Our regulatory body the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) have recently introduced new guidelines on prescribing prescription medications. The full guidance can be found here.
The new guidance requires that one of our veterinary surgeons must perform a face-to face physical examination every time antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasiticides (flea/worm treatments) are prescribed.
Telephone consults will no longer be allowed for this purpose for these types of medication.
This means most ear, eye drops, antibiotics, and prescription only flea and worm products must have a valid prescription authorised by a vet who has examined your pet for that product.
The guidance we have been given is to ensure responsible antimicrobial use and to reduce the veterinary impact on the wider issue of global antibiotic resistance and environmental impact of anthelmintics.
Flea & Worm treatments… What does this mean for me?
If you have not been seen recently and require more flea and worm treatment, we will require you to make an appointment for a consultation. This is to ensure we comply with the new guidelines.
We are trying hard to tie in these checks with annual booster vaccinations, so that we can do a 12-month prescription for your flea and worm treatments, meaning you will only have to be seen once per year to then get repeat supplies.
Please also note if you want to change the type of flea or worm product you use, you will need a vet consultation to issue a different prescription.
Before you come in and collect your next flea and worm treatment from reception, we advise you call us first to check if your pet will need to be seen.
For any other products listed above such as eye/ear drops and antibiotics for ongoing conditions such as skin/ear/eye problems, we will no longer be able to dispense these without an in-person consultation with a vet.
For other long-term medications that ARE NOT in the categories above ie. arthritis/thyroid/allergy treatments, our normal policy of 6 month check-ups apply. (3 months for more serious or less stable cases). We will not need to see your pet each time you have more medication.
For controlled drugs such as Phenobarbitone (epilepsy) drugs and some pain relief such as Gabapentin, we will now only be able to give out 28 days’ worth at a time against a prescription.
Best wishes,
The Team at Bridgnorth Veterinary Centre