Pet Prescription fee
For Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Small Rodents (Hamsters, Rats, Gerbils, etc.), Ferrets · Prescription, dispensing & administration
A prescription fee covers writing a prescription so you can buy your pet’s medication somewhere else, usually an online pharmacy. You are entitled to ask for one, and for some long-term medications it can save you money.
About Prescription fee in pets
If we prescribe something for your pet, you do not have to buy it from us. You can ask for a written prescription and take it to any registered pharmacy or online veterinary pharmacy. We will tell you our price for dispensing it ourselves as well, so you can compare.
What the fee covers
Writing a prescription is a clinical act, not paperwork. The vet has to be satisfied the medicine is right for your pet, at the right dose, with no interaction with anything else they are on, and they carry the professional and legal responsibility for that. The fee covers that time and responsibility.
When a prescription makes sense
- Long-term medication for a stable condition, where the saving outweighs the fee.
- Large quantities, where the per-unit price elsewhere is lower.
For a short course or a small quantity, the fee often costs more than you would save. Ask us and we will be straight with you about which way round it is for your pet.
Things worth knowing
- Your pet must have been examined recently enough for the vet to prescribe responsibly. For ongoing medication that normally means a check every 3 to 6 months.
- Prescriptions have an expiry date and a limit on repeats.
- Prescribing stays the vet’s professional judgement. We cannot write one if it would not be right for your pet.
What it costs
The fee is on our price list, along with the repeat prescription fee and the dispensing fee if you would rather we supplied the medication.