‘It feels like they’re pulling figures out of the sky’: UK pet owners welcome crackdown on vet fees

Competition watchdog will launch cost comparison website and has ordered vets to cap written prescription prices The UK’s competition watchdog has ordered vets to cap written prescription fees at £21, and practices will have to publish price lists in a crackdown on rising fees.

The Competition and Markets Authority also said a costcomparison website would be introduced to increase competition and drive down costs. These are just some of the measures due to come into force later this year. The Guardian spoke to pet owners in the UK about their experiences with vet bills.

Many felt prices had increased so much that they were becoming difficult to afford. Others were concerned they were paying “over the odds” for medication when it could be bought cheaper online. Many people who contacted us also spoke up for their vets, saying that while treatment was expensive, they felt they were made fully aware of what they were paying for.

Here are some of their responses. Anna Radley, a retired co-director from Wiltshire, said she was left angry after being quoted £1,400 for dental treatment for her cat, which was more than double what she ultimately paid elsewhere. Radley has been caring for Perdy, an older stray cat she inherited from her mother, for the past 12 years.

“We’ve only ever had strays in my family,” she said. “You look after them.” Perdy, who is uninsured, developed gum disease and first had treatment in about 2021, costing about £200. But when Radley returned to the same practice two years later, by then taken over by a larger company, she was quoted £1,400.

“I expected it to be a bit more expensive, maybe £400 or £500,” she said. “But £1,400 was just unbelievable.” Radley challenged the estimate and asked for a breakdown of the costs, but said she struggled to get a clear explanation. “It was all jargon. You’ve got no real benchmark.” Instead, she took Perdy to a different, independent vet.

The procedure, which included multiple extractions, X-rays, blood tests and follow-up care, cost £627. “The difference was shocking,” she said. “It just feels like they’re pulling figures out of the sky.” She believed rising costs risk deterring people from seeking care for their pets.

“These kinds of fees undermine the very purpose of veterinary healthcare,” she said. “If we can’t afford to look after them, animals are going to be abandoned or untreated.” Kim, 68, who lives in Wiltshire, said she was left annoyed when she took her dog, Suki, to the vet after the cockapoo developed an eye problem.

“I paid £35 before I even walked through the door,” she said of the vet, which is part of a chain. She was told Suki, four-and-a-half, who is insured, had an infection and was prescribed antibiotics costing £48 plus the cost of painkillers. But after the course of antibiotics, Suki had not improved.

Kim returned to the vet. She paid £35, and again was prescribed antibiotics for £48 and painkillers. After the antibiotics had run their course, Suki was still not right.