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My pet regularly has medication from the Vet. Can I obtain it from a pharmacy?
Yes. Veterinary medicines are classified into several categories, much the same as human medicines. Some are available through pet shops, some only through pharmacies and your vet, and some only on a prescription written by your vet.
All prescription only medicines can be dispensed by Vetmedic Pharmacy. If your pet has regular medication you are entitled to ask your vet for a prescription to be dispensed by a pharmacist. The vet will write a prescription, in much the same way as your family doctor and then give it to you.
Over the past three years you have had the right to ask your vet for a free prescription for any prescription medicine that your pet may have needed.For those people who have exercised this right,this has meant that they have been free to choose where they buy,and what price they pay for their veterinary medicines.
From the end of October ,vets will now be able to charge for a prescription.There is no set fee and therefore your vet can charge what they like.
You can still fight back as the Office of Fair Trading are the body repsonsible for monitoring this re-introduction of fee charging.
If you feel your veterinarian is overcharging you for writing a prescription then complain to the Office of Fair Trading
E-mail
Bob.MacDowall@oft.gsi.gov.uk
or write to him -Bob MacDowall Remedies Policy,Office of Fair Trading,Fleetbank House,2-6 Salisbury Square.London,EC4Y 8JX
You may wish to consider the following points also
1. Whilst it has been the right of every customer to ask for a free prescription from the 31st October 2005 for 3 years,the vets have been under no obligation to tell the customer that they can have one during the appointment.How were people to know that they could have a free prescription?
2.Some customers would find having to ask each time for a prescription,a very uncomfortable experinence,especially if their vet felt aggrieved about it
3.You dont have to ask for a prescription at the opticians or doctors,one is given automatically by law.This is a very clear system,which means that neither party needs to feel under pressure or uncomfortable.Why can't this be done in the veterinary world.
Once you have your prescription you can order it in several ways
Telephone 0800 387348 Mon-Fri 9.00am and 6.00pm and we can take your order,give you a reference number and take payment details. Once we receive your prescription we will dispense it and send the products to you
Go to the Prescription Only Medicines Section on our website to see if the product(s) are listed
http://www.vet-medic.com/Hierarchy_Products.aspx?strGrp1Code=CATDOG&strGrp2Code=PRESC&strGrp3Code=
Send this to
Vet-medic Pharmacy
Manor House
Merlin Way
Ilkeston
Derbyshire
DE7 4RA
Order your products,keep a copy of your order number and write this on the top left hand corner of your prescription You can also fax us the prescription on 0115 9308111(excluding prescriptions for Epiphen) or scan it and send it to us on the link from your e-mail confirmation
A recent government report has recommended the vets write prescriptions as a matter of course for treating animals. It is also in the vets’ professional code of contact that they should not reasonably refuse to issue one at the request of a client. http://www.rcvs.org.uk/
A veterinary prescription needs the following details:
- Name & Address of Vet
- Professional Qualifications
- Date Details of the Animal/s to be treated
- Name and Address of the Owner
- Details of the medication, including drug, dose and quantity
- How many times the prescription may be repeated (if any)
- The Phrase "For animal use only, for an animal under my care" or similar
- Signature of your Vet (in ink)
To download a sample prescription in PDF format, click below:
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