On 1st\u00a0September 2023 our regulatory body, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) introduced new guidance on prescribing prescription-only medicines. There was a grace period until 1st\u00a0January 2024 for some classes of medication including parasiticides (flea, tick and worming treatments). The new guidance requires that a clinical assessment, which usually\u00a0entails\u00a0a physical examination of your pet, be performed every time antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and parasiticides are prescribed.<\/p>\n
The guidance is an important step towards ensuring responsible antimicrobial use and reduces the veterinary impact on the wider issues of global antibiotic resistance and decline in insect populations.<\/p>\n
Your pet will need to have seen a Veterinary Surgeon for an in-person consultation to make an appropriate parasiticide treatment plan personalised to their lifestyle and risk. We will aim to do this at regular, routine vaccination and health check appointments to reduce the need for additional appointments. However, a separate ‘parasiticide check up’ consultation may be required.<\/p>\n
We will enter a prescription ‘authorisation’ of our recommendations onto your pet’s clinical notes, which can then be used to issue medication for the following 12-months. Once this authorisation is in place you can order parasiticide treatment as you previously have done so.<\/p>\n
We are offering a reduced consultation fee of \u00a345.00 for a ‘parasiticide check up’ consultation. This is free for members of our Pet Health for Life (PH4L) plan.<\/p>\n
For long term prescription medication which\u00a0is not an antimicrobial\/antiparasitic, our usual policy of requiring a regular examination usually every 3-6\u00a0months continues to apply. The medication review consultations will be charged at our usual fees.<\/p>\n
You can\u00a0read the full guidance<\/a> from the RCVS on their website.<\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n Here at Shires Vets, we are committed to providing the best quality healthcare for your pet.<\/p>\n If you are not registered to our\u00a0Pet Health for Life<\/a>\u00a0preventative healthcare plan, do check our website to find out how you can save money and relax, knowing your pet\u2019s treatments are kept up to date.<\/p>\n Have you tried our\u00a0online booking service<\/a>? With no separate app and the choice of clinics to attend, arranging to see us couldn\u2019t be easier!<\/p>\n Simply click on the \u2018Book an appointment\u2019 on\u00a0our website<\/a>\u00a0to find out more.<\/p>\n For more information about our clinics, please\u00a0visit our website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n