Prescription Guide

Prescription Guide Some medications you may wish to purchase will require a Veterinary Prescription. A Veterinary Prescription is a legal document which must be written in accordance to UK regulations and signed and dated by a Vet with a UK registration. Prescriptions can be posted, faxed or emailed to us (see Prescription Terms below). Please note that payment is taken at the time of order, but we have to wait until the prescription is recieved before we can dispatch it to you. There are 3 easy steps to buying your pets prescriptions online. 1. A vet will provide you with one of their prescriptions although if prefer you can print one and take it to your vet to fill in.Click here to download a prescripton form you can take to your vet, they will need to fill in the details, date it, sign it and stamp it. 2. Place you order online and pay for your medications . 3. Post, fax or email us your original signed prescription and a copy of your order confirmation (please see Prescription Terms below). POST - Pet Dispensary, PO Box 227, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF12 9WJ FAX - 0845 6787839 EMAIL - sales@petdispensary.co.uk IMPORTANT Prescription Terms: * Always write on your order reference number and contact number before you send us the prescription. * To speed up an order prescriptions can be faxed or emailed to us providing they have been written by your vet and are dated within the last 7 days of the date you place your order. We will act on these copies for single use only. * If your prescription has been faxed or emailed to us we ask the original is sent to us within 3 days of placing your order as we need this for our files. * If your prescription is older than 7 days from the date of order we will only act on an original prescription posted to us. * Repeats will only be issued against an original prescription we hold, we will not send out repeat orders against a photocopy or scanned prescription. If we are at all unsure about anything stated on your prescription we may call your vet to clarify this. On receipt of your prescription we will match this to your order and dispatch the items for you. If your chosen product does not require a prescription then simply add it to your shopping cart and proceed to our secure credit card facility. On receipt of your order your item(s) will be dispatched to you. Pay By Cheque If you prefer to send us a cheque, just click this option in the payment section and make the cheque payable to 'Pet Dispensary' and post it to us. Please note we have to allow 5 working days for a cheque to clear before posting out your order. Questions regarding prescriptions Below are some questions and answers. If you still have a query about placing an order or obtaining a prescription please email us at sales@petdispensary.co.uk or call us on 0845 6787838. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can. What is a veterinary prescription? A veterinary prescription is the same as a medical prescription you would get yourself from your doctor - but of course it is for your pet. It includes information such as the product/drug name, dosage, patient and prescriber details. Why do some medicines require a prescription and others don't? Some veterinary medications are classed as POM-V (prescription only medicine). These products can be dangerous to your pet if used incorrectly and the classification is set to safeguard both your pets and public health. Which medicines require a prescription? All our medicines on the website that are classed as POM-V show a yellow band at the top of the product details, which states Prescription Required, it will also show as a '*' in the pricing box before the description. For all these medications a veterinary prescription is required before we can send the medication to you. How do I get a prescription for my pet's medication? Ask your vet! On request you should be provided with a written prescription. Or you can print off a prescription from our website and take it to your vets. This has to have the dose added, be stamped, signed and dated. Once you have this then place your order online or you can call us to place the order. You then need to get the prescription to us together with a copy of your online order and order reference number (please also see Prescription Terms above, we will only accept original copies posted to us if your prescrition is older than 7 days from the date of ordering): By post: Pet Dispensary, PO Box 227, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF12 9WJ Fax: 0845 6787839 Email: sales@petdispensary.co.uk As soon as we receive the prescription and a copy of your order we can dispatch your items. Your prescription will be kept on file. Will my vet charge for providing a prescription? From the 31 October 2008 vets can charge to write a prescription. Your vet can charge any fee they wish and it is usually around £5-£7. It is worth noting that Vets can write a prescription to last for 6 months medication and this could ensure you benefit from even greater savings on your medications by buying online. If you have a 6 month prescription then you can buy all the medications at once or buy from us month by month to spread the costs. Vets can either produce their own prescription or you can print off a prescription and take it to your vets to complete (see: How do I get a prescription for my pet's medication?) Repeatable Prescriptions If your vet writes you a prescription that is repeatable or lasts for a certain amount of time then this will be kept on our files and you can order against the prescription as and when required until the prescription runs out. The number of repeats is at the discretion of your vet and will need to be clearly marked on for us to class it as a repeatable prescription. Vets can write a repeatable prescription for up to 6 months though this will depend on your pet's condition. If you do have a repeat you can choose to buy all medication in one go if you prefer. Please note will only send out repeat orders against an original prescription that has been posted to us. Please make sure if you have a repeatable prescription that it is posted to us with your order reference number clearly written on it. Please also note if your prescription is valid for 6 months, then the repeats must be used up within this time period. If you prescription expires you will not be able to take further repeats against it. Free Prescription Reminder Service If you keep a repeatable prescription on file with us, during the month the prescription will expire we will endeavour to give you a call to remind your prescription is about to expire and that there is medication to take. All prescriptions have an expiry date on them (usually 6 months from the date of it being written) and if you don't order before this date expires we can't dispense the medication to you and you will need to get a new prescription from the vet. This service just reminds you and to help save you some money on charges that will occur if you have to get a new prescription. After the call it is then your choice to order the medication before the end of the month, otherwise after this time a visit to the vet and a new prescription would be needed. (Please note if we are unable to reach you by telephone or email we will not be able to offer this service to you and we are not responsible if the message doesn't reach you). The RCVS guidelines say, Veterinary Surgeons should not make unreasonable charges for written prescriptions that could be regarded as a deterent by clients who might otherwise ask for a prescription. If you think you are being overcharged or discriminated against you may want to inform Bob MacDowall at Office of Fair Trading who is monitoring the situation. His email address is bob.macdowall@oft.gsi.gov.uk or phone him on 020 7211 8574 Can my vet refuse to issue a prescription? Your vet cannot refuse to issue a written prescription for medication they would otherwise be happy to dispense themselves. Legally an animal that a vet writes a prescription for must be registered with the practice. Your vet must establish the need for the medication and that it is appropriate for your pet. For some conditions this may mean a check up as frequently as every 3 months. Can I ask my vet for a particular medication for my pet? Your vet will determine which medications are required and are safe for your pet's condition, although if you see a similar drug which may be more affordable or perhaps easier to give then this should be discussed with your vet. Claiming against your insurance You may be able to claim your costs of medication against your insurance company. Most insurers will accept invoices from companies such as Pet Dispensary. If your animal is insured it may be of benefit obtaining your medication through us if it is cheaper than your vets., This is a consideration if you have a upper limit on your policy. All orders are sent out with a full VAT invoice. If you are claiming against your insurance you need to keep these to send on to the insurers. Please note that we can't offer duplicate invoices if your order is over 3months old. If you are considering claiming against your insurance please keep all your invoices safely.