You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

There is a lot of debate about the cost of veterinary medicines in the UK - in fact the whole subject of veterinarians being able to sell drugs is being reviewed repeatedly by the UK Government. 

The economics of running a veterinary practice are extremely complex. When you buy a product from your vet you are usually getting some professional advice as well, and the profit from the drug sale goes towards employing skilled veterinary and nursing staff, and towards  the specialist equipment needed to provide veterinary services. These costs are not present when running a simple shop - so in countries where over-the-counter sales of drugs can take place the retail price of the drugs may be lower....however to provide the same turnover to run the practice the veterinary fees have to be higher. In other words profits generated from drugs sold through veterinary practices in the UK help to subsidise the veterinary treatment and advisory services that they provide.

Having said this - the mark-up on drugs is not usually that great, and it would be very surprising if the difference was that much that it would justify the cost and time it would take for a UK owner to travel to Ireland or mainland Europe to buy drugs over the counter.

If the veterinary profession in the UK loses it's right to sell drugs (which is possible as the matter is being reviewed at this time) there is likely to be a considerable increase in the cost of other veterinary services to compensate for lost income.

Provet would like to hear your views about this subject. Please send your comments to feedback@provet.co.uk. If we get sufficient response we will publish the results later.

Thank You

Updated October 2013