Old pet medicines in the cupboard? Take them back to your vet in November

The Animal Medicines Amnesty runs all through November, and vets are asking owners to return unused and out of date pet medicines rather than bin or flush them.

Most homes with a pet have a few leftovers in a drawer: half a strip of tablets, a flea treatment that was never used, an old bottle of ear drops. This November, vet practices across the UK are asking owners to bring them back. The Animal Medicines Amnesty runs for the whole month.

What the amnesty is

The campaign is run by RUMA Companion Animal and Equine, a group of vet and animal health organisations, with Zoetis as its main sponsor. It started as an amnesty for antibiotics only. Since last year it covers any unused or out of date veterinary medicine.

Owners responded. Practices taking part reported about 8,500 products returned in 2025, more than three times the roughly 2,500 returned in 2024, when only antibiotics counted.

Why not just bin them?

Medicines poured down the sink or flushed away reach rivers. CVS, one of the large vet groups, says traces of animal medicines have been found in UK rivers and could be dangerous to fish. Its advice is plain: never put medicines down the sink, toilet or drain.

This year the campaign is paying special attention to flea and worm treatments, known as parasiticides. RUMA has said it wants owners to use them carefully, apply them correctly and dispose of them safely.

Returning leftovers to your vet is the safest way to get rid of them, and it costs nothing.

What to bin and what to keep

• Empty blister packs can go in your household waste.
• Empty flea treatment pipettes go in household waste with the cap put back on.
• Card boxes can be recycled once your pet's details are removed.
• Do not give leftover medicine to another pet, or restart an old course, without asking your vet.

Do not expect money back. Returned medicines are disposed of, not resold, so practices do not give refunds.

Paying less next time

Leftovers are often a sign of buying more than was needed. If your pet takes a medicine regularly, ask your vet for a written prescription and compare the price of filling it elsewhere. You can see what vets near you charge for prescriptions and common treatments on The Vet Bill.