Hi there,

Just a quick question about presciptions for pets. I want to purchase some Advocate Spot on for my cats but if I get it online I can save £20 on Pets at Home prices! I've been told it needs a prescription but how does this work, do I need to actually get this from the vet and provide this to the online company or something different? Apologies if this is a thick question, I've always just got it from the vets at pets at home before but they are so pricy so looking to save some pennies!

You need to get a prescription from a vet that you then supply to the online company, like getting a prescription from you doctor and then going to the (online) chemist to get the medication.

Vets can only give prescriptions for animals in their care, i.e those registered with them that they have recently seen and examined.

These days, most vets charge £5-10 to provide a prescription as they are using their time and providing a document, for which they have legal and professional liability (it isn't just a question of them signing a bit of paper before people complain about the charge).

You may find it doesn't pay you to buy online after adding on the prescription charge, or you may be able to get your vet to give you one prescription for a year's worth and it may then be worth your while.

My last vet charged £17.50 for a prescription made buying on line no cheaper than in his surgery. Best to ask your vet what they charge before making a decision.

Thank you for your replies. I called the vets and they only charge £6 for the prescription (thats cheaper than my human prescription!) so it will definitely save me money getting it online. Thank you x

My vet charges £10 per prescription, but even then it still works out much cheaper to buy online. I just pop into my vets, request a prescription and then order online. I usually have to scan the prescription in and write an ID number on it (supplied by the company when ordering) and email it to them. Once they have received it, they send out the order.