New RVC regulations on dispensing of medicines

As of the 1st September the RVC issued new regulations for prescribing of POVM (prescription only veterinary medicines) which affects how we can prescribe medication for your horse.

The key changes are as follows:

All antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and controlled drugs (which include clenbuterol (Ventipulmin), codeine and gabapentin) require an in person physical examination by a veterinarian. This applies to all antibiotics, including oral, injectable, and topical (creams and eye ointments). Antibiotics cannot be given based on photographs or videos only – a physical examination of the animal is required legally.

Other POM-V’s eg phenylbutazone (Equipalazone or pergolide (Prascend) may be prescribed after your horse has had a physical examination or, in certain situations a virtual consultation with a veterinarian.

Horse wormers eg Equest Premix, Panacur Equine Guard and Noromectin are POM-VPS category medicines and dispensing legislation is unchanged.

If you use more than one veterinary practice for your horse, we are obliged to keep other veterinary practices updated of any information about the animal that may affect its treatment. Therefore if you use another practice in addition to ourselves we may ask that you contact us to let us know and we will ask for you to complete a mutual client agreement form which gives us permission to share clinical records