As temperatures rise and pets spend more time outdoors, spring is the ideal time to review your pet's preventive health care. Parasites become active, vaccination boosters may be due, and seasonal hazards emerge. Here is a practical spring checklist with associated costs.

Vaccination Boosters

If your dog or cat's annual booster is due in spring, book it promptly. For dogs, the leptospirosis vaccine is particularly important in spring as warmer, wetter weather increases the bacterial load in water sources and soil. Typical costs:

  • Dog annual booster: £35–£65 (includes consultation and vaccine)
  • Cat annual booster: £35–£55

If your pet's booster has lapsed by more than 15 months, your vet may recommend restarting the primary course, which costs more (£50–£95 for the full puppy/kitten course).

Flea and Tick Prevention

Fleas breed rapidly once temperatures consistently exceed 10°C, and ticks become active from March onwards. If you paused flea treatment over winter (some owners do, though year-round treatment is recommended), restart now.

  • Monthly flea treatment: £4–£15 per dose depending on product
  • Tick prevention: Included in products like Nexgard, Bravecto, and Seresto collars

Check that your chosen product covers ticks if your pet walks in areas with long grass, woodland, or deer. Tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease are present in the UK.

Worming

Spring is an important worming time. If your dog has not been wormed since winter, dose them now. For dogs in lungworm-risk areas (much of England and Wales), monthly prevention with Milbemax, Advocate, or Nexgard Spectra is recommended from spring through autumn.

  • Quarterly wormer: £2–£12 per dose
  • Monthly lungworm preventive: £4–£15 per dose

Spring Health Check

A spring health check is particularly worthwhile for senior pets (over 7 years). Your vet can assess weight, joints, dental health, and heart function. Many conditions are cheaper and easier to manage when caught early.

  • Standard consultation: £30–£65
  • Senior blood panel: £80–£150 (checks kidney, liver, thyroid function)

Seasonal Hazards to Watch For

  • Adder bites: UK adders emerge from hibernation in March/April. Bites cause swelling and pain, occasionally serious illness. Emergency treatment costs £200–£500+.
  • Slug pellets: Metaldehyde-based slug pellets are extremely toxic to dogs. Keep your dog away from treated gardens. Treatment for slug pellet poisoning can cost £500–£2,000.
  • Spring bulbs: Daffodils, tulips, and bluebells are toxic to pets if ingested. Symptoms range from mild vomiting to serious poisoning.
  • Grass seeds: From late spring, grass awns (seeds) can become embedded in paws, ears, and eyes. Removal under sedation costs £100–£300.

Spring Vet Budget

A reasonable spring budget for a healthy adult dog:

  • Annual booster: £35–£65
  • 3 months flea/tick treatment: £12–£45
  • Worming dose: £2–£12
  • Total: approximately £50–£120

Compare prices at local practices using VetCost. The CMA found that even routine services like vaccinations can vary by 40% or more between practices in the same area.

Last updated: March 2026. Sources: BSAVA guidelines, CMA veterinary market investigation.