What should your pet's medicine cost?

Yes, from a legitimate pharmacy. In the UK, online retailers of veterinary medicines must be on the Veterinary Medicines Directorate's register of authorised online retailers. We only compare pharmacies on that register, and you can check any other on the VMD's website.

It depends on the medicine's legal category, which every medicine page shows. POM-V medicines need a prescription from your vet. POM-VPS can be prescribed by a vet, pharmacist or SQP — many online pharmacies do this with a questionnaire. NFA-VPS and AVM-GSL need no prescription.

Under the CMA's Order the fee is capped at £21.40 for the first medicine and £12.70 for each additional medicine on the same prescription, including VAT — after 22 March 2027 at large groups (15 or more practices) and after 22 September 2027 at every other practice. Until then each practice sets its own fee.

For a medicine your pet takes every month, usually yes: one prescription can cover several months, and online prices are often much lower per dose. For a single short course the fee can outweigh the saving. The calculator on each medicine page does the sum with your vet's price.

Only if your vet agrees. Products with the same active ingredient can differ in strength, form, dosing and which animals they are licensed for. We list them so you can ask your vet — ask them to write the prescription for the product you want to buy.

We show a price only when we are certain which licensed product a listing is — its brand, strength and form must match exactly one product on the VMD register. We also leave out prices more than 7 days old, prices not in pounds, and pharmacies that block automated reading.