Repeat Prescriptions
Certain medications prescribed for your pet may be for long term treatment
Most of these are ‘prescription only medications’ (POM-V) and therefore need to be dispensed by one of our vets for an animal classified as ‘under their care’.
Your pet will need an assessment by a vet at least once every 6 months, and it is entirely up to the vet as to whether this needs to be more frequent. The reasons for this are so we can:
- Ensure your pet is not suffering from any side effects of the medication
- Ensure that the medication is still appropriate and discuss any new treatments that might be more appropriate
- Weigh your pet to ensure the dose of medication is still safe and accurate
- Ensure we fulfil our legal requirements as set down by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to demonstrate that your pet is ‘under our care’
If the vet does not feel it is safe or appropriate to dispense any more medication without a reassessment first, they are entirely within their legal rights to do so.
The exception to the 6 month rule is for preventative treatments for parasites (fleas, mites, ticks and worms). Although we still use prescription only products to ensure that they are the most effective, as long as we have examined your pet once a year (e.g. at the annual vaccination) and we have a recent weight, we can dispense them without an appointment.
The standard charge for examination is £38, plus whatever tests or medications are necessary at the time.
Clients are welcome to request a written prescription for medications which you can then get dispensed elsewhere e.g. an online pharmacy. The same rules as described above still apply as it is our vets who have ultimate responsibility for the prescription.
The cost of a written prescription is £21.50 per medication in addition to the reassessment fee of £38.
We kindly request that 7 days notice is given for written prescription requests, and it is your responsibility as the owner to check when these are ready for you. If you do not have enough medication to last until the online prescription is made up, we will happily dispense enough to last until then for you.