Medications

Many drugs and prescription diets have legal restrictions on their use and can only be prescribed by a veterinarian. If your animal is in need of a repeat prescription, please telephone us so that the prescription can be authorized and made available for collection.  PRESCRIPTION RENEWALS  require the Veterinarian to assess whether the medicine and/or dose is still appropriate, or still the best option for managing your animal’s care.

We can provide prescription renewals for a maximum of 6 months without the need for an appointment.  After this time an appointment with your Veterinarian is necessary to ensure we are providing a thorough clinical review and continuity of care.  

Veterinarians prescribe medications to treat patients and must adhere to the Controlled Substances Act (SA 1984).  This law requires that any doctor must have a patient under their care to prescribe medication.  The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) oversees the veterinary profession and has set out specific guidelines to clarify this requirement.  The AVA mandates that a genuine client-vet relationship must be in place, meaning the veterinarian must have seen the pet recently.  Specifically, a pet must have been examined by the veterinarian within the past six months to meet this bone-fide relationship requirement.

Futher to this, in South Australia, veterinarians are regulated by the Veterinary Surgeons Board (VSB).  Although the Vet Board does not directly oversee the legislation covering medication prescriptions, it does enforce a Professional Code of Conduct that all veterinarians must follow.  This Code emphasizes professionalism, diligence and adherence to ethical and legal standards.

If a Veterinarian prescribes medication in violation of legislation, the VSB would consider this a breach of the Professional Standards.  

If you request medication for your pet without a recent visit, OR ask for a refill after more than six months have passed since the last consultation, OR seek a nurse-administered injection with a recent check up, it is important to understand that this would be a breach of legislation.  

We understand that this may be inconvenient but our goal is not to impose unnecessary hurdles, rather we are committed to complying with legislation designed to ensure that a qualified professional regularly reviews the health of all patients.  We too want the very best care for your pet, as if they were our own.

​

---