Your rights at the vet

A visit to the vet often comes with a few decisions about care, cost and medicine.

You can ask questions at every step.

We have based these notes on the advice the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) gives to animal owners. The RCVS regulates vets and vet nurses in the UK.

Choosing or comparing a practice

People looking for a practice can search a directory of UK practices on vetcomparison.uk.

You can also read there about the Competition and Markets Authority's work on vet practices.

Go to vetcomparison.uk

Agreeing to treatment

Before treatment starts, your vet must ask for your consent. They should explain the reasonable options, what each one is for and what it is likely to cost. They should also tell you about common and serious risks.

One of the options can be to monitor your pet without more tests or treatment. If the plan changes, your vet should come back to you for consent. You can ask for a simpler explanation at any point.

Asking about cost

You have the right to clear information about costs before you agree to treatment. For treatment that is not an emergency, your vet should give you a written estimate before starting. The estimate should list the likely charges, including VAT and any follow-up care.

If the cost is likely to end up much higher, your vet should ask for your consent before going on. In an emergency, your vet should talk to you about cost as soon as it is practical.

Prescription medicines

Your vet may prescribe a medicine as part of your pet's treatment. You can buy it from the practice. You can also ask for a written prescription and buy the medicine somewhere else.

The practice may charge a reasonable fee for writing a prescription. You can ask how much it is before you decide. Your vet should charge you the same for other services wherever you buy the medicine.

For buying online, the RCVS recommends retailers in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate's Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme. You can check a retailer on GOV.UK.

Emergencies at night and at weekends

Every vet practice in the UK must make sure emergency first aid and pain relief is available around the clock. Some practices share this cover with other practices or with an emergency clinic.

A few things are easier to sort out on a quiet day.

Ask your practice who provides its out-of-hours care.
Save the emergency number on your phone.
Plan how you would take your pet there yourself.

Emergency care usually costs more than routine treatment. Your vet should give first aid and pain relief without waiting to discuss cost.

A second opinion

You have the right to a second opinion. It can come from another vet at your practice or from a different practice. If you go elsewhere, tell the new practice that your pet has already been seen. They can then ask for your pet's records.

If your vet refers you to a specialist, they should tell you about any links they have with that practice. Both vets should make sure you agree to the likely cost first.

If you are unhappy with your care

Your practice will have its own complaints procedure. You can ask the practice manager how it works. Keep a record of what you send and what you are told.

If that does not settle things, the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS) can help. It is free and independent. Both you and the practice have to agree to take part. Its mediators deal with fee disputes, the quality of service and claims of negligence. They generally look at problems from the last year.

The RCVS looks into the most serious concerns about a vet's conduct.