Veterinarians and medical doctors alike prescribe medication to treat their patients—whether they are pets or people. Both professions must adhere to the same legislation: the Controlled Substances Act (SA 1984). This law requires that any doctor, whether treating animals or humans, must have a patient under their care to prescribe medication. But what does it mean to have a patient “a patient under their care”?
The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), which oversees the veterinary profession, 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 bona-fide relationship requirement.
Further to this, in South Australia, veterinarians are regulated by the Veterinary Surgeons Board. 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 Vet Board would likely consider this a breach of the Professional Standards.
Therefore, if you request medication for your pet without a recent visit OR ask for a refill after more than six months since the last consultation OR seek a nurse-administered injection without a recent check-up, it is important to understand that this would be a breach of legislation.
This situation is similar to calling your own GP for a repeat prescription without a recent consultation. Such a request would not be authorised and they too would ask you to come in for a revisit.
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 patients, whether they are pets or people.
We too want the very best care for your pet, as if they were our own.
FIV Update
We expect FIV to be available early November 2024. We will be in touch with clients to advise them of the exact details.