How we collect prices

Prices are supplied or confirmed by practices, or reported by pet owners and reviewed before publication — with no paid rankings.

Why are some prices missing?

We prioritise prices supplied or confirmed by veterinary practices and reviewed submissions from pet owners. Some practices will not have a price yet. We'd rather show Not available than give you a price that may be out of date or difficult to verify.

That can mean fewer figures on compare and practice pages for a while. It is a quality choice: better a clear gap than a confident-looking figure that nobody confirmed. Practices can close gaps by publishing through the practice portal; pet owners can still share a moderated community report.

Sources we show today

Practice verified — fees practices publish or reconfirm in the practice portal (primary comparison source)
Community reported — pet-owner submissions moderated before publication
Not available — honest empty state when we do not have a current attested fee
Estimated (guides only) — national or city guide ranges on editorial pages for planning — always labelled, never presented as a practice quote

Live comparison does not invent clinic prices or recycle unverifiable historical scrape data. Directory identity (name, location, contact) can still appear when pricing is missing.

Price details we show when known

Last confirmation date for Practice verified fees (or "Confirmation date unavailable")
Whether VAT is included or excluded
Whether the figure is a fixed fee, estimate, starting price, or subject to clinical assessment
Short notes on what the listed price includes or excludes

We never invent missing details. Final bills can still differ from a listed fee depending on an animal's individual needs — ask the practice for a written estimate before non-routine care.

Review process

Community submissions enter a review queue before publication. Practice portal updates from approved owners are labelled Practice verified. Large price changes can trigger additional checks against historic context. Practices can withdraw a published fee if it should no longer appear.

Update cadence

Practice-verified fees show a confirmation date when available, plus listing freshness on comparison cards and practice pages.

Current — checked within the last 30 days
Older — checked 31 to 180 days ago
Stale — last checked more than 180 days ago

Freshness labels are always shown with text (not colour alone). Stale figures may still appear for orientation where retained, but they are excluded from current averages and vs-average claims. Confirm with the practice before booking. See also the data policy.

Sorting and comparability

Postcode searches default to distance. Price sorts order by the listed fee for the selected treatment — provenance never buys a higher rank. Similar service names may still differ in package contents or clinical pathway, so treat comparison as planning context rather than a like-for-like clinical verdict.

Corrections

Spotted an error? Report inaccurate information or submit a corrected price. Practices should update fees in the practice portal.

Editorial standards

We never present estimated figures as exact local prices. Comparative language like "cheapest" is used only where coverage thresholds are met. A lower price is not a quality judgement. See also data policy and CMA pricing hub.