The median published first-consultation fee across UK practices is £57; a follow-up or repeat consultation costs a median of £55. Prices vary by region, practice type and ownership.
The consultation fee covers the examination and clinical assessment. It does not include medication, treatment, or further tests. The first-consultation fee range is £44 to £70 across 3,301 published prices; follow-up fees range from £37 to £70.
The median first consultation costs £57; a follow-up consultation costs £55 (live figures from published prices).
First-consultation prices range from £44 to £70 across UK practices that publish a fee online (5th to 95th percentile).
Where you live affects the price: the median first-consultation fee in Northern Ireland is £45, compared with £67 in London — a difference of £22.
Group-owned practices charge a median of £58 for a first consultation; independent practices charge £54.
72% of first-opinion practices publish a consultation fee online; 28% do not — so many owners need to call or enquire directly.
First appointment vs follow-up — and what the fee covers.
Practices charge two types of consultation fee: a first (or new) consultation and a follow-up or repeat consultation. The follow-up fee is usually lower because the vet already has context on the patient.
Median published fee. Based on 3,301 published prices.
Median published fee. Based on 2,320 published prices.
The consultation fee typically covers the vet's time and a clinical examination. It does not include medication, treatment, follow-up tests, blood work, imaging or any procedure carried out at the same visit. Those are itemised separately on your bill.
Region, ownership type and urban density all move the fee.
Region is the biggest factor, but ownership type and local competition also affect what practices publish.
The median first-consultation fee is £45 in Northern Ireland and £67 in London — a gap of £22.
Regional medians use first-opinion practices that publish a consultation fee online. Regions with fewer than 10 publishing practices are excluded.
Group-owned practices publish a median first-consultation fee of £58; independent practices publish a median of £54. Find out who owns your local practice.
Median published first-consultation fee.
Median published first-consultation fee.
Higher property and staffing costs in cities and urban postcodes correlate with higher consultation fees. If you live near a town or city boundary, a practice a few miles further out may charge noticeably less. Compare local prices by postcode on the Rightvet prices tool.
Across 4,825 UK first-opinion practices mapped by Rightvet, 3,488 publish a consultation fee online. The remaining 1,337 do not publish one.
3,488 practices publish a consultation fee online.
1,337 practices do not publish one, so owners need to call, email or ask in practice.
Source: Rightvet pricing data, June 2026.
The consultation fee is only the starting point for most visits.
A consultation fee covers the vet's time and the clinical examination. Most visits involve additional charges on top of it.
Prescription fees — charged separately if your pet needs a written prescription.
The median published prescription fee is £26.
Any medication dispensed at the practice.
Further tests — blood panels, urinalysis, X-rays, ultrasound or other diagnostics.
Any treatment or procedure carried out at the same visit.
Follow-up appointments — these are usually billed separately at the follow-up fee.
Ask for an itemised breakdown of everything on your bill.
Ask about follow-up options and what the follow-up fee is before agreeing to a return visit.
Ask what the next step costs — tests, treatments or referral — before agreeing to it.
OOH fees are significantly higher than a routine appointment.
Emergency and out-of-hours (OOH) services operate outside normal practice hours and carry a separate, higher fee to cover staffing and on-call costs.
Median published fee during normal hours.
Median published fee — £73 more than a routine appointment.
Emergency and OOH services exist for genuine life-threatening situations: difficulty breathing, collapse, suspected poisoning, severe trauma or uncontrolled bleeding. If your pet is ill but not in immediate danger, calling your practice during normal hours or booking the next available appointment is usually the appropriate course of action and will cost considerably less.
For more detail on emergency vet costs, see our planned article on emergency vet costs (coming soon).
Sourced from each practice's own website. Nothing estimated.
Rightvet maps RCVS-registered UK veterinary practices and records consultation fees published on their own websites. This page uses first-opinion practices only for comparisons. No figure on this page is estimated or modelled.
First consultation means the initial appointment fee (sometimes called a new client, new patient or examination fee). Follow-up means a repeat or review appointment with an existing patient. CMA service IDs: first consultation = 1, follow-up = 2, emergency/OOH = 3, nurse consultation = 4.
Rightvet maps 4,825 UK first-opinion practices. Of these, 3,488 publish a consultation fee online. Regional and ownership figures use only practices that publish a matching fee. Regions with fewer than 10 publishing practices are excluded from regional breakdowns.
If a fee is wrong for your practice, email hello@rightvet.uk and we will review it.
What owners ask about vet consultation fees.
The median published first-consultation fee across UK practices that list a price online is £57. This covers the examination and clinical assessment only; it does not include medication, treatment or follow-up tests.
A nurse consultation is typically lower than a vet consultation and is suitable for some routine and follow-up appointments. Speak to the practice to check whether your pet's issue qualifies.
Yes. A follow-up or repeat consultation is a separate appointment and most practices charge for it. The median published follow-up fee is £55, usually lower than the first-consultation fee of £57.
No. The consultation fee covers the clinical examination and the vet's time. Any medication, treatment, tests or further procedures will be charged separately. If your pet is prescribed medication, a prescription fee may also apply.
Consultation fees reflect the vet's time, local property costs, staffing levels, equipment and the practice's own pricing decisions. Practices in cities and the South East typically charge more than rural or Northern practices. Group-owned practices and independent practices also tend to price differently.
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