Written prescriptions are available from this practice. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines (Veterinary) (POM-Vs) from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a written prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy.
There are a small number of circumstances in which we are unable to issue a written prescription; if your pet is a day or in-patient with us for both reasons of urgency of treatment and because we are unable to administer any medications which we have not provided. There may also be cases where treatment needs to begin immediately following a consultation with our vets and it may compromise patient welfare to delay starting this. If this is the case, the vet will advise you of this.
Does my pet need a re-examination for repeat written prescriptions?
The same protocol with regards to the necessity for repeat clinical examination is applied to POM-Vs and written prescriptions.
According to guidelines laid out by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), prescription medication for your pet must always be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon, who must first carry out a clinical assessment of the animal under their care.
For prescription parasite prevention this usually means your pet will need to have been seen for an examination within a year, such as at their annual health check or vaccination appointment.
For repeat medication for chronic conditions, such as arthritis, your vet needs to have seen your pet ‘recently enough for the veterinary surgeon to have personal knowledge of the condition of the animal’. The amount of time between required re-examinations can vary depending on the diagnosis, patient and diagnostics required to assess their condition.
We want to provide your pet with the best care possible, which means ensuring their condition is monitored and they never miss an advised re-examination appointment. Your vet will create a reminder for any re-checks needed, so that you receive a handy text reminder when these are due. You can also call us on 01435 864422 if you are not sure when your pet needs to be seen for a re-assessment.
Please note, it is important to book and attend your pet’s chronic condition examination to take place in schedule, especially if you are running low on medication as your vet may only be able to dispense a smaller amount of medication until this examination is completed, which may make using a written prescription less cost effective.
How do I use a written prescription?
- Find an online pharmacy which provides the necessary product and ensure this is in stock.
- Request a written prescription for the required medication online or by calling the practice. Please be sure to specify that you need a written prescription and not the actual medication.
- Once your prescription is ready, you will receive an email with a payment link and details of the medication prescribed on your prescription.
- You can pay for your written prescription via your online link or over the phone.
- Order the medication through your pharmacy of choice.
- Let us know where to email your prescription and an order number if you have one.
- We will email your written prescription directly to your online pharmacy.
In the interest of fraud prevention, we cannot email written prescriptions directly to you, only to your chosen pharmacy. For clients who are currently collecting physical copies of their prescriptions (e.g. have had a written prescription in the last 12 months) please be advised that from January 2025, collecting a physical copy of your prescription will no longer be offered. We recommend that all clients transition over to having their prescriptions emailed directly from us to your chosen pharmacy in advance of the deadline so that you are familiar with using this service when this change comes into effect, as well as saving yourself the time and effort necessary to attend the practice to collect it and send the prescription.
Can you recommend an online retailer?
We are unable to recommend any online retailers for you to purchase from. Sadly, the counterfeit drugs market in the pet industry is rife, and we cannot recommend purchasing from an alternative source as we are not able to verify their authenticity. When you purchase a product from us, there is a very strictly regulated supply chain that ensures that what you receive from us is the correct product, has not been tampered with, contains the correct active ingredients and does not contain ingredients which are toxic to the species you are purchasing it for, which does happen in cases of counterfeit medicine. If a POM-V product is being offered online without the need for a written prescription, this is illegal and it is likely that the medication is not genuine. We strongly recommend researching the company you plan to purchase from to ensure they are legitimate.
Why do we charge for written prescriptions?
The charge for a written prescription includes the professional time of our vets and administrative team in providing this legal document. It also reflects the responsibility taken on by the veterinary surgeon in prescribing any medication for a patient under their care. Should you have any questions or concerns about the medication or its effects on your pet, these are directed to the prescribing vet, not the online pharmacy.
How much does each written prescription cost?
£25.75 at the current pricing (please note this is subject to change, please confirm the price with a member of our team when placing your order).
How many medications can be prescribed on each prescription?
Each written prescription is for a single medication for an individual patient.
How much medication will be prescribed?
For POM-V parasite prevention a maximum of six-month supply can be prescribed per written prescription.
For all other POM-V medication, the amount prescribed is at the attending vet’s discretion. In most cases this is a maximum supply of one month per medication. This is provided the patient has been seen recently enough, as per RCVS guidelines.
How many times can I use a written prescription?
Each prescription is single use and is valid for 28 days from the date of issue.
Can I return a written prescription if I decide not to use it or cannot obtain the product via an alternative pharmacy?
We do not provide refunds on any written prescriptions once they have been emailed to a pharmacy on your behalf. We recommend checking that the required medication is available and in-stock from your chosen online pharmacy before requesting a written prescription.
My pet has been prescribed an off-license drug; can I still get a written prescription?
In cases where no licensed veterinary medication is available, your vet may prescribe a human medication under the cascade prescription protocol. This means the medication will need to be sourced from a regular pharmacy if you wish to have a written prescription. Before requesting a written prescription, we recommend checking with your chosen pharmacy that they are happy to accept a written veterinary prescription and can source the chosen medication. The medication must match exactly that prescribed by your vet in the prescribed quantity and strength.
Why does medication cost less through an online pharmacy?
We do not buy our medication at the same price as the online pharmacy. We are a small independent practice and unlike large online pharmacies, we are unable to buy medication in bulk directly from manufacturers at a discounted rate. This means the price of medications from our suppliers (wholesalers rather than manufacturers) will often be higher. As a small, independent, local business, we are unable to compete on volume purchases with online companies with large amounts of storage space. We always endeavour to source medications at the lowest price possible in order to make them more affordable to our clients.
In some cases, it may be more cost effective to source medications from your veterinary practice, please ask your vet for an estimate of cost for any medications they recommend.
By purchasing through your veterinary practice, you are ensuring the legitimacy of the medications being provided. If you plan to purchase medications online, we recommend exercising due diligence to ensure the products are genuine.
Call us on 01435 864422 to speak to one of our team about requesting a written prescription for your pet.
