Last updated 30 August 20263 min readVetsCompared Editorial Team
In brief
You can change veterinary practices in the UK without needing your current practice's permission. Your new vet will normally need your pet's relevant clinical history so care can continue. If you have not chosen a new practice yet, you can look at nearby options before you move.
- You do not need your current vet's permission to leave.
- Your new practice will usually need the relevant clinical records.
- You can ask for a second opinion and stay, or move if you prefer.
- Any unpaid bill is a separate matter from changing practice.
Can I change vets without my current vet's permission?
You can also ask another practice for its view of the same problem and stay where you are. GOV.UK guidance says you decide which practice to use, with advice from your vet. RCVS supporting guidance from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the UK professional regulator for vets, tells veterinary surgeons not to obstruct a change of practice, and not to discourage a second opinion.
Veterinary practices are not on an NHS-style national list. You register with the new practice. There is no formal national unregister. Still tell the current practice you are leaving so prescriptions, pending tests and follow-up are not left unfinished.
What happens to my pet's clinical records?
You do not have to manage the clinical handover yourself. Tell the new practice where your pet has been treated before and it can contact the previous practice for the relevant clinical history. RCVS records guidance says the information needed to continue care should be provided promptly when another veterinary surgeon takes over a case. The same guidance says veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses must provide copies of any relevant clinical records at the request of a client.
If treatment is already underway, tell the new practice about ongoing medicines, tests and follow-up so nothing is missed. Before a practice shares a clinical history that includes personal information about you, it should obtain your consent, unless that information is fully anonymised. A subject access request is a separate way for you to ask for a copy of your own personal data. It is not part of the switch.
What if I still owe money?
An unpaid bill remains a separate matter between you and your old practice. RCVS fees guidance says a veterinary surgeon may pursue unpaid fees through a debt collection agency or civil proceedings. Owing money does not stop you changing practice or asking for the relevant records, though the bill still needs to be resolved. RCVS consumer-rights guidance tells veterinary surgeons not to obstruct that move.
If the reason you want to move is price, GOV.UK notes that different practices can charge different prices for the same treatment and that it is worth comparing common items such as consultations, vaccinations and prescriptions. If a dispute about care or fees is part of why you are leaving, how to complain about a vet explains the separate complaint routes.
Steps for changing vets
- Choose the new practice, or compare nearby options if you have not decided yet.
- Contact or register with that practice.
- Tell them which practice currently holds your pet's history.
- Give any required consent for the records to be shared.
- Make sure ongoing medicines, tests and treatment are understood.
- Deal with any separate outstanding account with the old practice.
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Register with a vet
You become a client by contacting a practice and booking with it.
How to complain about a vet
Start with the practice.
Sources
Last checked 30 August 2026.