I’m sick of outrageous vets fees – it’s time for an ‘NHS for pets’

Amid a flurry of teary pet owners recounting how they’ve been fleeced, the government has unveiled legislation to regulate vet prices – but, says Charlotte Cripps, who has an ailing 11-year-old golden retriever, what Britain’s animal lovers really want is a national pet care system that’s free at the point of use

If you’ve never owned a pet, you’ll be oblivious to the companionship and unflinching joy they can bring to a family home – and the convulsed, snotty wreckage they reduce you to for weeks when they die.

Nor will you have been rendered breathless and unable to speak when presented with a vet’s bill. Even a routine check-up at your neighbourhood Chucklepups ought to come with a health warning – for the owner.

When it comes to veterinary surgery, there’s no such thing as a rudimentary price list. Industry regulations haven’t changed much since the 1960s, meaning that a walk-in practice doesn’t have to advertise the cost of each procedure, not even a rough estimate. For the distressed owner standing in reception with a whelping puppy, the only ballpark will be: “How long is a piece of string?”

Somehow, over the past two years, what were already staggeringly high vet fees – £250 just to have a cat neutered, £300-plus for an emergency consultation – have risen twice as fast as inflation, according to the Competition and Markets Authority. With almost two out of three vets in the UK now operated by just six major corporate companies, market consolidation has only added to the Wild West vibe.

But the government has finally woken up to the fact that pet owners have had enough – and the sector needs a shake-up. This week, animal welfare minister Baroness Hayman announced plans to bring in legislation that will require veterinary practices to publish clear price lists, in order to mitigate against “unexpected costs” – or what I, as the owner of several dogs in my time, would call extortion – and to be more transparent about any options available.

The problem was brought home to me during an LBC phone-in that featured teary pet owners recounting how they’d been fleeced by vets – and by how much.

One kindly caller who had spent years feeding a feral cat on her allotment took it to the vets as it neared the end of its life – and was quoted £360 to be put to sleep. (She walked out and went to another vet, who immediately quoted £200 less.)

Another – an owner of a Westie with a skin condition – took him to his local vet, who diagnosed the condition as “the holiday rash”. When the owner looked at the vet blankly, having never heard of the ailment, the vet said it was the sort of rash that paid for his holidays…

Others described how, despite protesting to the receptionist that they had pet insurance, they were told to pay upfront and claim later – a common practice. In one poor man’s case, while his dog was on the operating table, he was asked for half of the final cost upfront – and how would he like to pay the £8,000 today? (He spent an hour in the reception calling in favours from his relatives, but I’m not sure if he made it…)

My beloved golden retriever Muggles, 11, at the local vet after having a biopsy on a lump on his front leg (Charlotte Cripps)

It all brought back a few vet horror stories of my own. After my beloved Muggles, our arthritic 11-year-old golden retriever, ate three grapes – which are toxic for dogs – he was hospitalised for three days for observation, in case he suffered acute kidney failure. I was trembling as I handed over my credit card.

When he developed a lump on his front leg, there was talk of an oncologist, a dog chemotherapy suite, as well as after-surgery recovery, with pain medication and dressings, and physio in a pool… I wondered about remortgaging just to pay for it all.

What’s really galling is that I have pet insurance – at the cost of a whopping £150 a month. But now he’s classed as a senior (over 10 in non-dog years), every trip to the vets incurs a 20 per cent excess.

But it’s thanks to the internet that vets’ sharp practices have come into focus. I was buying Muggles’s arthritis medication, a strong painkiller, directly from the vet at a cost of more than £100 for a 100ml bottle of Metacam – until, that is, I discovered that I could pay the same vet £26.80 for a prescription, and buy it myself online for £16.98. How does that make sense?

I would go even further than what the government has proposed. What the pet owners of Britain really need is an “NHS for pets” – vets that are free at the point of use. Rather than paying pet insurance fees that often cost more per year than any treatment itself, pet owners should pay into a national insurance-style system, as we do to help fund the NHS, which would cover costs of day-to-day healthcare services and vet salaries.

It is estimated that 60 per cent of UK households – about 17 million – have a pet, and according to the CMA, owners spent about £6.3bn on veterinary and other services in 2024. Those who opt to pay instead into the fund could carry an “NHS Pet” card, entitling them to free treatment – and the kind of peace of mind that money can’t buy. It would lead to reduced care for millions of animals.

Top marks, though, to the government for throwing some light on vet pricing and offering to end the racketeering. Vets in Britain have had their fun, they’ve made their money out of our suffering – now it’s time they were put on a leash.