We've spent the last several months building the UK's most comprehensive database of veterinary pricing — currently covering 4,949 practices across every county in the UK, sourced from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' register and enriched with prices published by the practices themselves.
For the first time, this gives us a clear, data-driven picture of what pet care actually costs across Britain. Here's what the latest numbers say, after a recent expansion of our pricing coverage.
Last updated: 30 April 2026
All figures below are pulled from our live database. As we add more pricing each week, expect these numbers to refine — the underlying methodology stays the same.
The Headline Number: £59 for a Consultation
Across 1,367 practices publishing standard consultation fees, the median sits at £59.00 and the average at £59.93. But the spread is enormous — from as little as £6 at charity-funded clinics to £400 at specialist or out-of-hours practices.
That means two practices on the same high street can charge wildly different amounts for what is, on paper, the same 10-15 minute appointment. It's one of the clearest arguments yet for comparing prices before you book.
Dogs vs Cats: A Tale of Two Species
One of the most striking findings is just how different routine costs can be depending on what's curled up on your sofa.
- Annual booster vaccinations: Dogs average £68.88 (1,205 practices), cats £71.06 (1,177 practices) — almost identical.
- Castration (males): Dogs cost an average of £249.49 versus just £105.80 for cats — more than double.
- Spaying (females): Dogs average £338.50, cats £147.83.
The reason is largely surgical: dog procedures take longer, require more anaesthetic, and use more consumables. Larger breeds push the dog average up further still — a Great Dane spay can comfortably exceed £600 at some practices.
The Postcode Lottery is Real
The cliché holds up. Where you live has a measurable impact on what you pay for routine care. Looking only at counties with at least 10 priced practices in our dataset:
Most expensive counties (average consultation)
- Cumbria — £106.00
- Bedfordshire — £96.98
- Leicestershire — £75.94
- Northamptonshire — £72.26
- Oxfordshire — £71.95
Least expensive counties (average consultation)
- Aberdeenshire — £49.41
- Bristol — £49.65
- East Yorkshire — £50.71
- Suffolk — £51.06
- Lincolnshire — £51.11
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive counties is a striking £56 per consultation on average — more than double. The headline figures in counties like Cumbria and Bedfordshire are pulled up by a small number of specialist or referral-only practices; the median consultation in those counties is much closer to the national £59. The bigger driver of variation, in most regions, is the mix of corporate-owned versus independent practices.
The Microchip Sweet Spot
Microchipping has been a legal requirement for dogs in England since 2016 (and for cats from June 2024). Across 864 practices in our dataset publishing the price, the average is a refreshingly affordable £26.16 (median £24.20). If you're being quoted significantly more than that as a standalone procedure, it's worth ringing a couple of nearby practices.
What This Means for You
Three takeaways from the data:
- Always check at least three practices. Within a 10-mile radius of most UK postcodes, you'll typically find prices that vary by 30-50% for the exact same service.
- Ask for the all-in cost. A cheap consultation doesn't always mean cheap care. Add in the booster, microchip and any likely follow-ups before judging value.
- Use the upcoming CMA reforms to your advantage. By the end of 2026, every practice will have to publish a standardised price list — making comparisons easier than ever. Read more in our guide to the CMA reforms.
Methodology & About the Data
All figures in this report are drawn from our live database of 4,949 UK veterinary practices, sourced from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' register and enriched with publicly available pricing taken directly from each practice's own website.
- Sample sizes vary by service because not every practice publishes every price. Averages are only calculated where we have a verified published figure (n is shown alongside each statistic above).
- County rankings only include counties with 10 or more priced practices to avoid small-sample noise.
- Charity-funded clinics (PDSA, RSPCA, Blue Cross and similar) are flagged with a Charity badge on their listings; their pricing reflects means-tested or donation-funded care, which can pull county minimums down.
- Refresh cadence: pricing is re-scraped manually as practices update their sites; coverage typically expands week on week. The figures in this post will be updated periodically — check the "last updated" date above.
You can explore the data yourself by searching your postcode or browsing vets by county.