Vets Bills

mountainofdebt

Don't know if this will help anyone but apparently from 31/10/05 you will be able to get a prescription off your vet for your pets' medication and go to a cheaper supplier for them.

There are some online suppliers as well ut I guess for the prescription only medication you will have to be really organised so that you don't run out.

JimArnold

I suspect that there will be a sudden rise in consultation fees - to make good the profit lost on prescriptions.

There are also a lot of things which in the UK are sold only by vets even though they are not prescriptions. In other countries they are available over the counter eg Frontline flea treatments and cheaper

Luis

That's worth knowing - thanks.

cheekymole

This thread is also available with lots of discussion in the Shop but don't drop forum

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=99323&highlight=medication

hk_chick

JimArnold wrote:

I suspect that there will be a sudden rise in consultation fees - to make good the profit lost on prescriptions.

There are also a lot of things which in the UK are sold only by vets even though they are not prescriptions. In other countries they are available over the counter eg Frontline flea treatments and cheaper

Frontline and some other 'over the counter treatments' are liscenced as POM (prescription only mediciene) in the UK still, which means they can only be sold by vets to owners of patients under their care. This is by law.

In France (the orignating country of the drug's maker) it is an over the counter treatment & no prescription is needed.

Hence the difference.

It is correct about being able to request a prescription from your vet so you can 'shop around' and buy from the cheapest supplier, but as far as I'm aware the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is calling to the government for a clampdown on internet drugs sites, so the local pharmacy or a competitivly priced local vet may be the only option.

You're right in saying the consultation fees are likely to go up - the mark up some private practices put on medication/treatment is shocking - this is why I left private practice & went to work for a charity instead.

for example, 1 practice I was in. many years ago had 110% mark up on all products & a £5 dispensing fee per item, so a pet on 3 lots of meds could expect an additional £15 added to the bill - for the priveledge of me putting the pills in a pot & slapping a label on it.

sorry for the essay - thought the info might be interesting

DaisyNelson

Try https://www.petdrugsquick.co.uk
They sell prescription medicine online.

Curry_Queen

mountainofdebt wrote:

Don't know if this will help anyone but apparently from 31/10/05 you will be able to get a prescription off your vet for your pets' medication and go to a cheaper supplier for them.

You can already obtain a prescription from your vet to buy POM's elsewhere, but he/she will charge you for it!

The new ruling is that from 31st October 2005 he/she will no longer be allowed to charge you for it

Fleago

I'm probably a rubbish Money Saver and will have to get my coat after this But.... I wouldn't ask our vets for a prescription to take elsewhere, simply because they have always done right by us! Their prices are very reasonable, the consultation fee is modest, they don't try to egg you on to have more tests etc than necessary and even emergency call-outs out of hours aren't charged at a scarey rate :T

If their clients were to start taking prescriptions to be dispensed at another supplier then I'm sure they would have to increase prices elsewhere to make up the lost revenue, so we'd lose out in the end. Just my thoughts

Fleago

beachbum_3

Wow, this is news to me.

My dog has had a few ear infection problems recently. Everytime i go to the vets i'm in the room for 5 mins and a few secs (yes i timed it?!) but of course get charged a 5 - 10 min consultation plus the cost of his ear drops, usually costing approx £25 in total each time :mad: The same drops can be obtained from here http://www.bestpetpharmacy.co.uk/index.asp for £5.51.

I'm no vet, but i presume drugs can't be prescribed if the original vet has not seen your pet anyway so i don't see any risk.


Roll on the 31st when i can get my free prescription. :T

BB

abbieken888

Not sure if this has been mentioned - if it has I apologise - but I've just got up and its too early on a sat to think!!
You can get a lot of pom for pets from normal pharmacies if you have the prescription. They will dispense ones which are used on humans aswell as pets, which is quite alot! I work in a Morrisons Pharmacy, and we get a few vets prescriptions. They are charged depending on drug cost, so some can be very expensive - even running in to the hundreds. But if you are shopping around, its worth trying normal pharmacies such as morrisons and asdas.
Hope this helps
Abbie