Animals under our care
This section is about one of the British Veterinary Association's (BVA) current issues – we bring you the latest advice about prescribing for animals under our care
Background
Schedule 3, Part 1, of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2006 lists the conditions for prescribing authorised veterinary medicines. For POM-V (prescription only) medicines, before prescribing the product the
- vet must carry out a clinical assessment of the animal, and
- animal must be under the vet’s care
What the BVA has done
Our Veterinary Policy Group (VPG) developed a discussion document 
to help members.
It is not prescriptive and can be updated as required. If you have any comments on the document contact the policy team on policy@bva.co.uk or 020 7908 6370
These BVA Specialist Divisions have also put together species specific advice
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons interpretation
Although 'under the vet’s care' is not defined in legislation, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in its Guide to Professional Conduct has attempted to interpret it.
Medicinal products must only be supplied under the authority of the vet who has the animal 'under their care'.
The requirement for the animal to be under the prescribing vet’s care is not new, but there is still a lot of uncertainty about what this means.