I saved £7,700 by travelling to France for my dog’s surgery – and it saved her life

A dog owner quoted £9,000 for his pet’s cancer surgery has said it was a “no-brainer” to travel to France to pay a third of the price, joining a growing number of British pet owners opting to go abroad to avoid skyrocketing veterinary fees in the UK. Alex Devon, 25, from north London, travelled to Villeneuve-d’Ascq in 2024 with his family and their 10-year-old Hungarian Vizsla, Amber, after a cancer scare. His local vet quoted £3,000 for an initial consultation and CT scan. A French specialist clinic billed €1,200 (£1,002). When Amber needed surgery, the UK vet quoted £9,000; the procedure in France cost €2,400 (£2,003). Even after spending around £1,000 on travel, accommodation and animal health certificates, Devon said the total cost was still around a third of what he would have paid in the UK. Prices for vet care in the UK have skyrocketed in recent years, with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) finding that prices rose by 63 per cent between 2016 and 2023. The UK has seen a shortage of vets after Brexit and influx of pet ownership during Covid-19. Costs of running a surgery in the UK tend to be higher, and a wider use of pet insurance has given vets less incentive to offer budget options, experts say. The CMA said consumers were being left “in the dark” by rising bills and found some practices were charging excessively, with customers often confused by cost rundowns. Reforms are set to be rolled out from December, including measures to cap prescription charges and require vets to provide itemised bills and treatment estimates in advance.Sending Amber to France for treatment was “more hassle… but more cost-effective” (Photo: Supplied) ‘We wouldn’t have a family dog anymore’ Under current rules, pet owners must obtain an animal health certificate each time they travel with their animal to the EU, with some clinics charging up to £350 for paperwork per trip. However, the UK is reportedly set to revive pet passports in November as part of an EU deal – potentially making it easier for owners to travel without repeatedly obtaining certificates. Devon said he “wouldn’t bother going locally” for future vet appointments, having returned to the same French clinic last year after Amber developed gum disease. “It’s a little more hassle than going down the local vet, but it’s more cost-effective, especially if she needs multiple rounds of treatment,” he said. “If we hadn’t have found that specialist in France, I don’t think we’d have a family dog anymore, to be honest.” Britain is among Europe’s most expensive countries for vet care, while Poland, Czechia and Spain offer treatment at a fraction of the price, according to travel site Pets Abroad UK. Nordic countries are also among the most expensive, while rising fees in Germany have prompted some owners to cross into Czechia for cheaper treatment. For Brits, nearby options Belgium and France are popular choices. ‘Preying on fact we love our animals’ Bruges vet Lieve de Rycke sees 10 to 20 British visitors each week, with around two travelling from England for cheaper care. Yorkshire couple Fiona and Chris Collins, 61 and 68, have visited her clinic for three years, incorporating annual teeth-cleaning appointments for their nine-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Tilly, with road trips. They first visited for routine worming and rabies vaccinations before returning home, but now arrange all of Tilly’s dental treatments there after discovering it costs €150 (£125) compared with £700 in the UK. “We wouldn’t go to a UK vet if we had the option to go to a European one,” Fiona said. The owner of Flash, Brian Flynn, accused UK vets of “preying on the fact we love our animals” (Photo: Supplied) Brian and Alison Flynn, from Faversham, Kent, turned to a French vet after their 10-year-old beagle, Flash, injured her ACL on holiday in the Alps. Quoted £5,318 by their UK vet, they paid £1,493 (€1,739) in France – less than the cost of claiming for surgery and aftercare through pet insurance. Brian, 55, said: “My vet in France was outraged when I said what I was quoted in the UK. These companies prey on the fact we love our animals. We are being held to ransom.” Why prices are higher in UK De Rycke suggested higher costs in countries like the UK and Sweden could be linked to corporate dominance. Sixty per cent of UK veterinary group are owned by large organisations, the CMA said. She said: “In the UK, big companies try to get money out of insurance companies by charging as much as they can, but in Belgium most people do not have pet insurance, they pay out of pocket.” But Rob Williams, senior vice president of the British Veterinary Association, said it was not possible to compare UK treatment costs to those abroad, as the price of running a business – including energy, rent and wages – might vary. He said the UK was “world-leading” in setting standards for veterinary treatment, and some specialists demanded higher salaries. Flynn and his dog, Flash (Photo: Supplied) Williams added that while transporting your pet abroad for medical treatment might seem cost effective, it might not be best for the animal’s health if they are sick and injured. “Wherever you choose to get medical care for your animals, we encourage you to speak to your vet if you’re concerned about cost, as they will always do their best to help you, whatever your circumstance.”