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Scooter's Supplies for Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) Are Vets Required to Prescribe What They're Willing to Dispense? |
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YES - 27 |
NO - 24 |
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This page includes information provided in response to an email sent to all states and the District of Columbia veterinary and pharmacy boards asking: "Are veterinarians required under state law or regulation to write prescriptions upon client request, assuming that a patient/client relationship exists and that the vet is already willing to dispense the medication in question from the clinic's own stock?" Click on the state name for more detailed information. If your state is in the no column, do check with your state veterinary and pharmacy boards and state veterinary association (see links below) for the current situation - things change rapidly. (03/19/12). |
Arizona YES |
Missouri YES |
Alabama NO |
Montana NO |
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Law or Regulation |
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Alabama
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To answer your question directly, the answer is "No", they are not required by law to write prescriptions, however, the following is a more concise statement in regard to your inquiry? If you need any additional information please feel free to contact the board office at 256-353-3544 or P. O. Box 1968, Decatur, AL 35602. "The Alabama Veterinary Practice Act and its Administrative Code do not specifically cover prescription writing by veterinarians. The absence of such a mandate, coupled with the fact that many veterinarians act as their own pharmacy is interpreted as the writing of prescriptions to be within the veterinarian's discretion in providing that service to their clients. If veterinarians write prescriptions for any animal, they must first insure that a current veterinarian-client-patient relationship exists, insure that all applicable blood tests are completed in accordance with the veterinarian 's protocol and insure that the administration of these drugs is not contraindicated by the presence of other medical conditions or substances being used for the patient. The Board is confident your veterinarian will discuss his or her policy regarding prescriptions. Any medication dispensed without proper authorization from a licensed Alabama veterinarian, would constitute a violation of the Alabama Veterinary Practice Act. If you have any questions regarding this correspondence, please contact the Board office." Theresa
S. Chandler It is my opinion that they are required to give the patient a prescription if asked to do so. Please contact the Board of Veterinary Medicine and ask for an opinion from them. Jerry
Moore R.Ph., J.D. |
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There is no law regulating this. After speaking with the board members, they all agreed that it is just general practice to give a patient a prescription if they request it. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely,
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Arizona Revised Statutes pertaining to the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board: Article 7. Dispensing of drugs and devices 32-2281. Dispensing of drugs and devices; conditions; definition B.
The board shall adopt rules providing that the
animal's owner or the person responsible for the
animal shall be notified that some prescription-only
drugs may be available at a pharmacy and a written
prescription may be provided to the animal's owner
or the person responsible for the animal if
requested. According to A.A.C. R3-11-801(B) "A dispensing veterinarian may provide a written prescription to an animal owner if requested by the animal owner." Statutorally, the word shall requires an action by law. Since the word may is used in this instance, it does not require a veterinarian to provide a prescription. That's rather a long was to say that the answer to your question is "No". Thank you for your interest. Sincerely,
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There is no law or regulation in Arkansas requiring veterinarians to write prescriptions upon client request. Sherry
Glover |
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Senate Bill 175, approved by the Governor on 9/1/2003 and effective 1/1/2004, amends Section 4170 of the California Business and Professions Code to require vets to prescribe rather than dispense. The relevant sections are below: 4170. (a) No prescriber shall dispense drugs or dangerous devices to patients in his or her office or place of practice unless all of the following conditions are met: (6) The prescriber, prior to dispensing, offers to give a written prescription to the patient that the patient may elect to have filled by the prescriber or by any pharmacy. (7) The prescriber provides the patient with written disclosure that the patient has a choice between obtaining the prescription from the dispensing prescriber or obtaining the prescription at a pharmacy of the patient's choice. (b) The Medical Board of California, the State Board of Optometry, the Dental Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, the Veterinary Medical Board, and the Physician Assistant Committee shall have authority with the California State Board of Pharmacy to ensure compliance with this section, and those boards are specifically charged with the enforcement of this chapter with respect to their respective licensees. (c) "Prescriber," as used in this section, means a person who holds a physician's and surgeon's certificate, a license to practice optometry, a license to practice dentistry, a license to practice veterinary medicine, or a certificate to practice podiatry, and who is duly registered by the Medical Board of California, the State Board of Optometry, the Dental Board of California, the Veterinary Medical Board, or the Board of Osteopathic Examiners of this state. |
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If there is a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship and the vet has recommended treatment that includes that prescription, the vet may not refuse to give the client the prescription order to take to another pharmacy. It would most likely be deemed to be part of the animal's medical record, and the client is entitled to copies of the records pursuant to 12-64-120, C.R.S. Sincerely,
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Connecticut
statutes/regulations do not require the writing of a
prescription Jeffrey
A. Kardys You need to contact the Department of Public Health for an answer to your question. Sincerely,
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There is no statutory or regulatory provision requiring to vets to write a prescription. Nor is there any definition of veterinarian-client relationship. The only rule pertaining to prescriptions provides that it is unprofessional conduct for a vet to prescribe medication without having examined the animal(s) within a period of a year. Susan
Miccio, Administrative Specialist |
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The District of Columbia does not have a law that requires veterinarians to write a prescription upon client request. A veterinarian must have an established client/patient relationship in order to prescribe drugs. The Board may elect to change the regulation in the future. JoAnne
Carey, DVM |
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It is my understanding that they would be required to issued a prescription in this situation, but an official answer would need to come from the Board of Veterinary Medicine at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Sincerely, John
D. Taylor, RPh Ask our State of Florida ...Attny: Mr. Ed Bayo, esq I would say yes. However he is the final word and will give you the best and most qualified answer. Katherine
Horky, DVM A Florida veterinarian may be disciplined under Section 474.214(1)(pp), Florida Statutes, for "failing to give the owner of a patient, before dispensing any drug, a written prescription when requested" Ed
Bayo, Office of the Attorney General, State of
Florida |
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The Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine is in receipt of your inquiry regarding veterinarians being required to write a prescription. The Board wishes to refer you to Rule 700-8-.01(a) of the Official Rules of the Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine, which states "After a valid veterinary/client/patient relationship has been established a veterinarian must make available at a reasonable cost, a written prescription if a prescription is required". This rule can be viewed on our website at www.sos.state.ga.us/plb/veterinary. If you have any questions or if our office can be of assistance to you in the future, please let me know. Susan
S. Hewett |
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The veterinary regulations does not specifically address the prescribing or dispensing of medication for an animal. The regulations basically provides for the treatment of the animal by licensed veterinarians, which includes medical, surgical and dental care. The circumstance appears to be ethical in nature, of whether or not the prescribing and dispensing of medication by a veterinarian is part of a necessary treatment. Hawaii Board of Veterinary |
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Section IIIC of the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the American Veterinary Medical Association - 1999 Revision, which is incorporated into the Idaho Veterinary Practice Act by reference, states veterinarians should honor a client's request for a prescription in lieu of dispensing, provided that a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship has been established. If you need any additional information, please let me know. Sincerely, Sheila
Jensen There is no legal mandatory requirement that a veterinarian must write a prescription for a client vs. dispensing the medication out of their own inventory. It is up to the veterinarian whether they want to write the prescription. If the client is wanting to use a mail-service or internet pharmacy there is usually heightened concern as to whether that pharmacy can legally fill the prescription. I am not sure what other reason they might have for wanting to dispense the medication out of their own stock but the Board of Pharmacy has no rules and regulations requiring that they write a prescription pursuant to a client's request. Sincerely, Jan
Atkinson |
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Thank you for your inquiry. The statute and rules do not address your question. Therefore, the veterinarian is not required to write a prescription upon client's request. Sincerely,
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Amendment to Indiana Law, IC 25-38.1-4-5, which concerns prescriptions of licensed veterinarians, new subsections (b) through (d). New subsection (d) provides: (d) If a veterinarian prescribes a drug for the client's animal, upon request, the veterinarian shall provide the prescription to the client, unless prohibited by state or federal law or to prevent inappropriate use. See IC 25-38.1-4-5 at http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title25/ar38.1/ch4.html |
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Veterinarians are not required to prescribe by Iowa laws or rules. If they do prescribe, there must be a valid VCPR. They may charge a prescription fee, if they choose. Hope this helps. Dr.
Schiltz We
cannot answer this question. Please contact
the state veterinarian, John Debbie
Jorgenson |
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I don't believe vets are required by law to write a prescription, however, there is more than one vet out there and if you feel that your pet's doctor is not acting in the best interest of you or your pet, then you may want to find another veterinarian. Be sure to let the veterinarian know why you are leaving the practice, some are under the mistaken notion that if a drug is not dispensed by them there is no patient./vet relationship. This is incorrect, pharmacies fill prescriptions all the time for vet drugs. Susan
Linn |
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A
veterinarian is authorized under the statute to
dispense, however, if the The
Kentucky Board of Pharmacy |
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Louisiana incorporates the AVMA veterinary ethical principles in its veterinary law that requires a vet to prescribe rather than dispense if a client so requests. |
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If the veterinarian is prescribing a medication for a patient, yes the doctor is required to provide the patient, upon request, with a written prescription. You are correct with the patient/client relationship and if the vet is already willing to dispense from the clinic's stock. Let me know if you have any further questions Kelly
L. McLaughlin, Board Clerk |
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The simple answer to your question is yes. It would be considered a violation of COMAR 15.14.01.04 and possibly 15.14.01.05 depending on the circumstance and issues and medications involved and may also be a violation of antitrust laws. This is with the understanding that a patient/client relationship exists and that the vet is already willing to dispense the medication in question from the clinic's own stock. If I can be of further help to clarify some of these issues please contact me through the Board office. Yours truly, Donald
M. Carman, DVM |
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A veterinarian must write a prescription only if the prescription is to be filled at a pharmacy licensed in Massachusetts, or if it is VIPPS (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) approved. Clicking on this web page http://www.nabp.net/index.html?target=/vipps/intro.asp& will give you a list of these approved sites. If the pharmacy is not listed on this site, then the veterinarian may refuse to write the prescription and only dispense the medication from his own stock. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Jodi
Bornstein I have forwarded your request to the Board of Veterinary Medicine for a reply ... Thank you, Charles
R. Young, R.Ph, CFE |
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I did get a phone call and message on my voice mail today from Mr. Mike Wissel, from State of Michigan, Health Regulatory. He said that it is considered a violation of Code 333.16221/Professional Responsibility, for a vet to refuse to issue a prescription or force a person to purchase a drug or service from somewhere they have a financial interest. He also said that if we have any other questions that he can answer, to call him at 517-335-1769. Kelli
Jo |
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At this time, veterinarians in the state of Minnesota are not required to write a prescription to a client even if a client/ patient relationship exists. However, refusing to write the prescription may not help build strong client relationships. If you have any additional questions, please contact me again. John
King DVM, Executive Director, Board of Veterinary
Medicine
Roland
C. Olson, DVM, Executive Director, Board of
Veterinary Medicine. |
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No, not in Mississippi. Harvey
F. McCrory, DVM |
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Missouri resident Mike Shilko writes that "I did some research when my vet refused a prescription and, in the Pharmacy rules and regulations, it specifically states that a vet must provide a prescription if the customer asks for one." See Chapter 338, Pharmacists and Pharmacies, Section 338.015 (3): Patient's freedom of choice to obtain prescription services, waiver --consultation and advice. 338.015. 1. The provisions of sections 338.010 to 338.015 shall not be construed to inhibit the patient's freedom of choice to obtain prescription services from any licensed pharmacist. However, nothing in sections 338.010 to 338.315 abrogates the patient's ability to waive freedom of choice under any contract with regard to payment or coverage of prescription expense. 2. All pharmacists may provide pharmaceutical consultation and advice to persons concerning the safe and therapeutic use of their prescription drugs. 3. All patients shall have the right to receive a written prescription from their prescriber to take to the facility of their choice. |
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No such state law or regulation. Cheryl
Brandt, Executive Director A MT statute, 37-2-104 states that medical practitioners cannot dispense drugs in the usual course of their practice. 37-2-101, the section of definitions for the above statute, does not include veterinarians in its definition of "medical practitioner", however. While there is nothing that I am aware of that requires veterinarians to handle this situation in a certain way, I've forwarded your e-mail to Cheryl Brandt of the Board of Veterinary Medicine for her board's comments. It would seem to me that a veterinarian could honor the wishes of his/her patient's "human" unless the same medication could not be obtained in a regular pharmacy. Thanks for responding to this question, Cheryl. Rebecca
(Becky) Deschamps, RPh |
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Nebraska statutes and regulations do not directly address the issue of whether or not a veterinarian is required to issue a prescription upon client request, assuming that a veterinarian/client/patient relationship exists in accordance with statutes and that the veterinarian was already willing to dispense the medication from his own clinic stock. (Federal Trade Commission laws/regulations do address fair trade practices). In addition, this does not mean that failure to write a prescription in such a circumstance would not be considered unprofessional conduct pursuant to Nebraska Revised Statute 71-148 which states: “Unprofessional conduct means any departure from or failure to conform to the standards of acceptable and prevaililng practice of a profession or occupation or the ethics of the profession or occupation, regardless of whether a person, patient, or entity is injured, or conduct that is likely to deceive or defraud the public or is detrimental to the public interest…” Nebraska Revised Statute 71-148 defines unprofessional conduct which is a ground to discipline a license pursuant to Nebraska Revised Statute 71-147(10). Please reference the AVMA “Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics 1999 Revision” section III C 1 and the “Position Statement on Internet Pharmacies” approved by the AVMA Executive Board April 2001. Such documents are considered to set the standard for acceptable and prevailing practice and ethics of the profession. The Nebraska Board of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery asked a Department of Health and Human Services attorney to address the Board on this issue in October, 2001. It was the Department attorney’s recommendation that veterinarians who are asked to provide a prescription to the client, assuming a vet/client/patient relationship exists, and the veterinarian was willing to dispense the medication, should provide the prescription to the client. Above
was forward by |
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Nevada pharmacy law and the AVMA Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics indicate that a patient may request a written prescription and have it filled at another location of the patient's choosing as long as a veterinary-client-patient-relationship has been established. I hope this answers your question. Debbie
Machen |
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Yes, a veterinarian is required to write a prescription when a patient/client relationship exists and the animal owner requests it. It is not specifically written in the Vet. Rules, but, according to the Pharmacy Board, it is under medical-patient's rights. A minimal fee may be charged for the writing of the prescription. Sincerely, Patricia
Duncklee, Administrative Secretary At the request of the client, a veterinarian should provide a written prescription. You are not obligated to purchase any medication from the prescriber/clinic. It is your "freedom of choice" as to where you choose to obtain legally prescribed medications. Infractions of this nature should be reported to the Board of Veterinary Medicine (Tel. 271-3706). Sincerely,
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From the New Jersey State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners web site: "A veterinarian must, upon request, provide a written prescription to a consumer who does not wish to purchase a prescription item directly from that veterinarian." .J.A.C.
13:44-4.1 requires a licensee to label any dispensed
medication |
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"Veterinarians shall honor client requests to dispense and/or provide a written prescription for a drug that has been determined by the veterinarian to be appropriate for the patient." Rules
and Regulations |
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Education
Law section 6807 limits the quantity of a drug that
may be supplied for a fee by prescribers to no more
than a 72-hour supply. You may view this law
in its entirety at our website: http://www.op.nysed.gov
click on Title VIII then click on Article 137.
We hope this is helpful. If questions remain,
please contact us at the number listed below. NYS
Board of Pharmacy All
professionals licensed by this Department must
release records to a client or patient upon
request. This would include
prescriptions. While most veterinarians
typically dispense the necessary medications, a
client may certainly request a prescription for the
purpose of having it filled elsewhere. Peter
Ferguson
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 9:40 AM
The
only reason a veterinarian may refuse to give you a
written prescription is for a justifiable veterinary
medical reason such as a need to examine or monitor
the animal. If
they are willing to dispense the medication to you,
there is no acceptable reason to refuse to give you a
written prescription.
Writing a prescription is a professional
service and they may charge a fee for that
professional service, but they cannot refuse to write
a prescription for a medication in a situation where
they would dispense the medication. You
should report the veterinarian to the Office of
Professional Discipline.
Information on submitting a complaint can be
found at www.op.nysed.gov/faq.htm#complain. Laura
M. Lynch Program
Assistant II State Board for Veterinary Medicine |
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According to the Attorney General's legal opinion they are required to provide you with a prescription assuming that a patient/client relationship exists and that the vet is already willing to dispense the medication in question from the clinic's own stock? Information from Stacy Mickey of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board as told to Bill V. Beck in a 9/26/02 phone call.
"In March 1996, N.C. Assistant Attorney General Kip Sturgis contacted the Board by letter as a result of complaints received by the Attorney General's office concerning veterinarians and prescriptions. In that letter Mr. Sturgis summarized his office concerns as followed, the first on medically unjustified restraint of competition in the market for veterinary medicine. The second is directed to the ethics of these anticompetitive practices that not only place the veterinarians commercial interest in direct conflict with the animals owner, but may also undermine the veterinarians professional purpose to promote animal health by foreseeably leading some owners to delay or forego veterinary treatment of their animals. The third, reflected by complaints both agencies have received, focuses on the damage these practices have on the public's perception of veterinarians professionalism. If a veterinarian is willing to dispense medication, then they (veterinarians) must also provide a prescription, in place of medication, should the owner seek a prescription. Should the veterinarian upon medical opinion not provide medication, than it would also be appropriate to deny a request for a prescription." |
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I am not aware of any North Dakota law or regulation requiring veterinarians to issue prescriptions. This is standard practice, however, and is recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association. I hope this information is helpful. John
R. Boyce, DVM, PhD I do not know. We have freedom of choice for human patients but I have never been asked about Veterinarians. Perhaps the Veterinary laws or rules would answer this question. We would consider it a conflict of interest and unprofessional for a Medical practitioner to refuse to write a prescription instead of dispensing the drug themselves. I would suggest that a patient being so treated should find a different veterinarian. On the other hand, if the request does not come from the patient, you would need to be sure the patient wanted it that way. Howard
Anderson |
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I would concur with Mr. Winsley. There is no requirement that a veterinarian write a prescription. It is encouraged that if there is a valid VCPR, that the veterinarian would write the prescription to the client but it is not mandated. Heather
Hissom
Donna
Fickel There is no federal or Ohio law or rule that I know of that mandates that a veterinarian (or any other prescriber, for that matter) issue a written prescription. However, I am not as familiar with the laws, rules, and opinions of the Veterinary Medical Licensing Board as I am with our own laws and rules, For that reason, I'm forwarding a copy of this correspondence to them. They may wish to correspond with you directly. Bill
Winsley |
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A veterinarian is considered a practitioner of the healing arts. If a client request a prescription and it is for a legitimate reason and you have a VCPR established, then you are required to honor their request. Respectfully, Cathy
Kirkpatrick There is no specific requirement in the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act that requires a veterinarian to provide a prescription upon request of a client. A veterinarian may refuse to write a prescription for a client with whom a VCPR exists. (No prescription is ever authorized in the absence of a valid VCPR). If the request is legitimate and you have an established client-patient relationship, you may want to consider the consequences that a refusal to provide a prescription may have on future relationships with the client. Additionally, there is nothing in the Practice Act that prohibits a veterinarian from charging a fee for providing a written prescription to a client. What is “fair and reasonable” with regard to a prescription writing fee, would be based on the facts of a particular situation. Excerpted
from the "A Message From The Director" Column, April
2002 Newsletter Under Title 59, Chapter 8 of the Oklahoma Statutes 354. Prescription as property right of patient, C. No legally competent practitioner of the healing arts shall refuse to honor the request of his patient to have his prescriptions transferred to the pharmacy of the patients choice. Bryan
Potter |
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No, the Practice Act does not compel veterinarians to provide treatment or prescriptions on client demand. In the context of a patient-client relationship, the veterinarian may offer a generic prescription, i.e., one that you may take to a pharmacy to fill; but the veterinarian is not required to write the prescription for a specific pharmacy. Hope this helps. Lori
Makinen We
have no jurisdiction over Vets writing RX's. This
would be a question for Oregon
Pharmacy Board |
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The Veterinary regulations only state the following concerning prescriptions: Principle 7 (c) - "In the choice of drugs, biologics or other treatments, veterinarians should use their professional judgment in the interests of the animal, based upon their knowledge of the condition, the probable effects of the treatment and the available scientific evidence which may affect these decisions." Other than that, there is nothing in the regulations that addresses vets writing prescriptions. Hope that helps! Michelle
Bobar I have forwarded your e-mail to the Board of Veterinary. I do not know whether it is proper for you to refuse to provide a prescription to a patient and insist on dispensing the medication yourself. Melanie
Zimmerman |
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In Rhode Island, if a patient requests a prescription to be filled at an outside pharmacy or any other authorized dispenser, a veterinarian must comply with that request. It is the patient's right to obtain the prescription from any source they wish. Gail
Giuliano There is no requirement that veterinarians in RI write prescriptions. In the past, the Board has taken the position that vets who do not write prescriptions should inform their clients in advance of providing services that the vet office dispenses drugs from the office, but does not write any prescriptions. If the vet does write prescriptions, the vet is required to deliver same to the client upon request. Maureen
A. Hobson I am forwarding your e-mail question to the Veterinary Board, since they can address veterinary rules and statutes and the current standard of practice. Whether a veterinarian supplies/dispenses the medications to his patients or not, he is still, in effect, writing a prescription. An order for the medication must be written in the patient's chart. I would think that where the prescription is filled is up to the client and that if the client prefers to have his medication dispensed outside the veterinary clinic, it is entirely up to them. Catherine
A. Cordy |
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No, veterinarians are not required to write a prescription. It is at the discretion of the vet. Alana
Holmes Our Practice Act does not specifically address your question. You may want to contact the SC Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners at 803-896-4598 for their recommendations on this issue. Karen
C. McKinnon, RPh |
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David:
there are no laws or regulations in South Dakota for
such SD
Holland You would need to contact the Board of Veterinarian Medicine at 605-773-3321. Dennis
M. Jones |
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There is no requirement for veterinarians to provide prescriptions upon client request. Lisa
Lampley This subject would be more appropriately addresses to the Veterinary Board. By this response I am forwarding your inquiry to that office. Kendall
Lynch, Director |
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The state of Texas does not have any laws or regulations that require a veterinarian to provide a prescription upon the request of a client. It is up to the veterinarian whether he/she will provide that prescription upon request or need. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. Dennis
L. Barker Jr. The practice of pharmacy involves the dispensing of prescription drugs once a prescription has been issued. The manner of issuance of a prescription is the practice of medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, etc. Whether a veterinarian must issue a prescription upon request rather than dispense from stock must be addressed to the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. They may be reached at: http://www.texasonline.state.tx.us/tbvme/ Steve
Morse, R.Ph. |
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If a veterinarian is prescribing a medication for a patient, the doctor may offer or provide the medication from his clinic stock or upon the client's request, he should provide the client with a written prescription for the patient.
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Veterinary Board Rule 3.9 WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS A veterinarian licensed and practicing in Vermont is not required to write a prescription at a client's request. A veterinarian licensed and practicing in Vermont is required to provide a requesting client with copies of documents prepared for and purchased by the client in connection with veterinary services. Example: A veterinarian examines a patient, writes a prescription in connection with the examination, and then, for some reason, decides not to give the prescription to the client after the client has paid for the examination and asked for the prescription. In such a case, the veterinarian must provide the client with a copy of the prescription. Veterinary prescription drugs may be dispensed only by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian in the presence of a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship, as provided in Rule 3.6 above. Effective: June 15, 1999
Attorney
Chris Winters, Counsel for the Board of Pharmacy
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If a Virginia licensed veterinarian refuses to provide the client with a valid prescription upon request and he would dispense the same medication from his practice for the patient, it may be construed as unprofessional conduct, and the Board can take disciplinary action. Complaints can be filed with the Board through the Virginia Department of Health Professions' Complaint Intake Unit (1-800-533-1560 or via the agency's website http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/vet/ by selecting "File a Complaint.") If you have further questions, please contact me or the Board office. Cordially,
Your question relates to the practice of veterinary medicine, so I am forwarding your question to that board for a response. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me. Ralph
A. Orr, Deputy Executive Director |
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There is no veterinary law that says they have to. I will forward your message to the pharmacy board and see if they have any laws or rules regarding your question. Karen
Kelley
I hope that this is helpful. Donald
H. Williams, RPh, FASHP |
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Thank you for your e-mail. I noticed in West Virginia that you did not have the answer to the question. I never received the inquiry, so I will answer here. There is no reference in West Virginia veterinary law requiring veterinarians to prescribe rather than dispense. In the code of state regulations §26-4-3.5 are the pharmacological service regulations for veterinary medicine. It references dispensing and prescribing by veterinarians. However, the Board strongly recommends to veterinarians that they grant a script to a client if requested, as long as there is a valid VCPR. Wanda
Goodwin The pharmacy practice act does not address whether prescriptions must be written upon patient request, it only states that vets can supply their own patients with medications. You need to check with the Board of Veterinary Medicine to see if they address the writing of prescriptions in their law. William
T. Douglass, Jr. |
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There is nothing in the statutes or administrative code that requires a veterinarian to write a prescription rather than to dispense the medication directly. Some vets will write a prescription, but charge the client for doing so. Wayne
Austin |
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Chapter 4 of the Wyoming Board of Veterinary Medicine's rules state in Section 1.(b) The Board adopts, incorporates and enforces as standards for professional conduct, the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics, published by the American Veterinary Medical Association Judicial Council. The Principles of Vet Medical Ethics section 111c.1. Veterinarians should honor a client's request for a prescription in lieu of dispensing. Dispensing or prescribing a prescription product requires a valid Veterinarian Client Patient Relationship. Jim
Logan, DVM |
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This page is a product of me, David Jacobson. State law and regulation are constantly changing - contact your state veterinary and pharmacy boards for up-to-date information. If that information is counter to what's listed above, please email me with your findings. |
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