The ONS consumer price index shows how far prices have moved. By August 2026, vet and other services for pets cost 83% more than on average in 2015, against 44% for consumer prices overall. In the year to August 2026 they rose 4.8%, against 3.1% overall. The category covers more than vet fees alone, but it points one way.

Working out a yearly figure

Start with what you already know. Add up last year's routine costs: vaccinations, flea and worm treatment, and any check-ups. Then ask your practice what a senior health check with blood tests costs there, and how often it would recommend one for your pet.

If your pet is on regular medication, add a year's supply and the rechecks the vet needs before renewing a prescription. Ask whether buying the medicine elsewhere with a written prescription would cost less, even after the prescription fee.

Then add something for the visit you can't predict. Looking back over two or three years of invoices gives you a starting point, but one operation or referral can cost far more than anything you've paid before, so ask your vet what a typical one would cost for a pet like yours.

Divide the total by twelve and you have a monthly figure to set aside in a separate account.

Why older pets need more checking

Your vet may suggest health checks more often than once a year, with blood or urine tests to spot early kidney, liver or thyroid changes. Older cats may also have their blood pressure checked.

Many conditions of later life are managed rather than cured, so they bring repeat prescriptions and regular rechecks. Dental work becomes more likely too, and your vet may want blood tests before any anaesthetic. These costs rarely land together. They build up over a year or two, which is why a monthly figure helps.

Questions for the next check-up

A senior check is a good moment to talk about money as well as health. Ask which tests your vet would recommend over the coming year and why, and whether any can be combined into one visit. If your pet starts a long-term medicine, ask how often it will need rechecking and roughly what each recheck costs.

Ask, too, what signs would mean a problem is getting worse. Catching a change between appointments, such as more drinking, weight loss or stiffness on the stairs, usually means a simpler visit than waiting until your pet is clearly unwell.

Write the answers down. They are the most accurate numbers you'll have for next year's budget.

Savings, insurance or both

A budget covers the predictable. Insurance is for the bill you can't plan, such as a sudden illness or an operation, subject to the excess, limit and exclusions.

If you're looking at insurance for an older pet, three things matter most: how the limit applies to a long-term condition, whether there's a co-payment on top of the excess, and how anything already on your pet's vet record will be treated.

Then set the premium against your monthly figure. Savings can do a similar job if the pot is already large enough, but a big bill in the first year can empty a pot that's only just started. If your savings couldn't take that, the premium is often what makes the budget hold together.

If a bill is bigger than the budget

Talk to your vet before treatment starts. There's often more than one reasonable way to manage a condition, and a vet can explain the costs and likely outcomes of each.

Ask whether the practice can spread a larger bill over several months, and be honest about what you can afford. Vets would much rather plan around a budget than find out afterwards that a bill can't be paid.

Reviewing it each year

The yearly check-up is a sensible point to revisit the figure. Ask the vet what your pet is likely to need over the next twelve months, update the medication costs, and raise the monthly amount if the price index has kept climbing.