About Us and what we do
Petfleas.co.uk was established in 2005 and was one of the first websites specialising in pet flea products and other general animal health products.
As part of this, we endeavour to source the best new products available and offer any specific advice or information requested. We believe our veterinary background and experience are key factors in giving our customers confidence in the products we choose to recommend. As a mark of our commitment to quality, our staff are AMTRA (Animal Medicines Training and Regulatory Authority) qualified.
We are approved by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) for the retail supply of POM-VPS and NFA-VPS veterinary medicines by a suitably qualified person (SQP). Our premises approval number is: 7085541. You can check our approval on the VMD’s website or by contacting the VMD directly.
Our registered suitably qualified persons (SQP) with responsibility for the supply of veterinary medicines classified as POM-VPS/NFA-VPS are:
Karen Thompson QR10594
Mark Pass QR13418
Angela Walker QR13773
Lisa Boughey QR16257
Christine Jennings QE7141
Diane Spencer QE7142
Rebecca White QE8632
You can verify that the above persons are a registered SQP by checking AMTRA’s list of SQP’s here.
Our trading business address is:
Beeston Animal Health
Whitchurch Road
Beeston Castle
Tarporley
Cheshire
CW6 9NJ
Our postal address is:
Unit 12
Portal Business Park
Eaton Lane
Tarporley
Cheshire
CW6 9DL
Our registered office address is:
VetPartners
Leeman House
Station Business Park
Holgate Park Drive
York
YO26 4GB
Buying authorised veterinary medicines
As a pet owner/horse owner/farmer, you’ll want to be sure that the medicines you’re giving your pet/horse/livestock are safe, effective and legal. Buying your veterinary medicines from us, a VMD-accredited internet retailer, you can be sure that:
- we are a UK-based retailer and authorised to sell veterinary medicines
- we only supply veterinary medicines that are authorised in the UK, meaning they’re proven to be safe and effective when used as directed.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)
The VMD is the UK government agency responsible for the controls on veterinary medicines in the UK, including their authorisation, manufacture and supply.
The Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS)
In 2012 the VMD set up the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) in response to the public’s concerns about buying veterinary medicines online. We are accredited under the Scheme.
You can learn more about the work of the VMD and AIRS by going to the following link: http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/giao/public.aspx
Authorisation and classification of veterinary medicines
Any product in the UK that makes a veterinary medicinal claim must be authorised. You can tell if a veterinary medicine is authorised as it will include English language labelling that it’s important that you read and understand. The label will include a unique UK marketing authorisation number, which will appear in one of the following formats:
- Vm 04321/4001
- Vh 05467/4007
- EU/1/99/099/001-001
Alternatively, the product may include a statement "This veterinary medicine is marketed in accordance with Schedule 6 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations - Exemptions for small pet animals" or similar on the label and packaging.
There are four classifications of authorised veterinary medicines:
- Prescription-only Medicine – Veterinarian (abbreviated to POM-V)
- Prescription-only Medicine – Veterinarian, Pharmacist, Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) (abbreviated to POM-VPS)
- Non-Food Animal – Veterinarian, Pharmacist, Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) (abbreviated to NFA-VPS)
- Authorised Veterinary Medicine – General Sales List (abbreviated to AVM-GSL)
You can use the VMD’s Product Information Database to check if a product is authorised and its classification, or to search for a UK-authorised veterinary medicine. The search facility allows you to search by trade name, active substance, species, legal classification and many other options. Each product has a Summary of Product Characteristics (SPCs) that tells you all about the medicine.
For more information visit the VMD’s Product Information Database here: http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/ProductInformationDatabase/
Prescription misuse
It is an offence to:
- Alter a prescription issued by a vet, pharmacist or SQP e.g.
- change the date the prescription was signed
- change the quantity of the product
- include additional medicines
- Fraudulently produce a prescription e.g.
- forge a prescription
- forge the signature of a vet, pharmacist or SQP
- send the same prescription to multiple retailers
Our RQP carefully checks all prescriptions and will report suspected prescription misuse to the VMD or the police.
What to do if your pet suffers an adverse reaction
No medicine is risk free and all medicines have the potential to cause adverse effects. Some of the adverse effects are known about and these are explained in the product’s SPC. Others that may only rarely occur or are specific for certain breeds or groups of animals may only be seen when the products are used more widely.
If you suspect that you or your animal has had an adverse reaction to a veterinary medicine, or you think the medicine hasn’t worked as it should have done, report it to the VMD using the form available via the link below:
https://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/adversereactionreporting/
Complaints about veterinary medicines
If you have a complaint about the quality of veterinary medicine please contact us in the first instance. However, if you feel that we haven’t resolved your complaint satisfactorily, you can contact the VMD – http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/business/contact.aspx#complaint
Please note that the VMD will only consider complaints about veterinary medicines provided, not about service, delivery or cost and not about general non-medicinal products.
