DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
Your rights under the 2026 CMA vet reforms
The CMA vet reforms are a set of rules ordered by the Competition and Markets Authority that give UK pet owners specific new rights when dealing with a vet practice, including a written estimate before costly treatment, a fully itemised bill, clearer options over where to buy prescribed medicine, and fairer information about referral pricing. Knowing these as rights, rather than as favours a practice might grant you, changes how a conversation about a big bill goes. This guide sets each one out plainly, with what you can actually ask for, and where the reforms came from in the first place.
The quick version
- You can ask for a written estimate before any treatment expected to cross a set cost threshold, aftercare included.
- You can request a fully itemised bill for any course of treatment, not only for costly procedures.
- You can ask for a written prescription and buy the medicine elsewhere instead of only at the practice.
- You can ask what a referral, for example for Cruciate / TPLO surgery, is likely to cost before you agree to it.
- You can ask whether your practice is part of a larger corporate group, since ownership must now be made clear.
- These rights exist because the CMA found corporate-owned practices charging 18.3% more on average than independents, against a backdrop of vet prices rising 63% between 2016 and 2023.
Published and surveyed prices
Where these 25 prices come from — 12 named sources
- bluecross.org.uk
- celiahammond.org
- harrisonfamilyvets.co.uk
- liverpool.ac.uk
- vets4pets.com
- thegreenvets.uk
- westbrookvets.co.uk
- manypets.com
- medivetgroup.com
- petsnvets.org
- goddardvetgroup.co.uk
- valleyvets.net
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 standard consult page.
Typical standard consult price by region
On the prices we hold, a typical standard consult is cheapest in North of England (median £55) and dearest in South of England (£64) — roughly 16% more for the same appointment.
21 real standard consult prices grouped into broad UK areas, cheapest first. Most are advertised or officially surveyed prices — the count shows how many sit behind each figure, and every individual price is source-linked on the standard consult page.
| Area | Prices | Median | Relative | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North of England | 7 | £55 | £40–£58 | |
| London | 6 | £62 | £27–£66 | |
| Scotland, Wales & NI | 4 | £63 | £60–£68 | |
| South of England | 4 | £64 | £61–£66 |
Chain vs independent: who charges more
In the prices we hold, a standard consult at a corporate-owned practice runs a median of £62 against £55 at an independent — about 13% more for the same appointment. That closely mirrors the regulator's own finding that corporate groups charge 18.3% more on average.
The same standard consult, split by who owns the practice. Medians, cheapest first, with the count behind each.
| Ownership | Prices | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | 5 | £55 | £40–£60 |
| Corporate-owned | 10 | £62 | £49–£68 |
Why the price varies so much
Before these reforms, there was no reliable way to challenge a bill you thought was unfair, because a practice was not obliged to give you anything in writing before treatment or to disclose who actually owned it. Costs for something like dental work, where the final total depends on decisions made while your pet is under anaesthetic, or an overnight hospitalisation stay, where charges build up night by night, could climb a long way past what you expected with little you could point to afterwards. That gap is exactly why the CMA looked at the sector at all: its investigation found corporate-owned practices charging 18.3% more on average than independents, and prices across the market up 63% between 2016 and 2023, a rise the regulator judged was not fully explained by costs going up. Ownership matters more than most owners realise, because a chain often sets pricing centrally across dozens or hundreds of sites, while an independent practice sets its own prices locally, which is part of why two practices a few miles apart can quote very differently for the same job. Referral pricing is where these rights matter most: if your first-opinion vet refers you onward, for Cruciate / TPLO surgery or another specialist procedure, you are entitled to a written estimate from the referral centre too, covering likely aftercare such as a further overnight hospitalisation stay. The same right applies to ongoing medicine, where you can ask for a written prescription fee instead of buying at the desk and compare where it is cheapest.
How to pay less
- Before agreeing to any referral, ask for a written estimate that covers the whole episode, including aftercare like an overnight hospitalisation stay, not just the operation itself.
- Ask for a written prescription for ongoing medicine and price it before buying, rather than defaulting to the practice's own charge.
- Request the itemised bill and check it line by line against whatever estimate you were given.
- Ask directly whether your practice belongs to a larger corporate group, so you understand whether pricing follows a group policy rather than a local decision.
- If a quote for something like dental work feels high, use your right to your pet's clinical records to get a second opinion elsewhere without paying for repeat tests.
- Compare what you were quoted against the real prices on this page for the same procedure, so you have a concrete figure to put to the practice rather than a vague sense that it seems steep.
Common questions
Do I have a right to a written estimate before vet treatment?
Yes. For any treatment expected to cross a set cost threshold, a practice must give you a written estimate in advance, including likely aftercare. Genuine emergencies are the exception, since there is often no time to prepare one before you need care.
Can I demand an itemised bill?
Yes, you are entitled to a fully itemised bill once treatment is complete, showing each charge separately rather than one lump total. This lets you check it against your estimate and query anything that does not match, which is far harder to do with a single combined figure.
Can I buy my pet's prescription medicine somewhere other than the vet?
Yes. You can ask for a written prescription and buy the medicine elsewhere, such as online or at a pharmacy, instead of at the practice. Fees for issuing that written prescription are now capped, so a practice cannot charge whatever it likes for the paperwork itself.
What are my rights if I'm referred to a specialist?
You are entitled to a written estimate from the referral centre, separate from your usual practice's estimate, covering the procedure and likely aftercare. It is worth asking for this before you agree to the referral, especially for costly surgery such as Cruciate / TPLO, where the aftercare can end up costing as much as the operation.
Can I find out who actually owns my vet practice?
Yes. Ownership labelling is now mandatory, so a practice belonging to a larger corporate group must make that clear in its branding. If it is not obviously displayed yet, you can simply ask the practice directly, and it is worth doing given the CMA found corporate-owned practices pricing well above independents on average.
Do these rights mean my bill will definitely be cheaper?
Not on their own. The reforms give you information and a paper trail, not a discount, so the saving comes from what you do with them, such as comparing a written estimate against the real prices on this page or shopping around for medicine once you have a prescription. Used properly they stop you agreeing to costs blind, which is often where the biggest overspend happens.