Veterinary prescription medicines

When you need medicine for your animal(s) you can get it from your vet or obtain a prescription from the vet and get it from somewhere else – for example a veterinary pharmacy.

Until 30 October 2008, vets must not charge you for providing a prescription, after this date they can.

Vets must not charge different prices or fees to those who take a prescription and those who do not. 

Vets are required to see animals in their care regularly, this may trigger a consultation fee.

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)  guidance requires vets:

- to be clear about what you are being charged for. 

- to have on display in their surgeries the price of their top ten selling prescription-only veterinary medicines and a notice on their surgeries which, among other things, says:

‘Prescriptions are available from this practice, you may obtain relevant veterinary medicinal products from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy.

Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe relevant veterinary medicinal products only following a clinical assessment of an animal under his or her care.

A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or if immediate treatment is necessary.’

You can complain to the RCVS if you believe its guidelines have been broken.

If you are not happy with the level of charges made by your vet you should consider changing to a new one.