Vet care and pet health

It is for people who are considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain with a pet. After reading, you will know how vet care works here, what routine care your pet needs, which local diseases to prevent and what to do in an emergency.

Pet registration, the pet passport, liability insurance and vaccines required to enter Spain are not covered here.

Start with "Finding a vet in Spain and how vet care works". It shows you how to choose a clinic, transfer your pet's records and handle language at the first visit.

Key rules

• Consultation fee: A general consultation at a private clinic typically costs about €30–€50, and emergency or out-of-hours visits often €60–€120 or more.
• Vet IVA: Vet services and pet medicines carry the general IVA rate of 21% on the mainland and Balearics, while the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla use different taxes.
• Processionary season: Processionary caterpillars are most dangerous from February to May, and contact is always an emergency.
• Rabies vaccine: There is no single national rabies duty for pets: each region decides, so ask your vet or regional department what applies where you live.
• Cost: You pay for your pet's care yourself, because there is no public cover for pets.
• Vet licence: Ask for the vet's colegiado number or check it with the provincial vets' association.

Vet care and pet health: the whole process, step by step

• Start the puppy or kitten vaccine series and deworming (Routine vaccines and preventive care for pets in Spain): Deworming every 2 weeks from about 2 weeks of age; first vaccines at about 6 to 8 weeks, with 2 or 3 doses 3 to 4 weeks apart, finishing at 12 to 16 weeks

• Give rabies where your region requires it (Routine vaccines and preventive care for pets in Spain): From 12 weeks of age; ask your vet or regional department what applies where you live

• Start flea, tick and mosquito control, and heartworm prevention in at-risk areas (Pet health risks in Spain: leishmaniasis, ticks, heat and more): Year-round in most of Spain; heartworm mosquito season runs roughly April or May to November, longer in the Canaries and the south

• Give the first vaccine booster (Routine vaccines and preventive care for pets in Spain): At 12 months of age

• Plan sterilisation with your vet (Neutering and sterilising your pet in Spain): Cats at about 4 to 6 months; small-breed dogs at about 6 to 9 months; other female dogs at about 6 to 12 months; large breeds often wait until 12 to 24 months

• Keep up routine boosters and parasite treatment (Routine vaccines and preventive care for pets in Spain): Boosters yearly, or every 3 years for core vaccines at some clinics; adult internal deworming every 3 months; heartworm test yearly in at-risk areas

• Ask your vet for a prescription when a medicine needs one (Getting pet medicines and prescriptions in Spain): Whenever your vet prescribes one; antibiotic prescriptions are valid for about 10 days

• Consider pet insurance (What vet visits cost in Spain and how to pay): Before illness appears: waiting periods for illness are typically 15 days to 3 months, and many insurers stop taking new pets at 8 to 10 years

• Move to senior check-ups (Senior pet care, euthanasia and cremation in Spain): From about 7 years for most dogs and 7 to 10 years for cats, then every 6 months

Documents you may need

• Vaccination record or EU/UK pet passport — Finding a vet in Spain and how vet care works

• Microchip number and registration details for your pet — Finding a vet in Spain and how vet care works

• A veterinary prescription — Getting pet medicines and prescriptions in Spain

• A short summary of your pet's history — Finding a vet in Spain and how vet care works

• A prescription from a vet in another EU country — Getting pet medicines and prescriptions in Spain

Vet care and pet health: questions that cross several articles

Does my pet need a rabies vaccine in Spain?

It depends on your region, because there is no single national rabies duty for pets. Many communities require it for dogs, and some also for cats and ferrets, while others only require it for travel. Ask your vet or regional department, and read Routine vaccines and preventive care for pets in Spain.

How often do vaccines and parasite treatments need repeating in Spain?

Boosters are yearly at many clinics, while others give core vaccines every 3 years, and leptospirosis and kennel cough stay yearly. Adult internal deworming is every 3 months, and flea and tick control runs year-round. Read Routine vaccines and preventive care for pets in Spain, then Pet health risks in Spain: leishmaniasis, ticks, heat and more for the regional risks.

What should I do if my pet shows signs of heatstroke?

Move your pet to shade, wet it with cool (not ice-cold) water and call a vet straight away, because every suspected case is an emergency. Heavy panting, drooling, weakness and collapse are the warning signs. Read Pet health risks in Spain: leishmaniasis, ticks, heat and more, and Pet emergencies and after-hours vets in Spain to find urgent care.

Which vaccines does a new puppy or kitten need in Spain?

Puppies get the core combination (distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus) usually with leptospirosis, and kittens get the trivalent (panleukopenia, herpesvirus, calicivirus). Kittens with outdoor contact may also get FeLV after a negative test. Read Routine vaccines and preventive care for pets in Spain, and Finding a vet in Spain and how vet care works to choose a clinic.