Vet fees for dogs
Dogs can bring such joy into our lives as owners, but their vet treatments can be expensive. If the worst was to happen, do you know how much it could cost?
Average pet insurance claim
According to the Association of British Insurers the average pet insurance claim in 2021 was £848.
Vet fees are not standardised in the UK, and can vary from practice to practice with factors such as location, your pet’s age and the severity of the condition all having an influence on the cost.
Get a quote to find out what type of policy might be right for you.
How much do vet fees cost?
To give you an idea of what to expect here’s a list of Animal Friends’ average vet fees claims for some of the most common treatments for dogs.
These tables show the average cost of vet fees claims per condition submitted to Animal Friends in 2023. To make this information more specific to your dog we’ve grouped dogs into sizes, ranging from Miniature to Giant.
This is based on the top 10 breeds insured with us per size group, and the 15 most common conditions claimed for by our customers, for each size, in 2023.
| Condition | Average cost |
|---|---|
| Lameness | £1,115.00 |
| Mitral Valve Disease | £1,067.00 |
| Heart Disease | £1,009.00 |
| Tumour | £988.00 |
| Gastroenteritis | £953.00 |
| Eye Ulcer | £942.00 |
| Seizures | £922.00 |
| Heart Murmur | £904.00 |
| Vomiting and Diarrhoea | £873.00 |
| Allergies | £806.00 |
| Osteoarthritis | £771.00 |
| Skin Disease | £753.00 |
| Teeth/Dental | £610.00 |
| Toxic Ingestion | £592.00 |
| Otitis | £586.00 |
| Condition | Average cost |
| Diabetes | £1,473.00 |
| Lameness | £1,091.00 |
| Heart Disease | £1,017.00 |
| Tumour | £980.00 |
| Gastroenteritis | £944.00 |
| Eye Ulcer | £917.00 |
| Heart Murmur | £889.00 |
| Allergies | £872.00 |
| Vomiting and Diarrhoea | £867.00 |
| Seizures | £866.00 |
| Foreign Body | £858.00 |
| Skin Disease | £752.00 |
| Osteoarthritis | £741.00 |
| Otitis | £608.00 |
| Toxic Ingestion | £544.00 |
| Condition | Average cost |
| Cruciate ligament damage | £2,714.00 |
| Lameness | £1,187.00 |
| Seizures | £1,091.00 |
| Tumour | £1,045.00 |
| Gastroenteritis | £999.00 |
| Foreign Body | £996.00 |
| Allergies | £959.00 |
| Eye Ulcer | £956.00 |
| Osteoarthritis | £900.00 |
| Vomiting and Diarrhoea | £878.00 |
| Skin Disease | £823.00 |
| Otitis | £710.00 |
| Wound | £704.00 |
| Anal Gland Infection | £675.00 |
| Toxic Ingestion | £565.00 |
| Condition | Average cost |
| Cruciate ligament damage | £3,015.00 |
| Foreign Body | £1,373.00 |
| Lameness | £1,362.00 |
| Tumour | £1,115.00 |
| Allergies | £1,071.00 |
| Seizures | £1,049.00 |
| Gastroenteritis | £1,038.00 |
| Osteoarthritis | £982.00 |
| Skin Disease | £979.00 |
| Vomiting and Diarrhoea | £928.00 |
| Dermatitis | £907.00 |
| Wound | £760.00 |
| Urinary Tract Infection | £725.00 |
| Otitis | £688.00 |
| Toxic Ingestion | £629.00 |
| Condition | Average cost |
| Cruciate ligament damage | £3,351.00 |
| Foreign Body | £1,639.00 |
| Lameness | £1,632.00 |
| Hip Dysplasia | £1,573.00 |
| Allergies | £1,358.00 |
| Entropion | £1,306.00 |
| Tumour | £1,274.00 |
| Osteoarthritis | £1,151.00 |
| Vomiting and Diarrhoea | £881.00 |
| Gastroenteritis | £861.00 |
| Skin Disease | £842.00 |
| Urinary Tract Infection | £831.00 |
| Toxic Ingestion | £773.00 |
| Wound | £760.00 |
| Otitis | £673.00 |
Should I get insurance?
Pet insurance can help protect your pet against unexpected vet fees, should they get ill or be injured. Though you may be unsure if you need pet insurance, it’s worth keeping in mind that vet fees can add up very quickly and your pet may need ongoing treatment and medication.
Get a quote
To help you decide, get a quote to find out what type of policy might be right for you and how much it would cost.