Microchipping regulations vet (3 figures)
The UK Veterinary Record Obligations carries 3 published figures read from 3 sources' own pages, under different breakdowns, so no one range is stated, read 7 November 2026.
4 of the 9 named sources read in full publish a figure; 5 publish none, read 7 November 2026.
By obligation and retention period
| Breakdown | Median | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| obligation microchip and register a dog | 8 week (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| obligation microchip and register a cat | 20 week (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| obligation witnessing controlled drug destruction | 142 GBP (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| obligation PSS assessment at which practice evidence is produced | 4 year (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| retention period prescribing rationale record kept five years | 5 year (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| retention period controlled drugs register kept two years after the date of the last entry | 2 year (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
Every figure, with its source
One row per published figure: the figure as the source's own page publishes it, the page, and the day it was read. A figure that is not on a page we read is not on this one.
| Source | Figure | Breakdown | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| VMD: controlled drugs - recording, using, storing and disposal | 142 GBP | witnessing controlled drug destruction | 2026-11-07 |
| GOV.UK: get your dog microchipped | 20 week | microchip and register a cat | 2026-11-07 |
| GOV.UK: get your dog microchipped | 8 week | microchip and register a dog | 2026-11-07 |
| RCVS Code supporting guidance: veterinary medicines | 5 year | prescribing rationale record kept five years | 2026-11-07 |
| RCVS: about the Practice Standards Scheme | 4 year | PSS assessment at which practice evidence is produced | 2026-11-07 |
| VMD: controlled drugs - recording, using, storing and disposal | 2 year | controlled drugs register kept two years after the date of the last entry | 2026-11-07 |
The sentence each figure was read from (6)
- VMD: controlled drugs - recording, using, storing and disposal, read 2026-11-07:
The cost for this service is £142 for a dedicated visit, or £31 if the witnessing takes place during the course of an inspection.
- GOV.UK: get your dog microchipped, read 2026-11-07:
If you live in England your cat must be microchipped and registered by the time they’re 20 weeks old.
- GOV.UK: get your dog microchipped, read 2026-11-07:
All dogs in the UK must be microchipped and registered by the time they’re 8 weeks old.
- RCVS Code supporting guidance: veterinary medicines, read 2026-11-07:
clearly record the rationale for prescribing the product (this record must outline how the relevant conditions have been satisfied and be kept for five years), and
- RCVS: about the Practice Standards Scheme, read 2026-11-07:
The PSS assessment is every four years, with periodical spot checks.
- VMD: controlled drugs - recording, using, storing and disposal, read 2026-11-07:
be kept for a minimum of two years after the date of the last entry
Read in full, publishes no figure
5 named sources were read in full on the dates shown and print no usable figure. They are counted, never filled in.
- VMD: controlled drugs, veterinary medicines, read 2026-11-07: every candidate on the page was refused
- Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, read 2026-09-11: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015, read 2026-09-11: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- RCVS Code supporting guidance: clinical and client records, read 2026-10-31: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- VMD Veterinary Medicines Guidance Note 20: controlled drugs, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
Methodology
Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2).
4 of the 9 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 5 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 0 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere.
The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source in year (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences), so N counts sources, never sentences; 10 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded.
The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): one row per obligation per rule-maker, quoted verbatim with its instrument and effective date - the Schedule 2 controlled drugs register and its 24-hour entry, the five-year medicines record, the two-year register retention, the RCVS clinical record that another vet can continue care from, the PSS module evidence, the microchip registration duty; the join nobody publishes is obligation to VENDOR CAPABILITY, so a practice can see which systems can actually produce each required record
10 candidate sentences on these pages were refused by a reviewer; each refusal and its reason is recorded in the review ledger.
Sources (9)
- GOV.UK: get your dog microchipped(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- VMD: controlled drugs - recording, using, storing and disposal(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- VMD: controlled drugs, veterinary medicines(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- RCVS: about the Practice Standards Scheme(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- RCVS Code supporting guidance: clinical and client records(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- RCVS Code supporting guidance: veterinary medicines(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- VMD Veterinary Medicines Guidance Note 20: controlled drugs(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
Cite or embed this figure
The UK Veterinary Record Obligations carries 3 published figures read from 3 sources' own pages, under different breakdowns, so no one range is stated, read 7 November 2026.
4 of the 9 named sources read in full publish a figure; 5 publish none, read 7 November 2026.
UK Veterinary Record Obligations, obligation microchip and register a dog: median 8 week across 1 source, read 7 November 2026.
UK Veterinary Record Obligations, obligation microchip and register a cat: median 20 week across 1 source, read 7 November 2026.
UK Veterinary Record Obligations, obligation witnessing controlled drug destruction: median 142 GBP across 1 source, read 7 November 2026.
UK Veterinary Record Obligations, obligation PSS assessment at which practice evidence is produced: median 4 year across 1 source, read 7 November 2026.
UK Veterinary Record Obligations, retention period prescribing rationale record kept five years: median 5 year across 1 source, read 7 November 2026.
UK Veterinary Record Obligations, retention period controlled drugs register kept two years after the date of the last entry: median 2 year across 1 source, read 7 November 2026.
Cite as: "comparevetsoftware.com UK Veterinary Record Obligations", updated 2026-11-07, https://comparevetsoftware.com/datasets/uk-veterinary-record-obligations/.
Download the CSV (6 rows, computed 2026-11-07)
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Questions this data answers
What do UK rules require a veterinary practice to record, keep and be able to produce, and for how long?
The UK Veterinary Record Obligations carries 3 published figures read from 3 sources' own pages, under different breakdowns, so no one range is stated, read 7 November 2026.
Where do the figures in the UK Veterinary Record Obligations come from?
Every figure is quoted from its source's own page and dated (last read 7 Nov 2026). 9 named sources were read and 4 publish a figure; the 5 that publish none are recorded as not published, never estimated.