Warns pet owners may be paying too much for medication

Pet owners may be paying more than they should for medicines and prescriptions, a competition watchdog has warned.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a review last year amid concerns that people may be paying too much, and received 56,000 responses.

The company's president said he has heard concerns that pet owners are having trouble accessing basic information such as price lists.

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

The CMA has now tentatively decided to launch a formal market investigation, meaning it may intervene directly 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 group raised concerns about the rising costs of treatment faced by Britain's 16 million pet owners.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “The unprecedented response we have received from the public and veterinary professionals shows the strength of feeling around this issue and why we are investigating this issue. It shows that we were right.”

“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.

The study found that 80% of veterinary clinics surveyed did not provide online pricing information for even the most basic services.

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.

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. The bill also included 21 packs of paracetamol, each costing £19.

“I couldn't believe it,” Dominic said.

Mr Shambhu then broke his tooth, which cost him just under £1,900 to remove. As bad luck continued, Mr Shambu became unwell after the extraction and Dominic's tests and treatment cost around £400.

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.”

But, he added, there are often hidden costs in caring for pets.

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

He said a variety of factors have contributed to price increases in recent years, including the introduction of more advanced and expensive equipment into the market.

“Many advances in care, whether in diagnosis or treatment, come with an associated increase in cost. I think the challenge is finding treatments that are appropriate for humans 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 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 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.