prescription note

[JKramer]

When requesting a prescription note for Advocate, do you need to let the vet see the dog first?
I am asking because I would like to buy the treatment online which is half the price what the vet is charging.
Even taking into consideration the cost of the prescription note, for the two dogs I have I will save around £50 per year.
Also other stuff like Drontal are cheaper too online.

Advocate is a standard monthly treatment so surely you don’t need to see the vet?
I like to avoid consultation fee if they do charge.

It would be illegal for your vet to write a prescription without having examined your dog.

If you see the vet for the initial prescription you should be able to get six months worth without seeing him again.

But isn’t Advocate a standard monthly treatment?
So why would the vet need to see the dog?
It’s not like there are symptoms to an illness to look for.
Just seems to me like an extra charge to pay when they could just check when the dog was last de-flead and write the prescription note ready for you to collect.

OP: I would get as long a prescription if I were you.

Advocate is a prescription only medicine, before writing a prescription for it there is a requirement to show that the animal is under the care of that veterinary practice and has had a full clinical examination. This is a requirement laid down in the Veterinary Medicines Act, policed by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and failure to adhere to this can result in an individual vet being struck off. Historically vets are far more tightly policed than doctors, however, doctors and pharmacists are being inspected in the same way hence the GP practices being found using out of date vaccine.

In my practice if we are seeing a dog every year for vaccinations then during the year we would give a prescription for enough advocate to last to the next vaccination, but every practice is different.

When I asked about flea treatment the receptionist said she could sell me Advocat without dog having to see the vet (dog had last been seen 10 months before for vacs). I wanted to buy off the internet so said I just wanted a prescription and was told dog needed vet appointment for that which doesn't make sense, apart from more money for the practice.
So I change vets and waited till vac appointment and new vet gave me a prescription for £10.

What lonecat said. It's a prescription only medication, they need proof that the animal is under the care of the practice and to have regular examinations in order to provide a prescription. This doesn't necessarily mean an additional consultation fee, a dog that has been seen during the previous year (for vaccs etc.) can normally be issued a prescription for a small fee, usually £10-20.

If they've never seen the dog before then you can expect to book an appointment and pay a consultation fee as well.

And as a receptionist I'd like to remind everyone that we need plenty of notice for written prescriptions and repeat prescriptions, we may have the stuff on the shelf but we can't hand it out without authorisation from the vet who will have only select opportunities during the day to do it.

Mmm, that's very interesting.
My vet has been telling me porkies then, saying I need a consultation every six months before they'll issue one for medication one of my dogs is on permanently.

No that sounds exactly right Aquel, the above was specifically in relation to a written prescription for Advocate as per the OP.

I pop into my vets every three months for advocate and they hand it over the counter to me. All they want to know is the weight of my dog.

Aquelven my advice was specifically about advocate. Medicines for treating specific conditions the veterinary medicines directorate agree with practices policy that 3months for heart conditions and 4 months for other conditions is acceptable. The inspector has encountered 6 months he rapped that practice over the knuckles for being too long, he has also seen 6 weeks and feel this is too short.