Vet practice refusing to issue written prescription for controlled drug for longer than one month

Undervalued

Katiehound said:

This is a slight diversion but a friend pointed out that the online pharmacy they use for wormers now states that you can only buy a year's worth.
I'm wondering if some new rules regarding animal drugs have come into force fairly recently

I would have thought 3months would have been a reasonable length of time for your epilepsy scrip.

Sometimes there is not an option to switch vets. Recently one of the vets in town said that they were not taking on any new patients. There were mutterings about another local practice , how that charges had shot up & I suspect people were voting with their feet.

Indeed.

There was a sobering article in the Guardian at the weekend about huge rise in demand for vets following the "Covid puppy boom" and the totally unrealistic attitude shown by many clients. It quotes the number of vets that have left or are thinking of leaving the profession.

Compared with other professions requiring similar academic abilities and length of training, vet medicine is not well paid.

ladyholly

Out vet practice is really struggling to employ a new vet on a permanent basis.

Lavendyr

If your pet is on a prescription medication then most vets will require to see them every 3-4 months anyway to dispense a repeat. My cat is on steroids and Atopica and the vet needs to see him every 4 months. They then dispense a repeat prescription - at £17 per script - for the preds and Atopica. This works out very cheap compared to the price I'd pay at the vet, since Atopica is £70 online and £140 at the vets. 

Honestly if your pet is on a serious drug then you want them to be seen regularly to make sure they are OK. Side-effects aren't always obvious so it's important that they keep an eye. 

Edit to add: Does it have to be in 1000s? Surely a lower quantity online would still be cheaper even paying for the vet prescription?

sheramber

Lavendyr said:

If your pet is on a prescription medication then most vets will require to see them every 3-4 months anyway to dispense a repeat. My cat is on steroids and Atopica and the vet needs to see him every 4 months. They then dispense a repeat prescription - at £17 per script - for the preds and Atopica. This works out very cheap compared to the price I'd pay at the vet, since Atopica is £70 online and £140 at the vets. 

Honestly if your pet is on a serious drug then you want them to be seen regularly to make sure they are OK. Side-effects aren't always obvious so it's important that they keep an eye. 

Edit to add: Does it have to be in 1000s? Surely a lower quantity online would still be cheaper even paying for the vet prescription?

The OP has said the practice se his dog every 6 months.

Last week my vet offered me a prescription rather than buying from her.

Charge for writing script was £25. Medicine from vet would have been £90 - bought online for £24. She even googled to find the pice online to compare.

Mt prescription is for 6 months, their normal routine check up.

Lavendyr

Yes, I saw that. I'm saying that my vet requires every 4 months on a repeat script for my cat's meds. So every six months may not be considered sufficient for the animal/prescription in question.

sheramber

Lavendyr said:

Yes, I saw that. I'm saying that my vet requires every 4 months on a repeat script for my cat's meds. So every six months may not be considered sufficient for the animal/prescription in question.

That is what the OP is questioning as previously it has been 6 months.

Sandtree

GustyGardenGalaxy said:

You will see that it specifically uses Epilepsy as an example and states: "If more than 28 days’ worth of treatment is prescribed, it must be ensured that the owner is competent to use the medicine safely."

So I am reading my vet's response as saying that they think I'm incompetent, even though I've been with them for 15 years and they know me very well and how I am a very responsible and caring owner.

First of all the guidelines mention nothing about caring

Secondly there is a big difference between saying, as a third party, that you cannot say someone is competent and saying that someone is incompetent... that can be as much a reflection on them as it is you.

As a person that only sees you for 20 minutes every 6 months how do they ascertain that you are competent? What liability will they be exposed to if they state they've ensured that you are competent and it turns out you arent? What incentive do they have for taking that risk? Plus as we get blamed for everything... do you know if their insurance has any clauses on this sort of matter?

Certainly can sympathise with the feeling that the limited prescription is more about money making than anything else. Used to have a similar debate with my optician on my contact lens prescription where they'd sell me 6 months supply for £80 but only give me a 3 month prescription if I said I'd buy online where 3 months would be £25 or 6 months £40. Fortunately for me either the rules changed or companies got more comfortable as found somewhere selling 6 months for £42 based on self certifying that you had a prescription.

Lavendyr

sheramber said:

Lavendyr said:

Yes, I saw that. I'm saying that my vet requires every 4 months on a repeat script for my cat's meds. So every six months may not be considered sufficient for the animal/prescription in question.

That is what the OP is questioning as previously it has been 6 months.

No, I read it as saying that they have a regular check-up every 6 months for blood tests. My cats also have a six monthly check-up under their Healthy Pet Club membership. That's not the same as having to be seen under a repeat prescription. It might be that for this particular medicine the vets want to monitor their condition more closely. I can't see how that is unreasonable.

sheramber

The OP may be happy if the vet explained that but ti doesn't sound like they have given any reason except company policy.

Lavendyr

Well, the best thing the OP can do then is talk to their vet. Or change vet. *shrug*