20/02/2026
A message to our clients and community
You may have seen some reporting in the recent news regarding the CMA investigation into veterinary practices; we wanted to take a moment to reassure our clients about who we are and how we work.
Our practice has been owned by Mr Mitchell for 21 years, and by Mr Bryan for 40 years before that, we have been proudly independent for over 60 years. The majority of our reception and nursing team have also been with us for a number of years. We are incredibly proud of the continuity, experience, and genuine care that long-standing staff brings to both our patients and their owners.
Transparency has always been very important to us. Our basic pricing is clearly displayed on our website, and we provide detailed estimates before treatment. We try to do very comprehensive estimates so there are no unpleasant surprises at the end of your pet’s care. If during treatment we feel that additional work is needed, we will always contact you first to discuss this — unless it is an emergency situation where immediate action is required in your pet’s best interests.
We are also more than happy to provide written prescriptions should you wish to purchase repeat medication online. We fully understand that online pharmacies are often able to offer lower prices. Veterinary practices are required by law to purchase medicines through veterinary wholesalers, and unfortunately we cannot buy them at the same prices that large online pharmacies can sell them for — even before VAT and a small profit margin are applied.
We also have to adhere to something called the ‘prescribing cascade’ which means that legally we are required to provide you with a product licensed in the relative species first, even if there is a cheaper human alternative available.
Sadly a large majority of these online pharmacies are also owned by the larger corporate vets so the only people really losing are the smaller independent practices that can’t keep up. We welcome any changes made by the competition markets authority that will hopefully mean that the market is fairer for us so independent practices don’t become a thing of the past.
We welcome open conversations about costs, options, and treatment plans so please feel free to speak to any of our staff about any of theses issues. Our priority has always been — and will always be — the welfare of your pets and providing honest, compassionate care.
Thank you for your continued trust and support.
— The Wagtails Team
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