How we research guides and the vet directory
Quick answer
Who is this method page for?
Owners who want to know why a number or badge is on the site, and journalists or agents who need a citable process. It is not a clinical protocol. If your animal cannot breathe, has collapsed, or may have been poisoned, use when to see an emergency vet and phone a practice — do not finish this page first.
How are health guides written?
Each guide starts from publicly available UK advice — typically PDSA, Blue Cross, RSPCA, BVA, RWAF, RCVS, VPIS or GOV.UK — not US-only protocols. We summarise in our own words, name the organisation when a fact comes from their page, and link the original at the foot. Published and last-updated dates sit on the article. High-traffic and seasonal topics are rechecked at least quarterly, and sooner when UK guidance changes. The named editor is Kaiser Khan; he is not a veterinary surgeon. A five-step process lives on the editorial policy.
What will a guide always try to answer?
The question in the heading, in the first 40–60 words, with a verdict and who should skip waiting. Comparison tables are real HTML tables. Specific pounds, percentages and legal dates carry a primary source and a check date. If we cannot source a figure today, we do not publish it. “We do not know” is allowed; an invented fee is a defect.
How is the UK vet directory built?
Listings are desk assessments from each practice’s own website or group site, not scraped reviews and not mystery shops. As of the last ingest we list 6028 practices across 2422 towns in 104 counties (expanding). A fee appears only when the practice publishes it. Ownership badges require a statement on the practice or group site. Opening hours and out-of-hours arrangements follow the same rule. Absence of a published price is not evidence that the practice charges nothing — it is evidence that we could not verify a public list on the check date. Confirm the people treating your animal on RCVS Find a Vet; our directory is not the legal register.
How should you read a published price on PETHEALTH+?
Treat it as a comparison sheet, not a quote. Neutering and dental work often scale with size. Health plans change how boosters appear. Out-of-hours supplements may sit on a separate line. The UK Vet Price Index (reviewed 2026-07-01) shows indicative national ranges from the same cost module the cost guides use — still not a bill for your animal. The CMA’s March 2026 remedies will require standard lists on a staggered 2026–27 timetable; until a practice’s deadline, a missing list can mean they are still implementing, not that they hide fees. See CMA pricing transparency.
Who should not use the directory as a shopping list?
Anyone in a genuine emergency — breathing trouble, collapse, a bloated dog, a male cat straining to urinate, a rabbit not eating, or suspected poisoning. Phone the out-of-hours number first. Compare lists later. Practices can claim a listing for free; paid visibility is labelled and cannot buy a better clinical verdict. Full commercial rules: how we make money.
What happens when something is wrong?
Email hello@elitedigitalagency.io with the URL. We re-verify against the cited UK publication or the practice website before changing a field. Material corrections are dated on the public corrections log. We do not silently restamp last-updated dates without changing the content.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this a veterinary diagnosis?
- No. Guides are desk-researched information for UK owners, checked against published PDSA, RSPCA, BVA, RWAF and similar advice. They do not replace examination by an RCVS-registered veterinary surgeon.
- Do you mystery-shop vet practices?
- No. Directory fields come from each practice's own website or group site on a dated check. We do not invent fees, ownership or opening hours. If a public list is missing, we say so.
- Where do the typical vet prices come from?
- Indicative UK ranges on the Vet Price Index were last reviewed on 2026-07-01. They are not a quote for your animal. Compare a practice's published list and ask for a written estimate before treatment.
- Can a practice pay to change a guide?
- No. Paid directory visibility is labelled and does not alter fees, ownership badges or editorial wording. The full commercial rules are on How we make money.