Sometimes a lot goes on behind the scenes that the general public is completely unaware of. I mentioned a change to veterinary regulations a few weeks ago, and it has taken me all this time to understand what this means. I suspect the vets are still considering whether they have fully taken account of the implications. You may not have noticed that anything is different yet – or you may have been called back to the vet to discuss a change of medication for your cat. If so, you have been affected by the changes.
Examining your Cat
The new rules begin by stating that vets are no longer required to make a physical examination at the time they take the animal under their care – that is, when they accept your pet as a client of their practice or agree to treat it. They can hold a telephone consultation – asking you what seems to be the problem and discussing symptoms with you – or set up a video link to see the animal without calling for it to be brought to the practice.
Vets are obliged to examine the animal in person if;
· They suspect the animal has a notifiable disease such as foot-and-mouth, or;
· They have reason to believe that the animal needs to be treated with certain types of restricted-access medicines.
Flea and Worm Treatments
Cats don’t contract any of the notifiable diseases, so that particular clause will never affect you as a cat owner (and very, very rarely as a dog owner). What does affect you is that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has classed flea treatments and worming treatments as anti-microbials. This means that the vet has to have examined your cat recently enough to be sure that any different medication to prevent fleas or worms is appropriate and will not cause any harm. You may find that you are being asked to bring your cat to the surgery for a consultation just to make sure that their medication is still the right one.
This has caused every veterinary practice in the country to review its policies and its patient list to make sure they are complying with the new rules. They came into effect on September 1st this year, although vets have until next January to put the flea and worm treatment restrictions into practice. If you do need to ask your vet to change these, be prepared to take your cat back for a consultation.
Access to Veterinary Care
The other changes are just making sure that every vet provides you and your pets with full care – stating that when a vet accepts an animal as a client, they make provision for that animal to receive care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on every public holiday. Usually this is done by referring owners to an emergency vet service, and if your cat has ever come home injured from a fight late at night you will already know which service your vet subscribes to. This is to ensure that a sick or injured pet is never left to suffer until normal office hours resume.
Be kind to your vet. They may look calm while they examine your cat, but they’ve had a lot to deal with behind the scenes.
