Veterinary costs and regulation

Over recent years, concerns have grown about rising costs and limited competition in the veterinary sector. Veterinary costs have risen faster than general inflation, while ownership of veterinary practices has become more concentrated. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which promotes competition for consumer benefit, has called regulation of vets “outdated and wholly unfit for purpose”. The CMA has put forward a suite of remedies aimed at improving price transparency, consumer choice and regulation of veterinary businesses.

Alongside the CMA’s work the UK Government has also put forward proposals to reform the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, the act which provides the statutory framework for regulation of veterinary surgeons in the UK. The government plans to modernise the act, noting that the veterinary profession and public expectations around animals had changed significantly since 1966. It said there was a “limit” to what could be achieved through secondary legislation and that “wholesale reform” could make the regulatory framework more “fit for purpose, flexible and forward-facing”.

Veterinary prices and competition

There are no official statistics for pet ownership in the UK. In 2026, UK Pet Food, the UK trade association for pet food manufacturers, estimated there were 36.5 million pets in the UK and that 62% of households owned one or more.

Veterinary services include medical, surgical and preventative care for animals. They are usually provided by fee-charging businesses.  Fees are essentially a matter for negotiation between veterinary surgeon and client. Government figures show that UK pet owners spent over £6.7 billion on veterinary and related services in 2024, including grooming, boarding, tattooing and training. This was equivalent to about £390 per pet-owning household. Some costs can be much higher: surgery for cruciate ligament disease, a common condition in dogs, can cost up to £5,000 or more.

The CMA found indications that average veterinary prices increased by 63% between January 2016 and December 2023. Over the same period, general services inflation increased by 32%.

The market has also consolidated. More than 60% of the UK’s roughly 5,000 veterinary practices are now owned wholly or partly by six large veterinary groups: CVS, IVC, Linnaeus, Medivet, Pets at Home and VetPartners. In 2013, around 10% of practices were owned by large groups.

The CMA also found that between January 2023 and July 2024, average prices at five large veterinary groups were 18.3% higher than at independent practices for consultations, treatments and medicines.

The Competition and Markets Authority investigation and remedies

The CMA launched a review of the veterinary market in September 2023 and a formal market investigation in May 2024. Its final decision report was published on 24 March 2026.

The CMA identified multiple concerns including:

• that pet owners often do not receive timely information to help them choose a practice, treatment or source of medicines;
• that owners may face barriers to acting on information, such as high prescription fees, uncertainty about online pharmacies or difficulties making complaints; and
• that the regulatory system is outdated because it regulates veterinary professionals but not the businesses they work in.

The CMA proposed a package of remedies. Practices would have to publish price lists for standard services, provide ownership information and give written estimates before treatment expected to cost £500 or more, except in emergencies. Prescription fees would be capped at £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for additional medicines. Practices would also need clear complaints processes and, where disputes cannot be resolved, to engage in mediation.

Following consultation, the CMA implemented its veterinary market remedies through orders and undertakings that impose legally binding requirements on veterinary businesses and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the veterinary professional regulator. Implementation of these remedies is phased between September 2026 and September 2028 depending on the remedy and business size.

Stakeholders, such as the RCVS generally supported greater transparency and accountability, but some, such as the British Veterinary Association, raised concerns about implementation, unintended consequences and the risk that consumer decisions could become too focused on cost.

Help with veterinary costs

There are several sources of information for pet owners concerned about bills. The CMA suggests that owners compare practices where practical, ask vets to explain treatment options and discuss alternatives where cost is a concern.

Charities may also provide support in some circumstances. The support available will depend on the owner’s circumstances and the charity’s eligibility criteria.

Reforming veterinary regulation

The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 provides the main statutory framework for regulating veterinary surgeons in the UK. The RCVS regulates the profession, but the current framework does not regulate veterinary businesses.

In January 2026, the UK Government and devolved administrations consulted on reforming the 1966 act. In July 2026, the UK Government published a white paper proposing reforms in four areas:

• regulation of all veterinary professionals,
• regulation of veterinary and animal healthcare businesses,
• consumer support, and
• governance of the regulator

The white paper makes a series of proposals, including:

• licences for veterinary professionals and businesses
• protected professional titles
• a new fitness to practise system
• business standards
• complaints procedures
• mediation
• possible binding redress through a veterinary ombudsman

Professional bodies, such as the British Veterinary Nursing Association broadly welcomed reform, especially business regulation and protection of the title “veterinary nurse”. Some stakeholders, such as the British Equine Veterinary Association, raised concerns about cost, complexity, regulatory governance and the need for clearer boundaries between veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and allied veterinary professionals (non-veterinarian experts who support animal health care).