The planned changes will take effect over the next year to bring prices down for pet owners
Taking your pet to the vet can be quite unnerving. Mostly because you’re worried about the health of your four-legged friend, but also owing to the dread at the bill that’s coming. Often, you can only really guess at how much you’re going to need to fork out for your pet’s treatment.
The good news is that new rules will require vets to give price estimates ahead of treatment, publish price lists of services offered and charge a capped prescription charge. Here’s exactly what’s changing, what you can expect from your vet and how it can help you save money when you unfortunately need to make a trip there.
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Cap on written prescription fees
From March 2027, there will be a cap on the amount that vets can charge you for a written prescription for your pet’s medication. This is £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for any subsequent medicines on the same script.
When you’ll pay a prescription fee
When a vet wants to prescribe medicines to your pet, you’re sometimes faced with a couple of options: take a written prescription (at a cost), or get the medicines there and then.
The latter is the natural choice if your pet is very sick and needs the medication right away, but it often costs a lot more, as you don’t have the opportunity to compare costs with online pharmacies.
However, if a small delay in waiting for an online order won’t impact your pet, or if they are on regular medication, then the former is often more cost effective, despite the additional charge for the prescription.
For example, my cat Boots used to take regular medication for her hyperthyroidism. From the vet, the tablets were around a third more expensive than getting them online, even when you factored in the extra cost for the written prescription. The same goes for our dog, Buddy’s daily medication. This costs around 92p per day from an online pharmacy. Straight from the vet, it’s nearly twice the cost.
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Why has a cap been introduced?
With a lot of people taking the second option above, vets aren’t able to make any money on the medicines they stock, which has led to them hiking up the cost of getting a written prescription, with prices rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation. The cap has been introduced to prevent vets taking advantage of this, and to allow pet owners to compare prices of medicines online.
My dog’s vet charges far lower than the cap at £16 per prescription — at least it did when I last got one — so my largest concern is whether they’ll use this as an opportunity to raise the fee up to the cap.
However, there are also concerns that at vets where the prescription fee will drop as a result of this rule, the cost of other services will rise to make up the difference in profits.
Price lists
By December 2026 for larger providers and March 2027 for smaller providers, vets must publish price lists for their services both online and inside the premises. They’ll also need to have a price list for parasiticides, including flea, tick and worm products.
In addition, vets need to offer detailed information about what’s included in pet care plans and how these compare with the prices of the same items outside of the plans, as well as the cost of euthanasia and cremation. There’s very detailed information on the gov.uk website to explain exactly what they will have to show.
This will allow owners to plan further ahead and compare the prices of treatment.
Prescribed medication
From at least June 2027, vets will need to give clear information to pet owners about the cost of the medication they are purchasing, the alternatives available and if they’re available at a lower cost elsewhere. Pet owners will also need to be made aware of the opportunity to ask for a written prescription, which would mean you can shop elsewhere for your medication.
Some vets do this already, mine certainly does, but this rule means that they can’t prioritise profit over your pet getting the treatment they need.
Price estimates
From June 2027 for larger providers and September 2027 for smaller providers, vets will need to provide a written estimate of the costs of recommended treatment if it’s likely to be more than £500 (including VAT).
Then this written estimate will need to be updated if the cost is likely to increase by the lower of 20% or £500.
Making it easier to compare different vets
By September 2027, vets need to submit information about their ownership, services offered, types of pets treated, prices and pet care plan details to the RCVS. This is to allow for a website to compare them with enhanced information — the information currently available only shows the closest vets by postcode and their contact details. This will allow you to compare your nearby vets and their pricing.
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How to save money at the vets
Insurance is one of the best ways to save money on your pet’s treatment, and can give you a bit of peace of mind when there’s an emergency, allowing you to focus on the most important part: your pet’s health and recovery. However, pet insurance costs can be extortionate, especially for older animals or ones with recurring health conditions. Make sure you compare prices rather than simply renewing when taking a policy out.
It’s worth being open and honest with your vet about what you can afford so they can help you find a solution. Ultimately, a good vet should be more interested in your pet and their health than additional profit.
When my dog was put on regular medication, he was prescribed the human tablets at a fairly low cost. However, shortly after, an authorised version of the same medicine became available for dogs at a much higher cost. Our vet was open about the additional cost of the medication, which she now legally had to prescribe in place of the human alternative, and gave me detailed information about how I could source it at a lower cost.
Make use of online pharmacies and compare prices with them, especially for regular medication. These can require slightly more preparation and planning, as you need additional time for delivery, but even with rush delivery fees, you’ll often save a lot of money.
When getting a written prescription, if the medication is long-term, ask for a prescription for the maximum amount they can prescribe. Our dog can be prescribed six months of medication at a time, meaning we only pay one prescription charge for this whole time. You don’t have to order all of the medication in one go, either, as online pharmacies will keep the prescription stored and keep an eye on how much you have left.
If your vet has a pet health care plan, these can be worthwhile. Take a look at the benefits of the plan and discuss with your vet if it’s worth moving to one based on how often you visit.
