On 1st September 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 January 2024 for some classes of medication including parasiticides (flea, tick and worming treatments). The new guidance requires that a clinical assessment, which usually entails a physical examination of your pet, be performed every time antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and parasiticides are prescribed.
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.
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.
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.
We are offering a reduced consultation fee of £44.00 for a ‘parasiticide check up’ consultation. This is free for members of our Pet Health for Life (PH4L) plan.
For long term prescription medication which is not an antimicrobial/antiparasitic, our usual policy of requiring a regular examination usually every 3-6 months continues to apply. The medication review consultations will be charged at our usual fees.
You can read the full guidance from the RCVS on their website
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We are very excited to share with you that Lida Vets will be undergoing refurbishment from Monday 22nd July. This will create a better experience for clients and pets, and improve the way we can deliver our services to you.
The works will be ongoing for an extended period of time, during which there will be some disruption to our client facing areas, including reception and a reduction in car parking.
We will remain open throughout the refurbishment works. We will, of course, attempt to minimise disruption, and will keep you updated on progress and timelines on our Facebook page and our website.
Our online booking tool will, unfortunately, be unavailable during the refurbishment works. This is due to the need to be flexible as we move consult rooms around to accommodate the building work taking place. We will be pleased to assist you with booking appointments over the phone. Alternatively, pop into practice and our reception team will be happy to help.
Our online prescription request service will still be available.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please give us a call on 01638 560 000.
From all of the team at Lida Vets
