The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published the Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026 on 22 September 2026, after a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets. The CMA’s guidance says the Order is legally binding on veterinary businesses and that its requirements start on different dates, with larger businesses (15 or more practices) on earlier dates and smaller ones (14 or fewer) given longer. This article sets out what the CMA’s own pages say pet owners should be able to expect, and from when. It is general information; the full Order text governs.
Whose pets, and which vets?
The CMA’s guidance defines household pets as animals kept primarily for companionship or protection that habitually live in the owner’s home, and says this excludes livestock, poultry, equines and animals kept mainly for commercial, agricultural, sporting or working purposes. Its guidance for both business sizes says the prescription fee caps apply across the UK with no regional variations.
The dates, side by side
Each requirement applies from the next working day after the date shown, according to the CMA’s two guides for veterinary businesses.
| What changes | Large businesses (15 or more practices) | Small businesses (14 or fewer) |
|---|---|---|
| Price lists, practice information, pet care plan information, cremation options and prices | After 22 December 2026 | After 22 March 2027 |
| Ownership information, complaint processes, mediation | After 22 March 2027 | After 22 March 2027 |
| Prescription fee caps | After 22 March 2027 | After 22 September 2027 |
| Written estimates, itemised bills, written prescription rules | After 22 June 2027 | After 22 September 2027 |
What a price list must show
A practice must publish a price for each of the 36 services in a schedule to the Order, except those it does not offer, and must make the list available at its premises. Where prices vary with a pet’s species or weight, they are shown under six standardised categories. The prices must be the typical price for a standard case with minimal complexity, and the list must say they may rise in more complex cases.
When a booking confirmation is sent, it must state the consultation price and link to the price list. Practices must also publish the prices of their most commonly sold flea, tick and worming products, with a link to the VMD Register of Online Retailers.
Estimates, itemised bills and care plans
A written estimate is due when a treatment pathway is reasonably likely to cost £500 or more including VAT and at least 20% of that cost relates to tests or treatments not yet provided or chosen. The CMA says it is not a binding offer or quote, and it can be a single figure or a range. No estimate is needed if the vet judges the pet needs urgent treatment and delay would affect its welfare, or if the owner says they do not want one.
An itemised bill must be given before or when payment is sought. It must show the amount charged for each medicine product, the total for other goods and services, and any fees for external providers. A pet care plan description must list what is included, how often each service can be used, the total price monthly and annually, the standalone price of each service and the cancellation terms.
Written prescriptions and the fee cap
Vets must orally offer a written prescription in each consultation where medicine is prescribed, unless the medicine is required for urgent administration for clinical reasons. The CMA’s guidance says a hard copy is due by the end of the consultation or a digital copy by the end of the second working day. Practices must also tell owners that medicines may be cheaper elsewhere.
The CMA’s October 2026 guidance sets the maximum fee for a written prescription at £21.40 for the first medicine and £12.70 for each additional one, including VAT, until 31 March 2028, after which the caps are adjusted annually for inflation. Its March 2026 summary of the final report had described caps of £21 and £12.50.
When a pet dies
Practices must make owners aware of three options: buying an individual or communal cremation from the practice, arranging a crematorium directly, or taking the pet home for burial. They must offer a basic communal cremation and give written prices for individual and communal cremation before the owner decides. Extras such as urns or paw prints are priced separately.
If the bill or the service is disputed
A practice must have a written complaints process and try first to resolve a complaint informally. If that fails within 10 working days it becomes an actionable complaint, to be acknowledged in writing within a further 5 working days, with a full written response within 8 weeks. If the process is exhausted and the owner wishes, the business must take part in mediation in good faith; the CMA says the outcome is not binding unless both parties accept it as a full and final settlement.
The bottom line
On the CMA’s pages as read on 4 November 2026, the Order has been made and one requirement, on out-of-hours contract notice periods, is already in effect. The duties that face pet owners are phased in from the next working day after 22 December 2026 to the next working day after 22 September 2027, later for businesses with 14 or fewer practices. Written estimates have the exceptions described above, and the prescription fee figure differs between the CMA’s March and October 2026 pages. The Order and its explanatory note are the authority on exact wording.
Sources
- Veterinary services for household pets (case page), Competition and Markets Authority on GOV.UK, last updated 15 October 2026, read 4 November 2026 (gov.uk)
- Small veterinary businesses: complying with the CMA’s Order, Competition and Markets Authority on GOV.UK, published 13 October 2026, last updated 15 October 2026, read 4 November 2026 (gov.uk)
- Large veterinary businesses: complying with the CMA’s Order, Competition and Markets Authority on GOV.UK, published 13 October 2026, last updated 15 October 2026, read 4 November 2026 (gov.uk)
- Summary of the final report (HTML), Competition and Markets Authority on GOV.UK, final decision published 24 March 2026, read 4 November 2026 (gov.uk)