Veterinary Prescription Disclosure

Florida veterinary clients get prescription choice notices

Beginning July 1, 2026, Florida veterinarians or authorized staff must explain your prescription options before dispensing prescription medicine. You can get a written prescription filled at your chosen pharmacy, or use the veterinary office if it can fill it. Written prescriptions include paper prescriptions and electronic prescriptions sent directly to a pharmacy. Staff must explain these options verbally during in-person visits or electronically during veterinary telehealth visits. Your choice must be recorded in a one-time acknowledgment that you sign and date, kept in the animal’s medical record. The acknowledgment cannot include statements, warnings, or assumptions about the safety or effectiveness of using an outside pharmacy. Veterinary offices must also post a clear, easy-to-see notice near checkout explaining both options. These requirements do not apply when immediate dispensing is needed to save life or prevent suffering. They also do not apply to controlled-substance prescriptions whose dispensing is restricted by state or federal law.