If you own a dog or cat you will probably have seen headlines about vet prices over the last two years. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) spent that time investigating how vet services for household pets are sold in the UK, and on 22 September 2026 it made the Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026. That order is now legally binding on every vet practice in the country, including ours. Most of it is about one thing: making sure you can see what you are paying for and choose with your eyes open. We think that is a good thing, so here is what it means in practice.
Why the rules exist
The CMA opened its investigation because it was concerned that pet owners often could not compare prices between practices, did not always know who owned the practice they used, and were not always told that they could buy medicines elsewhere with a written prescription. It published its final decision on 24 March 2026 and the legal order followed in September. The order applies to every practice, large or small, corporate or independent. What differs is the timetable, which we explain below.
What will change, in plain English
These are the parts of the order that will affect you most as a pet owner.
Published price lists
Every practice must publish a standard price list online and in the building, covering the common things such as consultations, vaccinations, neutering, dental work, scans and surgery, so you can compare before you book.
Written estimates and itemised bills
For treatment likely to cost £500 or more including VAT you must be given a written estimate first, and every bill must be itemised so you can see what each line is for.
Prescriptions
You must be told that a written prescription is available and that the medicine may be cheaper from another supplier. Prescriptions must be provided promptly, and the fee a practice can charge for writing one will be capped.
Who owns your vet
Practices must make it clear, on their signage and website, whether they belong to a larger group and who owns them.
Health plans
Pet care plans must show what is included, what each part would cost on its own, and how any advertised saving has been worked out.
End of life and complaints
Practices must offer a communal cremation option with clear prices, and must have a written complaints process with access to mediation if a complaint cannot be resolved in house.
When it starts
The order sets different compliance dates depending on the size of the business. Larger groups, meaning those with 15 or more sites, go first. Smaller businesses, which includes independent practices like ours, have a little longer. The main dates are:
You do not need to wait for any of those dates to ask us for a price, an estimate or a written prescription. You can do all of that today, and plenty of our clients already do. The dates simply set the point at which every practice in the country must do it the same way.
What it means for you at Paws & Co
Paws & Co Veterinary Centre is an independent practice in Tingley, owned and run by Paws & Co Pet Health Ltd as part of the Paws & Co Group, alongside The Dog Training Company, Yorkshire Paws & Co and McCarthy & Bear. We are not part of a corporate chain, and we have never minded saying so. The new rules on ownership transparency will not change anything you see from us, but we welcome them, because we think every owner should know who they are dealing with. If you want the background on why that matters, we wrote about it in Independent Vet vs Corporate Chain.
On price, the simplest thing we can say is this: ask. Our pricing page covers the everyday things, and for anything beyond a routine consultation we would much rather talk the cost through with you before we start than surprise you afterwards. If your pet needs surgery, a dental procedure or a course of treatment, you can ask for a written estimate and we will give you one.
On medicines, you are entitled to a written prescription for anything we prescribe, and you are free to have it dispensed elsewhere. We will tell you if we think a particular medicine is better bought from us, for example where it needs to be started today or stored a certain way, but the choice is yours. Our online vet shop is there for repeat items you want delivered.
On health plans, our Companion and Companion Plus plans already set out what is included. If you ever want to see how that compares with paying for each item separately, the team will go through it with you line by line, and we will be presenting it in the standard format the order asks for well ahead of our compliance date.
A standing reminder: dental checks for dogs and cats are free at Paws & Co. Dental disease is one of the most common problems we see and one of the easiest to catch early, so if you have not had your pet's mouth looked at this year, book a free dental check.
What the rules do not change
It is worth being clear about the limits of all this, because price lists are only part of the story.
- Clinical judgement. A price list tells you what a consultation or a dental costs. It cannot tell you what your particular pet needs. The order specifically requires practices to let their vets and nurses give impartial advice, free from commercial pressure, and that is exactly how it should be.
- Cheapest is not always best value. Two practices can list the same procedure at different prices and include very different things, from pre-anaesthetic blood tests to post-operative checks. Compare like with like, and ask what is included.
- Emergencies. If your pet is seriously unwell, the first call is still to us. We will always tell you the likely cost as early as we can, but a pet that is struggling to breathe, bleeding or collapsed needs treatment first and paperwork second.
- The relationship. A practice that knows your pet, has its history to hand and can see it the same day is worth a great deal, and that is not something a price comparison captures.
If anything on a bill from us is ever unclear, ask at the desk or email us. We would rather explain it twice than have you leave confused.
Questions about a price, an estimate or a prescription?
Talk to our team at Paws & Co Veterinary Centre in Tingley, serving Leeds, Wakefield and Morley. For anything urgent, always call us rather than email.
Call 0113 868 6100 Email the practice Book an appointment