I have several 14 year old dogs (bless).

They're all on long-term meds for various things:

Vivitonin for dementia

Frusedale and Vetmedin for a heart murmur

Rimadyl for arthritis

(It's not all the same dog and, believe me, they are otherwise fit, happy and not in pain.)

They're on vaccination for life, which means I don't pay booster costs any more, I paid one off amounts a few years ago. That comes with a free 6-monthly health check.

Fairly recently, the vet has introduced a 3-month meds check policy. This is not free.

I spend many hundreds of pounds a year on meds at the vets. It doesn't seem worth trying to get the stuff online, as they charge a £10 per item prescription charge.

They're all insured but the excess is not only £105 per condition but also 20% of the remainder. All those 20%s add up, so 2 extra consultations per dog per annum all add up too.

I wondered: are these 3 month meds checks standard/normal/universal/obligatory?

OK, I guess the answer is that they won't be around that many more years, so why whinge now? And the vets are very good with the dogs and have done great work with them over the years (over 70 years, if I add the dogs' ages together). Still, I don't like the faint feel of ripped-offness, and so solicit your thoughts.
Ta.

I have two dogs, and i have never been told they need 3 month med checks. Maybe all vets are different.

But - even my GP doesn't insist on seeing ME every 3 months, and im on so many meds i rattle !!! He liked to see me annually. I cant see any reason why it would be so often for a dog

If 1 human year = 7 dog years, at that rate the dogs are being checked less often than you, porcupine

It does sound a bit odd if it's a blanket requirement regardless of the ailment. My cats have had various illnesses where the vet has asked to see them at intervals varying from 2 weeks to 4 months, but there were good reasons for that. What reason do the vets give, OP, and what do you get - blood tests, scans, or just a physical exam?

Our vet does 6 monthly 'meds checks' as far as I remember, although I think it depends on the condition. I rarely get past 2 months without having to go back for some reason or another at the moment though, so I'm not 100% sure.

3 months does seem quite excessive, especially if it applies to all pets on long term medication, however minor the ailments and potential side- effects of their medication.

The data sheets with some meds advise regular checks, which can be specified to be at 3 monthly internals to e.g. monitor liver and kidney function etc (e.g.rimadyl in particular I think requires 3 monthly checks) to ensure the medications continue to be well-tolerated by the patient.
Were the vet to take a chance and ignore this advice they would be making themselves vulnerable to being sued if anything did go wrong and early warning signs were missed.
Even if prescriptions were supplied for buying online the checks would have still have to be done before another 3 monthly prescription being issued.
As in all professions, some people are more prepared to chance things than others so you might find different check up systems with different vets.
As for the prescription charge, not only is the vet taking time to write this certified document, and putting their profesional signature to it ,but the legal liability for side effects etc remains not with the online pharmacy (unless the vet could prove the batch was faulty or counterfeit, which would be very costly) but with the vet who gets nothing for the meds, so they also need to cover their insurance costs, just in case.

Duncan has to be checked every 3 months too (steroids for life) I do understand why they do it but as there is no alternative to him having the meds I am not sure what the out come would be if they said he could no longer continue having them Which sort of really makes them fairly useless !

it's about "informed consent" Molliepops. You may very well decide there is no options but to carry on with the meds but you couldn't sue the vet for not warning you of the heightened risk, and yes, people do
Unfortunately in these litigious "no win no fee" times people often have to practise their professions defensively which ends up costing everyone money

My cat is on lifelong steroids (low dose) and the vet only asks to see him once a year WRT to a meds check (although we generally see him more often than that for other reasons). As you say molliepops in our case there isn't a choice, his life would be intolerable without them, so regardless of any side effects (which were discussed thoroughly) he would have to continue taking them anyway.

I suppose if the checks find any problems in terms of side effects, there may be a way of treating them, or at least minimising them. I don't know what risks steroids carry mind you, so I might be talking rubbish. (no change there )

OK, thanks all, that's helpful.

FWIW, I don't mind the prescription charge. Well, I do but I see the point of it!

Me and the pups will keep soldiering on - they've made it to 14+, so I must be doing something right!

From memory, steroids can cause liver problems.

Cushings disease too.

Diabetes ( well in cats anyway )
So......I suppose it does now make sense for the 3 month check ups!
However, policy might be one thing, but maybe it is worth having a quiet chat with your vet and ask if there is any degree of flexibility given the high overall cost of your dog family!