Asking Your Vet for Options: What UK Vets and Owners Say About Tailored Care
A UK study of 417 vet professionals and 718 owners found most owners want a full range of options, but few want to be asked what they can afford.
Written by thecanineledger
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When UK owners were asked how they’d like their vet to raise the cost of treatment, the top answer, chosen by 44%, was to be given the full range of options. Fewer than 10% wanted to be asked directly how much they could afford (Everitt et al., Veterinary Evidence 2026 ⚠️ survey and interviews).
While most owners want choices, many vets find those conversations hard. This page covers what the study found, and how to ask for options.
Our note: The journal is published by RCVS Knowledge, which also led the study.
1. What “contextualised care” means
The term describes care that is “intentionally shaped by the aims, knowledge, experiences and circumstances of individual animal caregivers” and vets. In short, the plan fits the dog, the owner and the situation, rather than always following the most intensive route.
It is the opposite of assuming that “gold standard” care is always the best choice.
2. The study
Who. 417 vets and veterinary nurses, and 718 dog and cat owners in the UK, answered questionnaires. Some also took part in interviews and focus groups.
Who ran it. RCVS Knowledge worked with a research consultancy. It also publishes the journal. Battersea, the animal charity, funded the work and had no input into the findings.
A limit. “The questionnaires were completed by a self-selecting sample, and therefore the responses were subject to selection bias.” Owners were found through social media, partly through paid adverts.
3. What vets said
The main barriers. Vets and nurses most often picked:
| Barrier | Share choosing it in their top three |
|---|---|
| Owners seeing different staff at each visit | 47% |
| Owners’ finances limiting care | 42% |
Nearly half (45%) said they met very few barriers.
Money comes up constantly. Asked how often owners’ finances affected their care of a patient, 47% said always and 43% said often.
Newer vets were more cautious. Confidence in treating without a definite diagnosis fell from 92% of vets qualified before 2010 to 66% of those qualified since 2020. Some newer vets said fear of complaints led them to rely on tests.
Our note: We don’t mean to suggest vets act against a dog’s interest. Extra tests can have more than one reason, and you can ask your vet what each test is for.
4. What owners said
- 78% said it matters to see the same vet team at each visit.
- 42% were satisfied that their vet considered their finances when making recommendations. 24% were dissatisfied.
- 31% said they sometimes felt guilty about not being able to afford every option offered.
→ Why Vet Bills Went Up: What the UK Competition Inquiry Found · → How Pet Insurance Works: Policy Types, Excess, Co-Insurance and Waiting Periods
5. How to ask for options
- Ask what all the options are, including a simpler plan, and what each one involves.
- Ask what each option is likely to achieve, not only what it costs.
- Ask to see the same vet for follow-up visits where you can.
- Say early if cost is a concern. You don’t have to name a figure.
Our note: These points are ours, not the study’s.
If you can’t afford care. Some charities run low-cost clinics for eligible owners.
→ Free and Low-Cost Vet Care in the UK: Who Qualifies for PDSA
6. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “Owners want the vet to ask their budget” | Few do. Fewer than 10% chose that. Most wanted a full range of options. |
| “Insured owners want different conversations” | Not in this survey. Preferences didn’t differ with insurance cover. |
| “The most expensive option is always best” | The study doesn’t test outcomes. It describes attitudes, not results. |
Sources
- Everitt S, Taylor A, Doorly A, Cropley K, Osterberg A, Mantell K. Barriers to the delivery of contextualised care in UK small animal veterinary practice. Vet Evid 2026 ⚠️ survey and interviews: 417 vet professionals and 718 owners, UK. Funded by Battersea
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.