Stephen at Superwild · 15 May 2026 · 7 min read

When to ask your UK vet for a written prescription — and when not to bother

From 23 September 2026 every UK vet must offer a written prescription on request, capped at £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for each additional medicine on the same prescription. The obvious question follows: when is it worth paying the fee, and when is it not?

A practical framework.

Almost always worth it

Chronic medications taken for more than 3 months

Apoquel, Vetmedin, Cardisure, Galliprant, Pexion, gabapentin, Fortekor, Metacam: every single one of these has a vet-vs-online gap larger than £20/month at typical doses. The £21 fee pays for itself in the first month and then keeps paying you for the next 11. For lifetime chronic medications (heart failure, epilepsy, atopic dermatitis), this is the no-brainer category.

Parasiticides

Bravecto, NexGard, Credelio, Advocate, Simparica, Milbemax, Seresto. The CMA called out parasiticides as the single biggest area of vet practice mark-up. For a medium dog on monthly flea/tick + monthly wormer, the gap runs £15–£25 per dose. A 6-monthly written prescription pays for itself twice over.

Multiple refills already lined up

UK vet prescriptions can authorise repeat dispensing for up to 6 months (some vets do 12). One £21 fee, six refills, six months of savings. This is almost always the cheapest path for stable chronic patients.

Maybe worth it

Antibiotics, especially second-line

A 7-day course of Synulox at the vet might be £28–£36. The same course online is £15–£20. The £21 fee almost wipes out the saving on a single course. But if your dog is on Marbocyl, Baytril or doxycycline for a longer course (4+ weeks), the maths tips back in your favour.

Eye drops and ear drops

One bottle at the vet might be £18–£30; online £9–£18. A single course is close to a wash; a recurrent problem (KCS dogs on Optimmune, allergy dogs with chronic otitis) makes the prescription clearly worth it.

Usually not worth it

Short courses where the saving is under £25

If the total medicine cost is £30 at the vet and £18 online, you do not save anything after the £21 fee. Just pay the vet.

Anything you need today

A weekend emergency, an unexpected diagnosis, a holiday departure tomorrow. The prescription-and-post route adds 24–72 hours. If the dog is ill or you are leaving, take the medicine in clinic.

Controlled drugs over short windows

Phenobarbital (Phenoleptil, Epiphen) and tramadol are Schedule 3 controlled drugs. The written prescription has a 28-day validity window. If you cannot get it to a pharmacy and back to you within 28 days, do not bother. For long-term epilepsy patients with stable supply chains, the saving is large; for one-off scripts mid-holiday, skip it.

The £12.50 bundling trick

The fee structure is £21 for the first medicine + £12.50 for each additional medicine on the same prescription. So two medicines on one prescription is £33.50 total — not £42. Three is £46. Four is £58.50.

If your dog is on a multi-drug regime (heart failure dogs typically take three; atopic dogs commonly take two; arthritis dogs frequently three), ask for them all on one prescription. The cost compounds quickly.

The copy-paste email

Send this to your vet practice. They are obliged to respond, and from 23 September 2026 obliged to offer it as a matter of course.

Subject: Written prescription request — [Dog's name]

Hi,

Could I please request a written prescription for [Dog's name]'s
ongoing medication? Specifically:
  - [Medication 1] [strength] [dose]
  - [Medication 2] [strength] [dose]
  - [Medication 3] [strength] [dose]

I'd like all three on a single prescription per the CMA Order's
fee structure (£21 + £12.50 per additional). 6-month repeat
authorisation if possible.

I'll collect / arrange payment of the prescription fee at your
convenience.

Many thanks,
[Your name]
[Dog's name]

If your vet refuses or stalls

1. Ask politely in writing for a reason in writing. From 23 September 2026 a written prescription must be offered on request.
2. Reference the CMA Order specifically (the 6 large groups must comply by 23 Sept 2026; smaller practices by late December 2026).
3. If still refused without clinical reason, you can escalate to the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons). The RCVS publishes a complaints route.
4. You can also change practice. The vast majority of UK practices comply happily once asked.

The full step-by-step is in our prescription guide.

Not legal or medical advice. Sources: CMA Final Order (March 2026); RCVS Code of Professional Conduct. Specific prescription validity (28 days for controlled drugs, 6 months for non-controlled POM-V) is set out in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations.