Nationwide pet retailer Jollyes has increased the number of store colleagues qualified to dispense licensed flea and tick treatments – just in time for the warmer weather when pets are most at risk – to help customers save on vets’ bills. 

Jollyes has invested in training to make sure that every store has a colleague rated as a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) to prescribe flea, tick and worming treatments classed as authorised veterinary medicines.  

These are in addition to its wide range of over-the-counter medicines that do not require an SQP qualification to dispense. 

Jollyes now has 102 trained SQP colleagues, so every store is covered.  Each store has also had weighing machines installed so pets can be assessed in any consultation. 

Customers who want to buy an authorised veterinary medicine can ask to see the SQP-qualified colleague who will ask for information about the pet and assess the dosage needed depending on the type of animal, its age and weight. 

The investment in SQPs across the Jollyes store network is part of its commitment to providing in-store expertise so that pet owners can get expert advice at their local store. There is also a team of SQPs available to deal with online customers who want to order authorised medicines from the Jollyes website. 

It means pet owners can visit Jollyes for authorised medicines such as Frontline Plus for dogs and Drontal and Dronspot for cats, which they would otherwise have to purchase from their vet and save money. 

Jollyes already sells a wide range of over-the-counter flea, tick and worming products for dogs or cats, including its popular Flea Screen and Worm Screen range, Frontline Spot-on and Johnson’s 4 Fleas. 

It has invested in additional training for colleagues so they can offer expert free advice on all flea, tick and worming solutions available in store. 

The additional expertise and the wide range of authorised and over-the-counter medicines will be particularly valuable for owners who need to keep down the cost of looking after their pets as household budgets come under pressure. 

And Jollyes’ colleagues are on hand to offer advice to new pet owners who bought a dog or cat during lockdown and need to be prepared for preventing or treating the unwanted pests that arrive in flea season. 

Jollyes’ commercial director Chris Burns said: “Warmer weather in recent years has made the flea season more intense, so owners need to be on their guard. 

“Thanks to our SQP training and our range of authorised and over-the-counter treatments, we can help customers keep down the expense of treatments so they can avoid a scratchy spring or summer.” 

If a dog or cat has a condition that requires a prescription-only treatment that cannot be dispensed by a trained SQP member of staff, owners are advised to see their vet. Owners are reminded that some treatments made specifically for dogs can be harmful to cats.