No repeat prescriptions without a consultation?

ChyEbren

Friends and I, all pet owners living in the westcountry, have been comparing notes on buying animal medication online.

We’ve each followed MSE's tip of buying a prescription from our local vets, then purchasing the drugs online, and most of us have been saving about £20 per 30ml. bottle of Metacam/Loxicam and far more on the expensive drugs.

But now all our vets seem to have stopped selling us repeat prescriptions without first seeing the pet - every single time. Although this has not been necessary for the past 5 or so years, a few months ago we each were told that there would be no repeat prescriptions without an in-surgery consultation first. These consultations cost between £40 and £80 and when we’ve agreed and gone in for the consultation, the vets have barely looked at our pets and every single one of them has said “no change”, sold us the prescription and then slapped the consultation charge onto our bill.

Some of us have also been told that we'd only get 3 months supply of drugs at a time instead of 6 months as it was previously.

This seems to be a new rip-off.

If vets charge their clients more than double the online price for medicines, they should expect us to shop elsewhere. I don’t mind paying a small admin fee for the prescription but this new compulsory consultation charge is unfair - as well as being cruel to my sick pets (rabbits) who get enormously stressed by being boxed and carted off to the vet when it’s unnecessary.

Is this happening in other areas too?

Thanks, regards, Sharon

elsien

As a patient I need to see my GP every 6 months to check that my repeat prescriptions are still relevant, required and the dosages etc are correct. I do think it's sensible to do the same for animals so that I can be sure my pet in on the correct medication.
My vet does the same. You are paying for the vet's expertise in knowing when things need changing. Online services are cheaper because they have far less overheads and don't need to train for 5 years in order to set up a business.

RCVS guidance here.
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/fair-trading-requirements/

krlyr

As per above - there is RCVS guidance that the vet must adhere to. However, last time I looked, the rules were a little vague - pet must be deemed "under their care" which was unofficially taken to mean seen by a vet at the practice within the last 6 months, but could be open to interpretation.

Also, RCVS guidelines state that vets should not discriminate against a customer requesting a prescription vs. those buying direct. Perhaps ask if the rules would be the same if the vet were issuing the medication themselves?

However, I have noticed my vet requesting to see me more often before issuing medication for my hypothyroid girl (she needs daily tablets). They will prescribe for between 3-6 months, it seems to depend on which vet signs it off, but have asked the last couple of times to see her on the 6 month mark. I buy direct (not much difference in cost as tablets aren't that expensive) and they don't charge for these consultations (and they'll count a consultation for something else, as having seen her within 6 months) so certainly not money-motivated, I wonder if there has been a tightening of the rules within the industry as a whole. I imagine there is pressure on them to control the dispensing of POMs so perhaps there are stricter checks on it.

Reb2016

I buy my dogs medication from the vet, and still have to have a consultation before getting a repeat, so in my case am treated no differently from someone just wanting the prescription. As it's flea treatment (I have to have prescribed treatment that also prevents lungworm as my dog likes to pick up slugs and snails) I know I will need this once a year, so have been able to arrange with the practice to time it to be done at the same time as his booster which saves some money.

sheramber

Our surgery has a notice saying they need to see the animal every 3 months or 6 months . The vet will decide depending on the condition and the treatment involved.

mw123

As has already been stated I believe it is correct that the vet see's an animal before writing a prescription to ensure all is correct after all worse case something was wrong it's their name on the form. I do understand that costs are high but end of the day Veteniary practices are business with over heads.

I would say it's more cruel to be wrongly admit drugs to an animal then take the pet on a journey to the vets.

ChyEbren

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm sorry didn't seem to express my position clearly in the first email.

These animals each has a long term, intractable condition (like diabetes and arthritis) and has been taking the same dosages of the same medication for years.

When we used to buy the medicine from the vet, we were all able to phone in, request a repeat, and go and collect it without needing to take the pet along. Most of us also booked a consultation at least annually just to check everything was going well - as well as the usual visits for inoculations etc.

The difference now is that the additional compulsory consultations don't seem to include any screening. The last time I took my rabbit in, the vet didn't even want me to take her out of the carrying box - yet still charged me £50 for his services. That's clearly a rip off.

Now that more of us are buying pet medicines online, this seems to have prompted the vets to insist upon more frequent consultations.

We love our pets and certainly don't want them to be harmed or even disadvantaged by our attempts to cut the costs of keeping them well and content. And I resent the implication that this is the case.

But our love for our pets does seem to be the cause of our being ripped off like this. If we really didn't care about our animals we'd have them put down or dump them at a rehoming place. Of course we're not going to do that.

But why should we pay through the nose to keep our pets healthy?

Kathy535

My vet gives us a prescription with x repeats but asks to see the cat every six months for a check up and (depending on the condition) blood test. We're happy with this, prescriptions are only valid for 6 months anyway so I tend to front load buying of the drugs and don't always need a prescription at the consultation. The cost of seeing the vet is £25 plus tests and I want to know the cat is responding well to the drugs and the condition hasn't advanced.

That said, I do agree that vetinary medicine has a reputation for charging what they can - much of this is driven by pet insurance, there are parallels with the US health system.

You can shop around for a vet, call round and see what the policies are - I did this when I felt unhappy with the care my cat got at our original vets, it was perfunctory and the vet had an alarming tendency to suggest cutting off limbs (happened twice, two cats, neither needed it, no joke). I was really impressed with the care at the second vets and we've never regretted swapping. Vets are in it to make a profit but the primary function should be to keep animals well and reduce unnecessary suffering.

elsien

Dosages change over time, even with long term conditions, plus the vet is also monitoring for long term side effects. For a stable condition, I would be happy to pay for a consultation every 6 months. 3 months does seem a little short if nothing else is changing and there are no other concerns. That's the bit of the RCVS guidance that is maybe a bit too vague.
Having said that, if I'd dragged a reluctant pet to the vets to find no attempt whatsoever to examine it, I'd be extremely miffed and would be asking why the need to come in if they weren't going to bother doing anything. It does give them the opportunity to ask questions of you, I suppose, which doesn't happen when you're ordering repeats over the phone.
Next time ask the question - why do I need to bring my rabbit in if you don't want to examine him?

krlyr

Agree that there is still the vet's requirement to see your pet, even if the dose is stable. My hypothyroid girl has been on the same dose for ~3 years now but the vet needs to see her to confirm all is OK - they cannot just go on my word over the phone.

However, sounds like this is less an issue of frequency of consultations for POM, but more an issue of a poor service from your vet. I would certainly be following the above suggestion of questioning why you need a consult if they're not even going to examine your pet. But to be honest, with practices like that, I'd probably be moving my custom elsewhere anyway. I want to know I can trust my vet - one day I might have to drop my dog with them in the middle of the night and know that they are there to save my dog's life, not to overcharge me or perhaps not even provide an adequate level of care.