Warns pet owners may be paying too much for medication

Pet owners may not be provided with basic information such as price lists online and are not always informed of the cost of veterinary treatment before consenting, watchdog groups have warned.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigated thousands of websites and found that more than 80% had no pricing information.

This means owners may be overpaying for medications and prescriptions, he said.

The company's chief said it had identified “multiple concerns” in the veterinary industry.

The British Veterinary Association said veterans were “fundamentally motivated by animal welfare”.

The CMA has now tentatively decided to launch a formal market investigation, which could mean direct market intervention in the future.

If a formal investigation supports the findings, the CMA will force companies to provide full information about their operations and prices, impose limits on prices such as prescription fees, and in some cases restrict the sale of certain medicines. It also gives them the power to enforce. business.

The veterinary industry is worth £2bn after pet ownership rose to two-thirds of UK households during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the CMA.

But the watchdog cited concerns about the lack of information available to Britain's 16 million pet owners.

An analysis of 1,400 websites for general veterinary practices from large corporate groups found that 83% do not provide pricing information for even the most basic services. A similar situation was found across independent veterinarian websites.

Commenting on the review, CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “The unprecedented response we have received from the public and veterinary professionals shows the strength of feeling on this issue and why we are investigating this issue. It shows whether it was the right thing to do.”

“We are hearing from people working in the sector concerns about pressures, including severe staff shortages, and the impact this is having on individual professionals.”

However, she added that the review found multiple concerns in the market.

The CMA received thousands of responses from pet owners, veterinarians, veterinary nurses, charities and industry bodies.

It also suggests that many pet owners didn't know they could get a prescription and buy it elsewhere, meaning they could be missing out on savings.

However, the company said it has received several complaints from independent practitioners that some online pharmacies are selling medicines at lower than wholesale prices.

Caitlin Dolan, from Watford, told BBC Newsbeat that her cat Precious died partly because she couldn't afford the £3,000 upfront treatment bill.

“We couldn't even afford it. The mental strain was incredible,” said the 25-year-old, who said Precious seemed quite lethargic when she took her to the vet.

“But the vets couldn't tell us exactly what was going on, without £3,000 worth of tests and treatment. We didn't even know if it was working,” Caitlin said. insisted.

“The few days we were talking before she sadly passed away caused a lot of stress. I don't want anyone to go through the same experience.”

Dominic Bonini, from Newmarket, Suffolk, told the BBC he had to pay £6,000 upfront for treatment for his four-year-old dog Shamboo.

Shabu, a Shiba Inu, was diagnosed with a dislocated patella, which can lead to arthritis. Treatment, including surgery at a specialist referral veterinary hospital, cost £3,786.

Mr Shambhu then broke his tooth, which cost him just under £1,900 to remove. Mr Shambu then became unwell after the extraction, costing Dominic around £400 in tests and treatment.

The two surgeries were covered by insurance and a £250 excess was deducted for each incident, but dental work was only covered up to £1,000.

“It's an incredible amount of money,” Dominic said.

“We have insurance and we're glad we have it. We're lucky to be able to afford it, but not everyone is in the same situation.”

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the publication of the CMA report, Malcolm Morley, senior vice president of the British Veterinary Association, said customers should discuss costs openly and honestly with their veterinarians.

“People working in any field are fundamentally motivated by animal welfare and delivering that to their owners.”

She added that there are often hidden costs in caring for pets.

“We don't know how much it costs to run a business like this, we don't know the equipment or the expertise of the people doing it. It's often hidden and we don't know how much it costs to run a business like this. It's a real contrast to the NHS, where it's free.”

“Many medical advances, whether in diagnosis or treatment, come with an associated increase in cost. I think the challenge is finding the right treatments for people and their animals,” he says.

According to the report, independent practices accounted for 89% of the UK veterinary industry in 2013, but by 2021 this had fallen to around 45%.

More than half are now owned by one of six corporate chains.

This is because in some areas there are only “first opinion” clinics that are all owned by one large group, and pet owners tend to choose clinics close to home, so they have less choice. It could mean that there are fewer.

While most of the larger groups own their clinics outright, Pets at Home operates in a partnership with 50 private owners, most of whom are veterinarians, nurses, or clinic managers. He told the watchdog group that it was a 50-50 joint venture.

The association said on Tuesday it was “deeply disappointed” by the CMA's findings, which it said “do not fully reflect our unique business model as a community-owned veterinary practice”, where pricing and product choice are left to pet owners. ” he said.

The CMA has now begun a four-week consultation on the proposal to launch a formal market investigation, which ends on April 11.

Additional reporting by Emily Selvadurai.