Vets charge more than double for flea and worm treatment

Usually, yes. Across the 47 products we can compare, one treatment costs a typical 122% more from the vet than from the cheapest online pharmacy selling the same thing: £17.04 against £7.24. The gap is widest on Credelio, at 739%. For prescription-only products you need a written prescription from your vet, which costs at most £21 from 2027, so the saving is worth having on a dear product for a big dog and often not on a cheap one for a cat.

A practice buys in smaller quantities than a national pharmacy, and the price pays for having it on the shelf when you are already there, along with the check that the product suits your pet. The regulator's complaint was not the mark-up itself. It was that owners were not told it existed, could not see the price before they arrived, and were not told they could ask for a prescription and buy elsewhere. Practices now have to publish these prices, and this page is what that looks like.

No. Ask for a written prescription and buy the same product from a registered online pharmacy, or from another vet. Your practice can charge a prescription fee, which is capped at £21 from 2027 and has to be on its published price list. Products sold without a prescription, such as some worming tablets, collars and sprays, can be bought anywhere without asking.