What a vet costs on the coast
Search for Kenyan vet prices and you will find almost nothing. That silence has a cost of its own: owners here delay a vaccination or put off a sick visit because they cannot guess what they are walking into, and the animal is presented later and in worse shape.
So these are our ranges. They are reconciled from published Kenyan sources and reviewed on the date each table states. Treatment pricing is broadly national; what varies on this coast is travel, because the distances are long and the ferry costs time.
What actually moves the number
- Weight. Almost everything dosed by body weight scales with it: anaesthetic, pain relief, antibiotics, dewormers. A 40kg dog genuinely costs more to treat than a 6kg one, and that is arithmetic rather than a markup. Vaccination is the main exception, being single-dose regardless of size.
- Species and sex. Cats cost less than dogs, and males less than females, because a spay is abdominal surgery and a castration is not.
- Brand. Vaccines and most drugs here are imported, so the exchange rate moves prices in a way it does not in producer countries. A quote from two years ago is not a useful guide to today.
- Travel. This is the coastal one. A home visit in Nyali and a home visit in Mtwapa or across the ferry are not the same journey, and the call-out reflects that. We quote it before we set off.
- Whether the consultation is bundled. Ask whether the figure you have been given is the total. That single question removes most billing surprises anywhere.
If the price is the problem
Tell us at the start rather than at the end. It changes what we recommend, and there are almost always options: staging treatment, treating the urgent part now, or the KSPCA for routine sterilisation and vaccination at subsidised rates. Those choices only exist while there is still time to make them, which is why saying it early matters.
We would far rather have that conversation than have you skip a vaccination and meet the animal again six months later with something preventable.
Pet vaccinations
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full puppy or kitten course | KES 3,500–KES 5,000 | Two to three visits, including rabies |
| Rabies, 1 year | KES 800–KES 1,500 | Legally required annually for dogs and cats |
| Combination shot, per dose | KES 1,650–KES 2,500 | |
| Annual booster, adult | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one.
Deworming and parasite control
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deworming tablet | KES 100–KES 250 | PER TABLET; dosed by weight, so a large dog needs several |
| Routine consultation | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 | Not always needed for routine worming |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. Tick and flea preventive pricing varies too widely by brand and weight for us to publish a range we can stand behind. Ask and we will quote for your animal.
Spay and neuter
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dog castration (male) | KES 9,000–KES 12,000 | Weight-dependent |
| Dog spay (female) | KES 12,000–KES 16,000 | Abdominal surgery, weight-dependent |
| Cat neuter (male) | KES 6,500–KES 8,000 | |
| Cat spay (female) | KES 10,500–KES 13,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. If these are beyond reach, the KSPCA runs subsidised sterilisation and we would rather send you there than have the surgery not happen.
Sick pet consultations
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Routine consultation | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. Tests and treatment are quoted separately and always before we begin.
Emergency vet care
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency treatment | KES 5,000–KES 50,000 | Genuinely this wide; depends on what is wrong and how long support is needed |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. We publish the real range rather than a comfortable one.
Home visits
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Routine consultation | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 | A call-out charge applies on top |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. No Kenyan clinic publishes a call-out figure and we will not invent one. Ask for your area and we will quote before setting off.
Surgery
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Routine consultation, surgical assessment | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. Procedures are quoted individually after assessment. We quote before booking, never afterwards.
Dental care
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scale and polish | KES 9,500–KES 20,000 | Upper end where extractions are needed |
| Routine consultation, dental assessment | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. We cannot know how many extractions are needed until the animal is under anaesthetic. We quote a range at assessment and ring you if it will exceed the top of it.
Laboratory and diagnostics
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Routine consultation | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. We do not publish per-test pricing because no reliable Kenyan benchmark exists and we will not guess. Every test is quoted before it is run.
Pet travel and export paperwork
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rabies vaccination, 1 year | KES 800–KES 1,500 | The foundation of every export file |
| Routine consultation | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. Titre testing, permits and government fees vary by destination and are charged at cost. Ask for a written estimate for your route before booking.
What a first year actually costs
Individual line items are hard to plan around, so here is the shape of a first year with a new puppy on this coast, using the middle of each range above. It is an illustration, not a quotation.
| Roughly when | What happens | Indicative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | First combination shot, first worming, weight check | KES 2,000 |
| 12 weeks | Second combination shot, worming | KES 2,000 |
| 16 weeks | Third shot plus rabies and certificate | KES 2,500 |
| Months 4 to 12 | Worming every month then quarterly, tick prevention year-round | varies by weight |
| 5 to 6 months | Sterilisation, if you choose to | KES 9,000 to 16,000 |
Tick prevention is deliberately left without a figure: it is dosed by weight and the brand spread is wide, and a number here would mislead more than it helped. On this coast it is the one recurring cost you should not economise on.
How to compare two quotes
If you are ringing round, the headline figure is the least useful part. Four questions make two quotes genuinely comparable, and any clinic worth using will answer all four without hesitating.
- Is the consultation included, or billed on top? This is how a quoted figure becomes a larger figure at the counter.
- Is pain relief for the days afterwards in the price? For any surgical procedure this is not optional care, so it should not be an optional line item.
- Is the animal monitored while it wakes up, and by whom? Not every clinic staffs for this, and it is a real difference in what you are buying.
- Is the follow-up check included? On this coast a post-operative wound check matters more than it does upcountry, because humidity favours infection.
A clinic that is cheaper on all four is genuinely cheaper. A clinic that is cheaper because three of them are extras is not, and you will find that out afterwards.
Common questions
Are these the prices I will actually pay?
They are indicative ranges reconciled from published Kenyan sources, not a quotation. Your animal’s weight, the drug brand and whether we travel to you all move the figure. Ask for a number before treatment starts, and we will give you one.
Are vet prices higher on the coast than in Nairobi?
For the treatment itself, broadly not: the market is national and most drugs and vaccines arrive through the same importers. Where the coast does cost more is travel, because distances here are long and the ferry adds time that has to be paid for.
Why is a call-out charge not listed?
Because no Kenyan clinic publishes one and we will not invent a figure we cannot stand behind. Distance on this coast varies enormously, from a few streets in Nyali to the far side of the ferry. Tell us where you are and we will quote before setting off.
Can I pay with M-Pesa?
Yes. Ask for the Paybill and keep the confirmation SMS, which is your receipt.
What if I genuinely cannot afford the treatment?
Say so at the start rather than at the end. It changes what we recommend and there are almost always options, including the KSPCA for routine sterilisation and vaccination. Those choices only exist while there is still time to make them.
Book a vet in Mombasa
Clinic appointments, or a vet at your door across Mombasa and the coast. Tell us what is wrong and we will say how soon your pet needs to be seen.