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Under the Medicines (restrictions on the Administration of Veterinary Products) Regulations 1994 it is an offence to administer, or to cause or permit to be administered, a veterinary medicinal product unless it is authorised. Exemptions are provided in the Regulations that allow a veterinary surgeon, in certain circumstances, to administer, or to direct someone else to administer, medicines not licensed for use in the species being treated. These options form part of what is collectively known as the “prescribing cascade”, and are only available to the veterinary surgeon into whose care the animal is placed.
In the UK the active ingredient of Frontline, fipronil, is licensed for use on fleas and ticks on dogs and cats, and is a prescription only medicine (POM). That means it must be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon for use on an animal in his or her care. It is not licensed for the treatment of ear mites in any species, in any country of the world, and so its use to treat ear mites in ferrets is in apparent breach of the Medicines (restrictions on the Administration of Veterinary Products) Regulations 1994.
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