UK vet prescriptions

Hi all, just wondered if there were any UK registered vets on the forum?

We have 5 dogs, and go out of our way to ensure they are well fed, cared for and looked after. We therefore need to treat them each month with Advantix 400 flea and tick treatment for extra large dogs. This cost an absolute fortune in Spain for us to purchase each month.

It can be purchased from a reputable online pet pharmacy in the UK for a third of the price, however they need a prescription and our UK vet can't write it, as she hasn't seen the dogs in the last 6 months. Our spanish vet tells me that he isn't allowed to write a private prescription (something to do with the government wanting to ensure they get as much tax as possible from controlling where the medication is purchased from).

I think therefore that our only option is to get an English registered vet in spain to write the prescription so we can fax it to the UK pharmacy and order it that way.

Any help gratefully received by us and our 5 pooches.

Regards, Carl

This message was last edited by carl9 on 10/09/2013.

This message was last edited by carl9 on 10/09/2013.

I have never heard of needing a prescription for tick and flea treatments. Have you tried other treatments? Advantix is very expensive in Spain as you have discovered, I used Scalibor with my dogs and had no problems, big dogs too (37kg). It costs 18 euros approx and lasts for 6 months, a very effective alternative you might want to try. 

Hi Eos_Ian, yes we also use those collars, although they don't totally prevent the dogs getting bitten. They all suffer from bites, especially to the ear. They are also each vaccinated against Leishmania virus too, but we find that Advantix gives them addtional protection, from tics and bites and therefore chose to use it.

Advantix needs a prescription in the UK and Spain.

It's such a shame, as it's so cheap in the UK on prescription - hence my post.

Regards, Carl

I've bought Advantix loads of times here in Spain and I have never needed a prescription. Admittedly it is not cheap especially for big dogs. Have no idea what the price is in the UK but I buy it online from Tiendanimal.es (61,95€ for 8 applications). I have also bought it from vets that have never seen my dog and pet shops. The UK must be stricter with this. I only apply Advantix to my dog in the summer season - June / July / August / September to give added defense, the rest of the year I use the Scalibor collar as eos_ian mentioned.