Does your vet charge you extra fees on top of the prescription charge?

ztkr

Last year I needed Advocate flea protection for my cat. I contacted my vet, who asked for the cat to be brought in. They quickly checked the cat was healthy and gave me a prescription for which I paid £8.50 - this seems pretty standard, so all ok. (The cost of the prescription itself has been covered before on the forum, and is not my question here).

This year, I did the same again: the vet asked for the cat to be brought in, and quickly checked that the cat was healthy. This time, however, they insisted upon a £22 fee as well as the £8.50 prescription charge!

My vet said that there had been a change in the law/regulations which means they must check the pet before issuing prescriptions, hence the £22 fee.

So could I ask other pet owners:
1. Does your vet insist on inspecting the pet before issuing a prescription?
2. Does your vet charge you a fee for this (on top of the prescription fee)?
3. Is anybody aware of a change in the law/regulations that makes this a requirement? I have done an internet search and found none.

Thanks in advance for any response.

chris_n_tj

Our doesn't charge anything other than the price of the flea treatment, never has. Hope this helps. You could always phone another Vet and ask what their pricing policy is x

Katiehound

Some vets insist on seeing the pet before they will issue a repeat prescription- I think probably once a year.

That has happened for a while because I remember a friend a couple of years ago muttering about it, especially as her cat was a whirling dervish in the cat basket / at the vets and she thought it was touch of torture for all concerned!. That was for flea treatment I think. I don't know if she was charged for an examination.

My dogs get an annual examination when they go for their booster injections - the price includes the examination.

gettingready

Zara's current vet does not - last time I needed the prescription I only paid £10.50 and they faxed it straight to Animed for me too, without asking me to bring Zara in. And that was for Apoquel.

For flea treatment it really is crazy they would insist on seeing a cat/dog and charge consultation. That makes the whole issue of getting things cheaper online (with prescription) pointless

Deep_In_Debt

For things like flea treatment as long as my cats have been seen by a vet at the practice once a year and there has been no change to their health within that year, they don't need to see the cat and just issue Advocat without a prescription.

sheramber

Vets can only issue a prescription for a dog who is under their care.

The vet will decide what under their care means in terms of having seen the dog.

e.g It may having been seen in the last three months or the last six months depending on what the prescription is for.

So, if your dog had been seen recently for something the vet may not need to see him . But if he hadn't seen the dog for a year he would need to see it and would charge a consultation fee as well as the prescription charge

Or he may want to see your dog to assess if the requested treatment is appropriate.

ElusiveLucy

My vet sees my cats at least once a year for booster injections and I get regular medication for one of them throughout the year for arthritis and skin problems, which I buy from them as insurance covers some of the cost. She also has to go 6-monthly for bloody tests to ensure the arthritis medication isn't damaging her kidneys.


However when it comes to Advocate I refuse to pay the vets' prices so ask for a prescription to buy it online. They charge £10 for the prescription.

suki1964

My vet issues any prescriptions or drugs as long as he's seen the dog/cat recently

It's always better to buy a years supply or to get the script when you are in for the yearly boosters

Shoshannah

Advocate is a POM-V medicine - prescription-only.

Vets may only, by law, prescribe POM-V products to animals under their care. 'Under their care' means seeing the animal at regular intervals; practice policy varies but 6-12 months is commonplace for wormers and flea treatments. Anything over 12 months would be frowned upon by the VMD - and yes, they do inspect practices and pull them up on this.

If your animal was seen within the last 6-12 months (delete as appropriate dependent on your practice's policy), they will probably happily issue the prescription, of course charging the fee.

If your animal was not seen within the last 6-12 months (delete as appropriate dependent on your practice's policy), they will need to examine your animal.

They are entitled to charge for this consultation if they wish, though some will not.

There are no changes in the regulations or laws of which I am aware; maybe they recently had a VMD inspection and got pulled up on it, so have reviewed their protocols in line with regulations.

If it's a problem for you, you could always use Advantage for flea treatment instead. It's the same active ingredient as Advocate, and is non-prescription. You'd need to worm separately though, as Advantage covers fleas only. Drontal is effective and non-prescription.

unholyangel

My vet will insist on seeing the animal unless its an ongoing treatment (for allergies perhaps) - however they don't charge for consultations/examinations.

donnac2558

My girl has asthma(she will be 14 in May), so has to get a steroid every other day been on them for about 6 or 7 years now. I have to bring her once a year for a check up otherwise just phone up for repeat prescription. Some vet insist you must see the vet every 6 months. But since I have been getting the same prescription for so long they let me go a year.

When I just collect the prescription its just the cost of the tablets.