Long-term medicines
What your pet's medicine costs online
A pet on long-term medication costs more over its life than every vaccination and operation put together, and almost all of it is bought at the practice. You do not have to. Ask for a written prescription, which costs at most £21, and buy the same medicine anywhere. Here is the cheapest online price we can find for 27 of the medicines vets dispense most, next to the £27 a typical practice charges for the prescription.
Prices are per pack as listed by the pharmacy, with the price of one tablet, capsule or millilitre worked out so pack sizes can be compared. What your pet needs, and at what dose, is a decision for your vet: nothing here is veterinary advice, and none of these can be bought without a prescription.
Arthritis and long-term pain
6 medicines
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galliprant | Grapiprant | Dogs | £25.80Galliprant Tablets for Dogs 20mg 30 Tablets | £0.86 | £314 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Loxicomoral suspension | Meloxicam | Cats and dogs | £20.45Loxicom Oral Suspension for Dogs 1.5mg/ml 100ml Bottle | £0.20 | £73 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Metacamoral suspension | Meloxicam | Cats and dogs | £23.99Metacam Oral Suspension for Dogs 1.5mg/ml 180ml Bottle | £0.13 | £47 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Onsior | Robenacoxib | Cats and dogs | £14.40Onsior Tablets for Dogs 5mg 30 Tablets | £0.48 | £175 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Previcox | Firocoxib | Dogs | £36.60Previcox Chewable Tablets for Dogs 57mg 60 Chewable Tablets | £0.61 | £223 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Rimadyl | Carprofen | Dogs | £26RIMADYL Palatable Tablets for Dogs 20mg 100 Tablets | £0.26 | £95 | Pet Drugs Online |
Heart disease
6 medicines
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardalis | Benazepril, spironolactone | Dogs | £26.70Cardalis Chewable Tablets for Dogs 2.5mg/20mg 30 Chewable. | £0.89 | £325 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Cardisure | Pimobendan | Dogs | £37Cardisure Flavoured Tablets for Dogs 1.25mg 100 Tablets | £0.37 | £135 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Fortekor | Benazepril | Cats and dogs | £33.60Fortekor Tablets for Dogs and Cats (2.5kg-10kg) 2.5mg 56. | £0.60 | £219 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Libeo | Furosemide | Dogs | £24Libeo Chewable Tablets for Dogs 10mg 120 Chewable Tablets | £0.20 | £73 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Prilactone | Spironolactone | Dogs | £17.70Prilactone Next Chewable Tablets for Dogs 10mg 30 Chewable. | £0.59 | £215 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Vetmedin | Pimobendan | Dogs | £14Vetmedin Chewable Tablets for Dogs 1.25mg 50 Chewable Tablets | £0.28 | £102 | Pet Drugs Online |
Thyroid
4 medicines
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felimazoleoveractive thyroid | Thiamazole | Cats | £18Felimazole Coated Tablets for Cats 1.25mg 100 Tablets | £0.18 | £66 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Leventaunderactive thyroid | Levothyroxine | Dogs | £20.48Leventa Oral Solution for Dogs 1mg/ml 30ml Bottle | £0.68 | £248 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Thyronormoveractive thyroid | Thiamazole | Cats | £46.45Thyronorm Oral Solution for Cats 5mg/ml 100ml - Bottle | £0.46 | £168 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Vidaltaoveractive thyroid | Carbimazole | Cats | £62Vidalta Tablets for Cats 10mg 100 Tablets | £0.62 | £226 | Pet Drugs Online |
Epilepsy and seizures
3 medicines
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epityl | Phenobarbital | Dogs | £125Epityl Flavoured Tablets for Dogs 60mg 500 Tablets CD SCH3** | £0.25 | £91 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Libromide | Potassium bromide | Dogs | £260Libromide Tablets for Dogs 325mg 500 Tablets | £0.52 | £190 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Pexion | Imepitoin | Dogs | £49Pexion Tablets for Dogs 100mg 100 Tablets | £0.49 | £179 | Pet Drugs Online |
Incontinence
2 medicines
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incurin | Estriol | Dogs | £14.10Incurin Tablets for Dogs 1mg 30 Tablets | £0.47 | £172 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Propalin | Phenylpropanolamine | Dogs | £34.99Propalin Syrup for Dogs 40mg/ml 100ml Bottle | £0.35 | £128 | Pet Drugs Online |
Skin and allergy
2 medicines
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apoquelitching and allergy | Oclacitinib | Dogs | £109.99Apoquel Chewable Tablets for Dogs 5.4mg 100 Chewable Tablets | £1.10 | £402 | Pet Drugs Online |
| Atopicaatopic dermatitis | Ciclosporin | Cats and dogs | £27.74Atopica Capsules for Dogs 25mg (4kg-7.5kg) 15 Capsules | £1.85 | £675 | Pet Drugs Online |
Behaviour
1 medicine
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clomicalmseparation anxiety | Clomipramine | Dogs | £86.70Clomicalm Tablets for Dogs 5mg 30 tablets | £2.89 | £1,055 | Pet Drugs Online |
Cushing's disease
1 medicine
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VetorylCushing's disease | Trilostane | Dogs | £1.48Vetoryl Hard Capsules for Dogs 5mg Single Capsule | £1.48 | £540 | Pet Drugs Online |
Diabetes
1 medicine
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caninsulingiven at home | Insulin | Cats and dogs | £49.49Caninsulin VetPen Needles 1 Pack of 100 Needles | £0.49 | £179 | Pet Drugs Online |
Kidney and blood pressure
1 medicine
| Medicine | What it is | For | Cheapest pack | One tablet or ml | A year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semintra | Telmisartan | Cats | £99.98Semintra Oral Solution for Cats 4mg/ml 100ml Bottle | £1 | £365 | Pet Drugs Online |
Not priced yet
We hold these medicines but have not found an online price for them, usually because the pharmacy does not stock that brand or lists it under another name. Trocoxil, Forthyron.
How a prescription works
Ask your practice for a written prescription for the medicine your pet is already on. They can charge for writing it, and that fee has to be on their published price list; from March 2027 at the big chains and September 2027 everywhere else it is capped at £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for each extra one on the same prescription. What practices charge for one now.
Then buy from a pharmacy registered with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, which display the VMD accreditation logo. A prescription usually covers repeats for up to six months, sometimes longer, so one fee can cover several orders. That is the arithmetic worth doing: on a medicine costing £60 a month the prescription pays for itself in the first order, and on one costing £8 a month it may not pay for itself at all.
Your vet decides what to prescribe and can decline to prescribe something they judge unsuitable, which is a clinical decision and not a commercial one. What they cannot do is refuse to write a prescription for a medicine they are happy for your pet to have, or charge a fee they have not published.
Why this page exists
The competition regulator found that owners were not told the price of medicines before buying them, were not told a prescription was an option, and were paying well above what the same product costs elsewhere. Practices now have to publish their prescription fee and their flea and worm prices. They do not have to publish what they charge for other medicines, which is why this page compares the online price with the fee rather than with the practice's own price. If your practice does publish its medicine prices, tell us and we will read them.
Common questions
Can I buy my pet's medicine somewhere other than the vet?
Yes. Ask for a written prescription and you can buy the medicine from any registered pharmacy, including online ones. Your practice can charge for writing it, typically £27 now and capped at £21 from 2027. One prescription usually covers repeats for up to six months, so a single fee can cover several orders. Your vet still decides what to prescribe.
Is it always worth asking for a prescription?
No, and that is worth being honest about. The prescription fee is fixed, so it pays for itself on an expensive medicine and not on a cheap one. Clomicalm works out at £2.89 a tablet online, where the saving over a year dwarfs the fee. On a medicine costing a few pounds a month it may cost you more in fees than you save. Do the sum for your own pet's medicine and dose.
How much does a year of pet medication cost?
It depends entirely on the medicine and your pet's weight, but the range on this page runs from a few pounds a month to well over £100. The cheapest daily medicine here comes to about £74 a year including one prescription fee, and the dearest many times that. This is the cost pet insurance often does not cover once a condition is diagnosed, which is why it is worth knowing before you need to.
Are online pet pharmacies safe?
The registered ones are. Look for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate accreditation logo, which means the pharmacy is inspected and has to dispense against a valid prescription. A site willing to sell you a prescription-only medicine without one is breaking the rules, and that is the clearest sign to shop elsewhere.
Not veterinary advice. This page compares what practices charge. It does not say whether a treatment or a medicine is right for your animal, and nothing here should be used to start, stop or change any treatment. Only your own vet, who can examine your animal, can advise you. If your animal is unwell, ring a vet. In an emergency, use an out-of-hours vet.
Most of the medicines on this page are prescription-only and can be dispensed only against a prescription written by the vet treating your animal. We are not a pharmacy and we sell nothing. The point of the page is that once you hold a written prescription, which now costs at most a capped fee, you can have it dispensed wherever you like.
About these prices: read from the pharmacy's own published product pages on the date shown, for the pack described. A year's cost assumes one tablet or millilitre a day, which is a rough guide only: the real dose depends on your pet's weight and condition and is set by your vet. Prices change, stock varies, and we are not paid by any pharmacy listed. Nothing on this page is veterinary advice. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.