A prescription in Lupa is the structured record of a medication you've authorised for a pet — the product, the dose, how many repeats are allowed, and how the medication leaves your practice. You'll create one most consults: an antibiotic course after a dental, a written script for a flea preventative the client wants to fill at an online pharmacy, or a long-running thyroid tablet with monthly repeats.
💡 In short: Click Add Item on an appointment or invoice and choose Add a non-billed, prescribed-only product (written), or pick a stock product and tap the prescription icon on the line. View, repeat and cancel everything from Medical Highlights → Prescriptions.
Creating a prescription
Prescriptions can be created from the Plan & Invoicing section of an appointment, from a standalone invoice, or directly from the pet's medical record. The appointment and invoice flows are identical; the medical record flow is described separately below.
Written prescription
Use this when the client will fill the prescription elsewhere.
Starting from a prescribed-only product:
Click Add Item and choose Add a non-billed, prescribed-only product.
Search for the product and select it within the invoice line items.
Click the prescription icon that appears, complete the relevant fields and click create and print written. The written prescription will appear as a new tab to print or email to the client.
No invoice line is created — written prescriptions are intentionally non-billable. Please add any associated fees such as prescription fees separately.
Swapping a billed product to a written prescription:
If you've already added a standard stock product to an invoice and then decide to issue a written prescription instead, you don't need to remove the line and start again.
Click the prescription icon on the invoice line.
In the prescription dialog, toggle Written Prescription on. An inline warning appears confirming the client will not be billed and the product will move to the prescribed-only section of the invoice.
Complete the prescription fields and save. Lupa removes the billed line (including any linked services) and replaces it with a prescribed-only entry. The client is not charged for the product.
Please add any associated prescription fees as a separate line item.
Dispense from stock
Use this when you're handing the medication to the client from your own dispensary.
Click Add Item, search for the product and select it. It's added to the invoice as a normal line.
Click the prescription icon on the right-hand side of the line.
Fill in the prescription dialog including any repeats and click create and print dosage label. The label will open in a new tab and can be printed from there.
Working from a different store? If the invoice belongs to a different store than the one you're currently signed into, the dosage label button is unavailable. Switch to the store that owns the invoice to create or view the dosage label.
The product line stays on the invoice (so it's billed and stock decrements), and the prescription record is now linked to it. Once a prescription is saved, the icon on the invoice row changes to reflect the prescription type — a signature icon for written prescriptions and the standard Rx icon for in-house dispenses — so you can tell at a glance which type is recorded. When you later issue a repeat for a batched product, a Batch picker appears in the dispense row so you can confirm or change which batch to dispense from.
How quantity behaves
When the prescription dialog opens from a stock line, the prescription's Total Quantity is pre-filled from the invoice line. Auto-calculate quantity then sets itself based on whether that pre-filled value already matches the structured dosage:
If you didn't change the invoice line quantity (or it happens to match dose × frequency × duration), Auto-calculate quantity starts on — Total Quantity locks to the dosage and updates automatically as you tweak dose or duration.
If you set your own quantity on the invoice line that doesn't match the dosage, Auto-calculate quantity starts off — your typed figure is preserved, and a small mismatch warning appears under the Total Quantity field nudging you back toward the dosage-implied total. Flip the toggle yourself at any time — turning it on snaps Total Quantity to the dosage calc, turning it off lets you type a free figure. The same toggle is hidden for freeform dosages because there's nothing to calculate from.
🔒 You need the Update Prescriptions permission. If the prescription icon or the Add a non-billed, prescribed-only product option is missing, ask your practice manager to check your role under Settings → Roles & Permissions.
Creating a prescription from the pet's medical record
You can also start a prescription directly from a pet's medical record without going through an appointment or invoice first.
Open the pet's medical record and click Add (the plus button at the top of the medical highlights area).
Choose Prescription from the menu.
A Select a product to prescribe pop-up opens. Either:
Search for a stocked product under Stocked product — select it to move straight to the prescription dialog, or
Type a product name under Or prescribe a product not in your inventory and click Use this name. Products entered this way can only be issued as a written prescription.
Complete the prescription dialog. For non-prescribed-only products you can use the Written Prescription toggle to choose whether to issue a written prescription or dispense from stock.
Save the prescription. If you chose to dispense from stock, Lupa will ask whether to add the dispense to an invoice. Choose an existing invoice, create a new one, or click Do not add to invoice to save the prescription record without billing it now.
No client on the record? The Prescription option in the Add menu is unavailable until the pet has an owner linked. Attach a client to the pet first.
What's on a prescription
Field | What it controls |
Product | The medication. For a written prescription this must be a prescribed-only product |
Active Ingredient | Shown on the written prescription PDF when the product has active ingredients recorded in the catalogue. Read-only — set on the product, not on the prescription itself |
Prescriber | The vet legally responsible. Defaults to the appointment's vet — change via the popover next to the prescriber name. Any qualifications saved on the prescriber's staff profile are printed after their name on the written prescription PDF |
Dosage instructions | Either structured (dose, unit, frequency, duration — formatted automatically into label-ready text) or freeform typed text for cases like "as directed" |
Total Quantity and Unit | How much medication this prescription covers in total (e.g. 14 tablets). Auto-calculate quantity works it out from dose × frequency × duration |
Permitted Repeats | How many additional dispenses the client may collect. |
Repeats Permitted Until | Cut-off date after which no further repeats may be issued, even if the repeat count hasn't been reached. This is the field that drives the expired badge |
Written Prescription (toggle) | Switches between dispense from stock and written prescription mode. Locked to written for prescribed-only products. Available when creating a prescription from the pet's medical record, and also when opening the prescription dialog from a billed invoice line — toggling on in that context moves the product out of billing and into the prescribed-only section of the invoice |
Next Repeat Due and Remind client about their next refill | Optional — schedules a reminder to the client when the next repeat is due |
Notify client now that prescription is ready for collection | Sends the client a ready-for-pickup message once the dispense is authorised |
Statuses
Status | What it means |
Pending | The default — the prescription is live and may still have repeats available |
Completed | All permitted repeats have been issued. No further dispenses are possible |
Expired | The Repeats Permitted Until date has passed. Repeats are blocked. Edit the prescription and extend the date and repeats become available again immediately |
Cancelled | The prescription has been stopped manually via Cancel Prescription — the prescription was a mistake or treatment is being discontinued |
Archived | An older prescription replaced by a fresh one for the same product. Set automatically when you create a new prescription for a product the pet already has and confirm Lupa's "Archive existing?" prompt |
Where to find prescriptions
Every prescription a pet has ever had is listed on Medical Highlights → Prescriptions on the pet record. In the pet timeline, written prescriptions are marked with a signature icon and in-house dispenses with the standard Rx icon, so you can tell the prescription type without opening it.
Each prescription appears as a card showing:
The full product name, with a status badge (Cancelled, Archived, or Expired) if applicable.
The dispensary and any warning chips — for example, Has authorised dispenses available for dispensing or Additional dispensing requires authorisation.
The dispense count as X / Y (dispenses issued against the total permitted) on the right.
An Actions menu with View Prescription, Issue Dispense / Issue Repeat, Duplicate Prescription, and View History. The button shows Issue Dispense before any dispense has been issued, then switches to Issue Repeat once the first dispense is recorded.
The same logic applies inside the prescription pop-up itself: the confirm button reads Issue Dispense the first time you bill for a dispense, and Issue Repeat for every subsequent one.
To see prescriptions that are no longer active, select the Show inactive filter chip in the section header. If there are no active prescriptions, the list shows No active prescriptions.
Issuing a repeat
A repeat issues another dispense against an existing prescription — it doesn't create a new prescription record.
On the pet's Medical Highlights → Prescriptions table, open the row's Actions menu and choose Issue Dispense (if no dispenses have been issued yet) or Issue Repeat (for subsequent dispenses).
The prescription pop-up opens with the next dispense ready to be authorised. Confirm the prescriber and any changes.
If the medication is tracked in batches, a Batch picker appears on the dispense row. Lupa pre-selects the suggested batch for you — change it if you need to dispense from a different batch.
Click Issue Dispense (first dispense) or Issue Repeat (subsequent dispenses). Lupa records the dispense, adds it to the invoice, and keeps you on the pet page. A confirmation appears with a View Invoice link — click it to open the invoice when you're ready.
💡 If the prescription is expired or completed, Issue Dispense / Issue Repeat is blocked. Either edit the prescription to extend the Repeats Permitted Until date, or use Duplicate Prescription to start a fresh prescription with the same product, dose and repeats.
Cancelling a prescription
Cancel a prescription when treatment is being stopped, or the prescription was issued in error.
Open the prescription from the pet's Prescriptions table (Actions → View) or the invoice line.
Click Cancel Prescription at the bottom left of the window.
Confirm. The prescription becomes read-only and no further repeats can be issued. Already-dispensed medication and its invoice line are not affected.
⚠️ Cancel vs. archive. Cancel when you're stopping treatment or the prescription was a mistake. Archive happens automatically when you create a fresh prescription for a product the pet is already on and confirm Lupa's archive prompt — there's no separate archive button.
Tips
✅
Use structured dosage where you can. Label-ready text comes out automatically and the dose is searchable across the pet's record.
Always set a sensible Repeats Permitted Until date. This stops over-dispensing months later — don't rely on the repeat count alone.
Check Medical Highlights before re-prescribing. A glance at the Prescriptions tab shows whether the pet is already on an active prescription that should be replaced rather than duplicated.
Use Duplicate Prescription to renew an expired course. Cleaner than editing dates on the old prescription and keeps the historical record intact.
Add qualifications to your staff profile. Go to your profile settings and fill in the Qualifications field — whatever you enter will be printed after your name on every written prescription you issue.
Troubleshooting
Problem | What to do |
The product I want isn't in Add a non-billed, prescribed-only product | That entry only lists products flagged as prescribed-only in the catalogue. Either prescribe via the normal product search and convert it to a prescription, or ask a practice manager to mark the product as prescribed-only in inventory |
"Written prescription product cannot be added to invoice" | Prescribed-only products can only be issued as written prescriptions and are intentionally non-billable. If you need to charge, the product needs to allow tracked dispense — that's an inventory configuration change |
Issue Dispense or Issue Repeat is missing or disabled | The prescription is completed, cancelled or expired. Use Duplicate Prescription to start a new prescription instead |
The expired badge appeared even though I haven't issued all the repeats | Intentional — the Repeats Permitted Until date overrides the repeat count. Edit the prescription and extend the date if the vet still wants the client to repeat |
I can't see the prescription icon on an invoice line | The icon only shows for products that support prescribing. Confirm the product is set up as a medication, and that you have the Update Prescriptions permission |
The dosage label button is greyed out and I can't click it | This happens when the invoice belongs to a different store than the one you're currently signed into. Switch to the store that owns the invoice and the button will become available |
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between cancel and archive?
What's the difference between cancel and archive?
Cancel is a manual action you take when treatment is being stopped or the prescription was a mistake. Archive happens automatically when you create a fresh prescription for a product the pet is already on — Lupa offers to tidy up the old one for you. There is no manual archive button.
Can a nurse create or repeat a prescription?
Can a nurse create or repeat a prescription?
Anyone with the Update Prescriptions permission can. The prescriber field still records the responsible vet for regulatory purposes — change it via the popover in the dialog if the default isn't right.
Does cancelling refund the dispensed item?
Does cancelling refund the dispensed item?
No. Cancelling stops further repeats; already-dispensed medication and its invoice line stay as they were. To reverse a dispense financially, raise a credit note on the invoice.
Can I use a prescription from another pet as a starting point?
Can I use a prescription from another pet as a starting point?
Yes — use Duplicate Prescription in the Prescriptions table actions menu. This copies the dosage, quantity and repeat settings onto a fresh prescription you can attach to the right pet and adjust.