DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
How much does arthritis treatment cost for dogs and cats?
Arthritis is one of the most common reasons an older dog or cat slows down, and treatment has moved on a lot in recent years. What catches owners out is that this is an ongoing cost, not a one-off. Between medication, monitoring and the odd blood test, the yearly total can add up fast. The real prices below show what practices actually charge for the main options, so you can work out what your pet's care is likely to cost over a year rather than just at the next appointment.
The quick version
- Arthritis care is usually a lifelong commitment, so it helps to think in monthly and yearly terms, not per visit.
- Options range from monthly Librela injections to daily anti-inflammatory tablets and joint supplements, and the cheapest per-dose option is not always the cheapest over a year.
- Ongoing meds often need periodic blood tests to check they are safe for the liver and kidneys, and that cost is easy to forget when budgeting.
- The right treatment depends on your pet's weight, age and how advanced the arthritis is, so two dogs with the same diagnosis can end up on very different bills.
- Corporate-owned practices charge more on average than independents, so which practice you use affects the price as much as which drug you choose.
What people actually paid
Where these 14 prices come from — 3 named sources
Each is a published price list, an official survey, or a receipt/quote a reader shared. The full per-price list with year and area is on the arthritis treatment page.
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 71% less than the advertised list price for arthritis treatment.
List prices are advertised prices; paid figures are what people reported, often for different cases. Treat the gap as a signal, not a quote.
Real prices, in people's own words
- £24“prescription cost £24 for 6 months”
- £50“She's 11KG and it costs £50”
- £50“makes it about £50 per month”
- £50“ordered it online for approx £50 a month”
- £60“£60 for the Springer I'm fostering (22KG)”
- £78“mine costs £78, I don't have insurance”
Genuine amounts posted publicly. We publish the price and the quote, never the person.
Why the price varies so much
The cost swings a lot because there are several routes to treating arthritis and every pet ends up on a different one. Librela, the monthly antibody injection for dogs, is priced per dose and larger dogs often need a higher dose, while cats use a similar product called Solensia. Traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually cheaper per month but need regular monitoring bloods to check the liver and kidneys are coping, and those tests add to the running total even though they rarely appear in the headline price. Who owns the practice matters too. The Competition and Markets Authority found that corporate-owned practices charge 18.3% more on average than independents, and that vet prices overall rose 63% between 2016 and 2023, so the same treatment can cost noticeably different amounts depending on where you go. Region plays a part as well, since overheads and local competition differ from town to town. Whether your pet also needs weight-loss support, physiotherapy or hydrotherapy on top of the core medication pushes the figure up further still.
How to pay less
- Ask your vet to work out the yearly cost of injections versus daily tablets for your specific pet rather than comparing the price of a single dose, since one route is often noticeably cheaper once monitoring is included.
- Keep your pet at a healthy weight. Less strain on the joints can mean a lower dose or a longer gap between treatments, and it is one of the few cost levers you control directly.
- Check whether a health-care plan at your practice bundles the monitoring bloods at a discount, since these get charged separately at many practices and add up over a year.
- If you have pet insurance, confirm arthritis is covered before it becomes a pre-existing exclusion, and claim ongoing costs where your policy allows it rather than paying out of pocket by default.
- Ask whether your practice is independent or part of a larger corporate group. The CMA found corporate-owned practices charge 18.3% more on average, so this alone can shift what a year of treatment costs.
- Get a written estimate that separates the drug cost from consultation and monitoring fees, so you can see exactly where the money goes and compare it against the real prices on this page.
Common questions
Is Librela cheaper than daily arthritis tablets?
It depends on your dog's size and how the two are priced at your practice. Librela is a single monthly injection, while tablets are daily but usually need monitoring blood tests that add to the real cost. Ask your vet to work out the annual cost of each option rather than comparing single doses, and check the real prices below for a sense of the range.
Does pet insurance cover arthritis treatment?
Lifetime policies generally do, provided the arthritis started after the policy began and is not recorded as a pre-existing condition. Ongoing medication like Librela can often be claimed each year up to your policy limit, so read the wording carefully before you assume it is covered. If you are shopping for insurance and your pet is already showing signs of stiffness, get cover in place as early as possible.
Are joint supplements worth the money?
They can help mild cases and cost relatively little compared with prescription treatment, but they are not a substitute for medication once arthritis is moderate or severe. Treat them as a support alongside whatever your vet prescribes rather than a way to avoid the bigger costs.
Why do two vets quote such different prices for the same arthritis treatment?
Ownership is a big part of it. Corporate-owned practices charge 18.3% more on average than independents, according to the CMA, so the same drug at the same dose can cost noticeably different amounts depending on who owns the practice. Location and how the monitoring bloods are bundled into the price also play a part.
Will the cost of arthritis treatment keep going up?
Vet prices have been rising sharply, up 63% between 2016 and 2023 according to the CMA, so budgeting only for today's price is risky for a condition that needs years of ongoing treatment. It is worth asking your practice whether prices are reviewed annually and building some headroom into what you expect to pay next year.
Can I switch my pet between treatments to save money?
Sometimes, but never without your vet's input, since switching between injections and tablets partway through can affect how well the arthritis is controlled. If cost is the concern, raise it directly with your vet and ask them to compare the annual cost of the options suitable for your pet rather than switching on your own.