Vets charging for prescriptions soon?

Three years ago (2005) a moratorium was put in place which meant that for a three year period, vets would NOT be able to charge for an animals prescription. The charge used to be in the region of £15.00 per prescription, and since this charge was removed (albeit temporarily), the animals medicine market has opened up dramatically allowing us, the consumer, to purchase animal medicine items without the additional (and often extremely large) mark-up placed on the product by the vets.

I currently have four animals; my rabbits are insured but my cats aren't, quite simply because I always have rescue animals and older cats which have been and still are extremely difficult to insure if possible at all.

Certainly when I have had my cats, insurance schemes were not available for older cats; and remember that a cat is classed as 'old' once he/she reaches the age of 7 despite an average lifespan of between 12-20!

It is important to note that in cases of emergency or urgency, the animal's need is the priority, even if this means paying a premium to buy the medicine from the vets where the animal is being treated.

For chronic and/or long term health conditions and routine 'maintenance' such as flea treatments, worming treatments, ear drops etc, as long as your vet is aware and has advised the use of a product and you fully understand how to safely apply/administer the medication/treatment, buying such products from an independent source can save a great deal of money.

I use Stronghold flee treatment which additionally provides protection from ear mites and a few other 'pests' for my two cats. It is recommended that cats are treated monthly with this product (though out of the flea season, in Winter I do reduce the frequency of application as I am loathe to over medicate).I worked out that if I bought 12 months supply from a reputable UK based company on the internet I would save approximately £60.00 a year in comparison to buying the same product from my vet.One of my cats has arthritis (Tom) and he has metacam for cats. I also use metacam (for dogs but also other animals) for my rabbits in certain situations and under strict supervision of my vets. With Toms medication I am saving approximately £50.00 a year, with the other it is something in the region of £5/6 a bottle price difference.

It's not pennies, this is serious money and frankly the vet mark-up is a huge factor in this. My vet says that his supplier does not offer products at the prices I can get them, but misses the point entirely. It is my personal opinion (but one I feel very strongly) that vets should not make a profit from medicines at least to the extent that they do. A small amount is one thing, but currently it seems as though they actually make their living from medications and flea treatments. This leads people to buying flea treatments from supermarkets or pet shops where they have no idea what they're doing and this in turn leads to animals being harmed. They are a great many cats for example made seriously ill and dying each week from being given the wrong dose of flea treatment ie given dogs flea treatments instead.veterinary drugs and treatments need to be made more affordable and not less affordable. If the vets are allowed to resume charging for prescriptions in October 2008, not only will animal carers be subjected to a prescription fee likely to be in the region of £15.00 a time, but the vets will then be in a position to take a greater hold on the market and prices will rise for the medication as well.

There is a petition on the 10 Downing Street website calling for the prime Minister to continue with the current situation preventing vets from charging for prescriptions.(I do apologise not in link for but I have tried and tried and won't do it for some unknown reason so you will need to copy and paste.Sorry!).

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/petprescription/


Please do sign it if you can. There is a great deal of support for the continuation of the 'ban' on charging for prescriptions and the petition is a good place to start to pledge your support. It's perfectly safe etc. In an attempt to make 'the people' feel that politicians do listen to them, this petition site was set up. Anyone can start a petition about anything, but it is an official government site and so can be viewed and accessed safely (or so i would hope