA and Blue Cross provide free or reduced-cost care to owners who meet their eligibility rules.
• Keep up with prevention: Routine dental care, weight management and parasite control help avoid some costly problems later.

If you are insured, the excess and any co-payment come off each claim: our pet insurance excess guide explains how, and pet health plans vs insurance compares the two ways of paying for care.