_The sale and use of all drugs and medicines is controlled under Law by the Medicines Act 1968. This places medicines into four categories:- POM, PML, P, GSL.

1. POM - Prescription Only Medicines. These include all antibiotics and restricted drugs.

2. PML - Pharmacy and Merchants List - and

3. P - Pharmacy only. - These include a variety of less dangerous drugs, including a number of wormers and proprietary remedies.

4. GSL - General sales List. - these include all the other proprietary and home remedies that can be bought "over the counter", including some wormers.

Veterinary Surgeons are empowered to prescribe and sell all four categories of drugs, but can only legally supply the first three categories for use on "animals under their care". This has been legally defined as follows:-

The veterinary surgeon MUST:-

i) - have been given responsibility for the health of the animal or herd by the owner, in real terms. Drugs cannot be supplied for neighbours, friends of clients or to repay illegal "loan" of drugs.

ii) - have seen the animal for the purposes of diagnosis or prescription, immediately prior thereto, or:

- have visited the premises on which the animal(s) is/are kept sufficiently often and recently to have acquired from personal knowledge and inspection, an accurate picture of the current health status of the animal(s) concerned sufficient to enable him to make a diagnosis or prescribe for the animal(s) in question. This is not possible in most cases if the animals have not been seen and/or the farm has not been visited for some considerable time.

ALSO:- The quantity of any medication supplied must be appropriate to the numbers of stock likely to be treated, and, in the case of farm stock, the type of in-feed medication must be in keeping with the category of mixing licence held by the client. This means we must not supply drugs "just in case" they may be required!

It is therefore AGAINST THE LAW for a veterinary surgeon to prescribe restricted drugs without seeing the animal in question.

In November 1988 a veterinary surgeon was fined £1000.00 and ordered to pay £1,500.00 costs for supplying medicines for animals which, even though they belonged to a bona fide client, were ruled not under that veterinary surgeons care at the time. He was also brought before the disciplinary committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. In 1989 a veterinary surgeon was struck off for selling some Panacur® sheep wormer to someone who was not a client. In June of 1990 another veterinary surgeon was struck off for selling a tube of Eqvalan® horse wormer for a horse he had not seen.

Whilst it may appear anomalous that these products can be bought from a chemist or merchant who has never seen the animal concerned, it is nevertheless the Law that a veterinary surgeon MUST EXAMINE THE ANIMAL BEFORE PRESCRIBING. In most cases, especially those involving the use of antibiotics, this is essential to ensure the health and safety of the patient, as the wrong drug may be detrimental or indeed dangerous. The law exists to help protect animals from unnecessary suffering and loss of time prior to proper attention being given, and to protect clients from consequential financial loss, and to protect the consumer (and not least the environment) from the consequences of exposure to unnecessary and excessive use of medicines.

We therefore beg your indulgence not to ask for restricted medicines "over the counter".

OUR NONPROFESSIONAL STAFF HAVE BEEN FORBIDDEN TO DISPENSE ANY MEDICINES ON THESE RESTRICTED LISTS, WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC CONSENT OF A QUALIFIED VETERINARY SURGEON WHO MUST DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT AN EXAMINATION OR VISIT IS FIRST REQUIRED.

By all means ask for advice; - Our aim is to give an efficient and friendly service, within the bounds of the law!

Station Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent. TN13 2XA (01732) 452333