Vet costs
The CMA's 2026 reforms to UK vet services in plain English: capped prescription fees, the right to written prescriptions, published price lists, and what it all means for what you'll actually pay this year.
For two years, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority took a hard look at why veterinary care in this country got so expensive so quickly. Their final report — published in March 2026 — landed with a set of binding reforms that will reshape what most UK pet owners actually pay over the next 18 months.
If you've got a dog or cat on long-term medication, or you've ever felt that a vet bill arrived without much explanation, this is the bit of news you've been waiting for. Here's what changed, what it means for you in pounds-and-pence terms, and what to do about it today.
The story starts in 2023. The CMA noticed that consolidation in UK veterinary services had reached an unusual level — six large corporate groups now own roughly 60% of all UK vet practices, up from around 10% a decade earlier. At the same time, complaints from pet owners about pricing, transparency, and pressure to buy services in-practice were rising sharply.
After a year of preliminary work, the CMA opened a formal market investigation in 2024. They surveyed thousands of owners, interviewed practices, audited pricing across the sector, and looked at how the same medication could be priced differently depending on who owned the practice. The numbers were striking. The same drug — the same packet, the same dose — could cost between £18 and £85 a month depending on where the owner happened to buy it. Less than 40% of UK practices had any pricing information on their websites at all.
The CMA's final report concluded that the market wasn't working well for owners. The reforms that came with it are designed to fix the most acute problems without breaking the model independent practices rely on to stay afloat.
This is the headline rule and the one that affects the most owners directly. If your vet writes you a prescription so you can fill it elsewhere, the fee for that prescription is now capped:
This applies to all RCVS-registered practices in the UK from the date the CMA Order took effect (September 2026). Practices that previously charged £30, £35, or more for a written prescription are no longer permitted to do so.
A handful of practices still charge less than the cap voluntarily — that's allowed. The cap is a maximum, not a target.
For any non-controlled medication your pet is prescribed, you can ask your vet for a written prescription instead of buying the medication directly from them. The vet must provide it within a reasonable timeframe, usually same-day or next-day.
You then take that prescription to any UK online pharmacy that's RCVS-registered — VetUK, PetDrugsOnline, Animed Direct, VioVet, Vetscriptions, Hyperdrug — and fill it there, typically at 30–60% less than what your vet would have charged in-practice.
For controlled drugs (some sedatives, certain pain medications), stricter rules apply and the written prescription may need to be filled at a specific dispensary. Your vet will tell you if this applies.
Our companion guide How to ask your vet for a written prescription walks through exactly how to ask, what the prescription looks like, and where to fill it.
This one is subtle but important. Practices are now required to proactively inform owners that the same medication is often available cheaper online, and that owners have the right to request a written prescription.
That doesn't mean every vet will volunteer this without prompting — habits take time to change — but if you ask, they're legally required to confirm both points. If you ever feel pressured to buy in-practice without being told there's an alternative, that's a sign something's off.
By December 2026, the six large corporate groups (CVS, IVC Evidensia, Linnaeus, Medivet, Pets at Home, VetPartners) must publish standardised price lists for common services and medications on their websites. The format is being defined by the RCVS so that prices can be compared like-for-like across practices.
By March 2027, all other practices — including independents — must do the same.
The RCVS is also building an expanded "Find a Vet" service that pulls in these standardised price lists, which will function as the UK's first official vet price comparison site.
The reforms come with a cost. The RCVS — Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the profession's regulator — will levy roughly £450–£550 per practice per year to fund the standardised pricing infrastructure and the expanded Find a Vet service. Most practices have already factored this into their 2026–27 fee schedules.
The real question every owner asks: how much will I save?
It depends entirely on what your pet is on. The biggest savings are on long-term medications, where the price difference between in-practice and online accumulates month after month.
| Medication | Typical in-practice price | Typical online price | Annual saving (one dog) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apoquel (16mg, daily) | £85/month | £45/month | £480 |
| Librela (monthly injection, large dog) | £82/month | £61/month | £252 |
| Galliprant | £58/month | £39/month | £228 |
| Trazodone (50mg, prn) | £42/month | £18/month | £288 |
| Premium joint supplement | £14/month | £9/month | £60 |
A dog on Librela and a joint supplement, with the new £21 prescription fee, saves roughly £295 in the first year. Year two onward — when the prescription doesn't need re-issuing — savings are closer to £312/year in pure drug-cost terms.
For owners of senior dogs with two or three long-term medications, total savings often land between £400 and £1,200 a year. For owners of younger or healthier pets without long-term medication, the practical impact is smaller but still material — mainly through transparency rather than direct savings.
It's worth being honest about what the CMA didn't change.
Consultation fees are not capped. What your vet charges for the 15-minute appointment itself is up to them. Some practices charge £45, some £85. The reforms don't touch this.
Diagnostic costs aren't capped. Blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound — these remain priced by each practice. Standardised price lists will eventually make these comparable, but they're not regulated.
Corporate consolidation hasn't been reversed. The six large groups still own most of UK practice and continue to. The CMA chose not to force divestitures — they judged the harm to be in pricing transparency, not market structure.
Insurance pricing is unaffected. Pet insurance premiums respond to claim costs more than to the price of any single drug. Most owners won't see their insurance bill go down because of these reforms.
Emergency care still costs what it costs. Out-of-hours visits, surgical interventions, intensive care — none of this is meaningfully cheaper because of the reforms.
The CMA's view was that fixing the worst opacity and the most exploitative pricing was achievable; restructuring the whole market wasn't.
If you've got a dog or cat on long-term medication, here's the practical action list:
If you've never had a long-term medication conversation with your vet, this is a good moment to ask whether they think your pet's care could be done more cost-effectively given the new rules. Some vets are openly relieved to talk about this; others may take time to adjust. Either response is reasonable.
A quick word about the other side of the table.
Independent vets — who make up roughly 40% of UK practices — are by and large not happy that prescription dispensing margins are being eroded. For some, in-practice pharmacy sales have been a meaningful slice of revenue. The British Veterinary Association and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons have both filed formal concerns about the reforms.
But many independent vets we've spoken to are also quietly supportive. The opacity in the pricing system meant that even within a practice, owners felt they were being upsold without clarity. The new rules force everyone — vet and owner — to be more direct, and that often improves the relationship rather than damaging it.
The early evidence from the first eight weeks of implementation suggests that owners who switch to online pharmacies don't switch vets. They keep going to the same practice for consultations, surgeries, diagnostics, and the relationship — they just buy the drugs more cheaply elsewhere. Independents that lean into the new rules and help owners save tend to retain those clients more, not less.
Did my vet do something wrong by charging more before the cap?
No. Pre-September 2026 pricing was legal. The CMA's reforms set a new ceiling going forward, not a refund process for past prices. That said, if you feel a charge before the cap was particularly opaque, you can raise it informally with the practice or formally with the RCVS.
Will the cap make my vet charge me elsewhere instead?
It's a fair concern. Some practices have adjusted consultation fees upward modestly since the cap took effect. But owners who actually compare total annual costs before and after the reforms almost always come out ahead — the prescription savings on long-term meds dwarf any consultation adjustments.
Are there exceptions to the prescription right?
Yes, narrow ones:
Where can I read the CMA's actual rules?
The full Final Report and the Order are on the UK government's CMA pages, published 24 March 2026. The RCVS has a plain-English summary at rcvs.org.uk. The British Veterinary Association also published a practice-facing FAQ that's surprisingly readable.
What if my vet refuses to give me a written prescription?
Calmly remind them of the 2026 CMA rules — the obligation is now legal, not discretionary. If they still refuse for a non-controlled drug, raise it via the practice's RCVS-registered Veterinary Surgeon in charge. The RCVS takes refusals seriously and will follow up.
Superkin is a household app for UK dog owners that, among other things, automatically spots when your pet's medications could be cheaper elsewhere. The Money Tab in each weekly plan tells your household exactly what you're paying, what the online alternative is, and drafts the prescription request email for your vet — one tap and it's gone.
You don't have to do the maths. You don't have to remember to ask. The 2026 CMA rules gave you the rights; Superkin makes them automatic.
Related guides:
Last updated 18 May 2026. This guide is for general information only — not legal or veterinary advice. For specific medication decisions, speak to your vet. For specific regulatory questions, refer to the CMA's published Final Report.
Under the 2026 CMA reforms, UK pet owners can request a written prescription at any visit. Here's how to ask, what it costs, and how much you can save on long-term medications.
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