Konkurrensverket Proposes Veterinary Care Price Transparency
Summary
Konkurrensverket (Swedish Competition Authority) published an inquiry on 27 February 2026 presenting four proposals to improve price transparency in veterinary care. The proposals include developing national treatment guidelines through a government-appointed commission, establishing an industry agreement on website price disclosures via the Swedish Consumer Agency, carrying out information initiatives at clinics and animal hospitals, and amending the Consumer Services Act to cover services for live animals. The authority states that preventive care pricing is relatively transparent, but treatment of sick or injured animals lacks adequate price information.
“Our investigation shows that many pet owners find themselves in a difficult situation when making decisions concerning their sick or injured pets.”
Veterinary care providers operating in Sweden should monitor the progression of these proposals through the Government and any subsequent legislative amendments to the Consumer Services Act. While the industry agreement on website pricing would be voluntary in principle, non-participating clinics may face competitive disadvantage given the authority's stated intent to improve comparability across providers.
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What changed
Konkurrensverket published an inquiry on 27 February 2026 presenting four proposals to improve price transparency in veterinary care. The proposals address national treatment guidelines for common injuries and illnesses in dogs and cats, an industry agreement requiring veterinary providers to publish certain procedure prices on their websites, information initiatives by the Swedish Consumer Agency to raise awareness of existing price information requirements, and amendments to the Consumer Services Act to include services for live animals. These are proposals to the Swedish Government and do not yet create binding obligations on veterinary care providers.
If adopted, veterinary clinics and animal hospitals would face increased transparency requirements, including potential website price disclosures and clearer obligations under consumer protection law. Pet owners would gain improved ability to compare prices and treatment options before seeking care. While these are currently proposals requiring government action, veterinary care providers should monitor developments and consider how they might adapt pricing information practices.
Archived snapshot
Apr 22, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Better price information to make it easier for pet owners to choose veterinary care
When pet owners seek care for their sick or injured animals, information on prices and treatment options is often imprecise, difficult to understand or incomplete. The Swedish Competition Authority is now presenting several proposals to increase price transparency in the veterinary care sector. The proposals aim to strengthen the position of pet owners in their dealings with veterinary care providers, while at the same time giving clinics and animal hospitals greater opportunities to compete on price and quality.
“Our investigation shows that many pet owners find themselves in a difficult situation when making decisions concerning their sick or injured pets. In order to make a well-informed and active choice of veterinary care provider, they need to receive as clear information as possible about treatment options and prices, and also be able to understand the information provided. This is not the case today,” says Marie Östman, Director General of the Swedish Competition Authority.
In the inquiry published today, we conclude that price information for preventive veterinary care, such as vaccinations and neutering, is relatively good. However, price transparency is significantly lacking when it comes to the treatment of sick or injured animals. In order to improve price information in this area, we are presenting the following proposals.
Introduce national treatment guidelines
We propose that the Government appoint a commission of experts, or a special investigator, to develop national guidelines for treatments and procedures relating to common injuries and illnesses, primarily for dogs and cats.
In our assessment, these guidelines would provide pet owners with better opportunities to compare procedures and treatments between different clinics and animal hospitals. They would also enable clinics to establish clearer pricing structures, which could, for example, include package prices.
An industry agreement on improved price information on websites
The Government should instruct the Swedish Consumer Agency, or another appropriate authority, to conclude an industry agreement with veterinary care providers on the publication of price information for certain procedures and fees on their websites. This would improve pet owners’ ability to compare prices in advance when choosing a provider.
Measures to improve price information for pet owners at clinics and animal hospitals
When pet owners seek care at clinics and animal hospitals, the price information they receive is often inadequate. Operators in the veterinary care sector must take responsibility for providing clear information about prices. We therefore propose that the Swedish Consumer Agency carry out information initiatives aimed at pet owners and veterinary care providers in order to increase awareness of the statutory price information requirements.
Amend the Consumer Services Act to also cover veterinary care
The Government should appoint a special investigator to consider amending the Consumer Services Act so that it also covers services for the treatment of live animals. Such an amendment would strengthen the standing of consumers when purchasing veterinary care services.
“During our work to examine price transparency in veterinary care, many pet owners and market participants have contributed valuable knowledge. We are grateful for this. Our hope is that the proposals we are now presenting will lead to better price information, making it easier for pet owners to make decisions about care for their sick animals. Increased price transparency may also lead to improved competition in the market and benefit those veterinary clinics and hospitals that seize opportunity to compete on price and quality in their offerings to pet owners,” says Marie Östman.
The report Åtgärder för att förbättra pristransparensen inom djursjukvården ( Measures to Improve Price Transparency in Veterinary Care) was commissioned by the Government. The assignment included, inter alia, mapping price transparency in the market for animal health and medical care.
For further information, please contact:
Leif Nordqvist, Project Manager, +46 8 700 16 92,
leif.nordqvist@kkv.se
Marie Strömberg Lindvall, Press Officer, +46 8 700 15 92,
marie.stromberglindvall@kkv.se
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Last updated: 2026-03-02
Press release 27 february 2026
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Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from KKV.
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