Why is there a written prescription fee?
Pharmaceutical Prescriptions
Why does Turramurra Veterinary Hospital charge for a written prescription fee?
The veterinary consultation fee covers the veterinary examination, assessment and recommendation. To keep the consultation fee fair for everyone, any services on top of the veterinary consultation are charged for, including nail clips, anal gland evacuation and written prescriptions.
Written prescriptions are a legal document with very strict requirements and in a similar way that you would need to pay a lawyer to write a letter, we charge a fee to write our legal documents.
Dosage calculations are often complex as we deal with multiple species and patient weight ranges from a 100 gram Budgerigar or 1kg Chihuahua to an 80kg Mastiff dog.
When a vet signs a script, they carry the responsibility of that document. We could include the script fee in the consultation fee and increase the fee of the consultation, but as only approximately 2% of people request a written script, we do believe this would not be fair.
Currently only hard copy written veterinary prescriptions are valid, and these may only be filled in the State of NSW. Emailed prescriptions are not valid and cannot be legally filled, except in genuine emergencies, in which case the hard copy must be DIRECTLY sent to the pharmacist within 24 hours.
Turramurra Veterinary Hospital would welcome legal reform to allow the introduction of digital prescriptions, the article below explains why this may be some time coming.
www.vetpracticemag.com.au/electronic-prescriptions-in-the-veterinary-profession/
Further information regarding pharmaceutical prescriptions
Turramurra Vet Hospital is happy to provide pharmaceutical scripts to our patients on request.
Why does Turramurra Vet usually prefer licenced medications to generics?
Licenced medications have undergone rigorous clinical trials to understand how the formulation is metabolised by the species in question. This provides consistency and ensures that the medicine is effective. It reduces the potential for human error associated with compounded medications. In the real, but fortunately rare event of side effects, licenced medications will be supported by pharmaceutical companies. No such guarantee exists for compounded or generic medicines used “off label”. We only recommend BOVA or West Lindfield Pharmacy and only BOVA for Trilostane.
What Turramurra Vet can do
Pharmaceutical scripts written by New South Wales registered veterinarians are only permitted to be filled within New South Wales. You will notice your pets script states “This script in valid in the Australian state of New South Wales only”. We may require 12-24 hours for vets to review a patient history before issuing scripts. Currently only written hard copy scripts are valid in NSW for veterinary pharmaceuticals.
What Turramurra Vet cannot do
We cannot write a script to be filled in states of Australia other than NSW – or overseas. As the original is required we cannot email scripts only supply an original in person or by post.
We will NOT write scripts for:
- Insulin.
- S8 or S4D drugs of addiction – eg Phenobarbitone.
- Monoclonal antibodies – eg Cytopoint, Beransa, Solensia.
- Euthanasia medications.
Imports
Pharmaceutical imports are illegal. At very least you will lose money when the drugs are confiscated by customs or you may face more serious consequences, or receive fake medication that could harm their pet. Turramurra Vet will not facilitate illegal importations of pharmaceutical drugs from overseas.
The article link above details an example of harm caused by counterfeit imported medication.
There is a charge involved in providing a veterinary prescription
Turramurra Veterinary Hospital charges $39.50 for a script. Supply of future scripts is conditional upon the patient remaining under veterinary care with regular rechecks. At a minimum this includes a complete annual physical examination. This is to ensure the wellbeing of your pet and prevent, as far as possible, adverse events related to medication.
Many conditions including diabetes, heart disease and anti-inflammatory therapy require thorough monitoring by veterinarians and veterinary rechecks at least every 3 months. For some conditions every 6 months may be acceptable, once we are confident that the condition is stabilised. Blood tests may be required to assess organ function, particularly the liver and kidneys.
Why should I only ask your veterinarian for advice regarding veterinary pharmaceuticals?
Pharmacists are solely trained in human pharmacology with no training in veterinary pharmacology, physiology or medicine. There are many differences between humans and many animal species. For example, paracetamol, though widely used in humans, is lethal to cats. There are many other vitally important species differences. It is critical that you direct any questions regarding your pet’s health to your experienced veterinarian. Never change doses or medications without veterinary advice.
At Turramurra Vet Hospital our aim is simple and has remained unchanged since we were established – to provide the best care for your pets by practicing excellent veterinary medicine.
