From 1st September 2023 the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS, regulatory body for the veterinary profession in the UK) is introducing new guidance on prescribing prescription-only medicines. The full guidance can be found here
Our previous policy was everything needs a repeat medication check every 6 months and 12 months for anti parasitics subject to veterinary discretion.
The new guidance requires that a physical examination of the pet has to be performed every time any antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasiticides are prescribed. This includes topical preparations such as ear and eye drops, and all prescription flea, worm and tick products
The guidance is an important step towards ensuring responsible antimicrobial use and reducing the veterinary impact on the wider issues of global antibiotic resistance and decline of insect populations.
What this means in practice is that your pet will need to come in for an in-person consultation every time:
- we need to prescribe medication for an ear infection (as most contain antibiotics)
- we need to prescribe antibiotics for any skin problem, even if it’s a chronic problem
- we/you decide to change from one flea/worm/tick product to another
- we suspect a urinary tract infection (remote/online consultation and urine analysis/culture are no longer sufficient)
- we suspect a gastrointestinal infection (remote/online consultation and faecal analysis/culture are no longer sufficient)
Where possible we will try and provide you enough medication to cure the problem but unfortunately there are no guarantees.
In the example of ear problems if it looks like a chronic problem or a diagnosed problem we either prescribe a separate bottle for each ear if it is a bilateral problem.
We also can no longer prescribe prescription deworming products on the basis of a laboratory report alone, we will need to see the pet for a consultation and physical examination first. For long term prescription medication that is not an antimicrobial/antiparasitic, our usual policy of requiring an examination every 6 months (or every 3 months in some less stable or more serious cases) continues to apply. The consultations are charged at our usual fee of £13, for just a repeat meds check (if you have new problems or need to change medication the charge maybe more.
As well as having to embrace all these changes it means we will have to offer more appointments which we are already struggling to do. We have therefore had to take the decision that all missed appointments will be charged for and when booking a CT scan or an operation you a deposit will be required.