UK vets can now use the title 'Dr'
Of those to respond, 81 per cent said they were in favour of using the Dr title.
As of today, vets in the UK will be able to use the courtesy title "Dr" if they wish. The move brings UK vets into line with international colleagues.
Most international veterinary surgeons already use this title and in the UK, veterinary surgeons are the only profession of the three main clinical degrees (medical, dentistry and veterinary medicine) who do not use it.
In Australia and New Zealand, the title is linked with registration and professional standing.
Aligning the UK with international practice hopes to provide vets with greater clarity, whilst reassuring clients and the pet-owning public that registered vets have veterinary degrees of a suitable standard.
The issue has received much support among members of the profession. A consultation launched officially on January 6, 2015 received 11,202 responses to a consultation on the issue - the majority of which came via the online survey. This is largest ever number of responses to an RCVS consultation.
Of those to respond, the majority (81 per cent) said they were in favour of using the Dr title, while 13 per cent were against it and 6 per cent did not mind either way.
The move was approved by the RCVS Council at a meeting yesterday (March 5).
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
