Out of Hours Service

If your pet becomes ill or has an accident outside of normal working hours, we have an emergency service, available 24 hours a day, staffed by our own vets and nurses.

We feel that it is very important that our clients do not have to travel to another practice or night service, often some distance away, with a sick or injured pet. This is part of the service that we offer to clients who are registered and active* with us.

If you need to speak to a vet outside the usual office hours, please call the usual number 01380 728505.

The call will be directed to a nurse, who will then contact the duty vet. We do not use answerphones. If you are concerned please call, as we are happy to talk to you and check your pet over if you wish, rather than leave you to worry overnight.

The duty vet is assisted by a duty nurse who cares for the in-patients, and can carry out blood tests and assist with emergency surgery as needed. Out of hours consultations will incur extra charges.

Overnight Care

Should your pet need to be hospitalised with us, rest assured that he/she will be under constant supervision. A Registered Veterinary Nurse remains on site at all times, and the duty vet is available on call outside of our routine opening hours, should the Veterinary Nurse have any cause to be concerned about your pet’s condition. This includes Sundays and Bank holidays. After our premises close at 7pm, the Duty Veterinary Nurse will confer with the Duty Vet about your pet’s needs.

The minimum care will consist of continuous monitoring until 11pm with night checks at 11pm and 3am and then full care from 7am. More frequent checks, up to continuous attendance, will be given when appropriate. A listening device is used when the nurse is out of the ward.

Visiting

You are welcome to visit by prior arrangement; however, we do ask that visiting times are kept to 30 minutes to allow for practice working. In cases of infectious disease where your pet needs to be isolated to prevent the spread of infection, we advise against visiting (this is to protect other animals within your home and other patients within the practice).

Patient updates

Ward rounds take place at 9am between the Duty Nurse and Veterinary Surgeon, where your pet will be examined and a plan for the day made. Expect a call between 9.30-10.30am with an update on his/her progress and to discuss any additional investigations/treatment that may be necessary; we endeavour to keep you updated with costs along the way, you will be given an account balance update at this time also.

Sundays and Bank Holidays

Your pet will be under the continuous care of our nurses during daytime hours. The duty vet will visit your pet during the morning and agree the treatment plan with the duty nurse, with further attendance as required. You are welcome to visit by prior arrangement.

*Please note:

If you are already registered with another practice, please contact their out-of-hours service. All veterinary practices are obliged to offer emergency cover, although this may be through another practice or service. We will not see clients from other practices, except in the severest emergency e.g. bleeding or major trauma, in which cases a surcharge of £250 will apply towards the costs of maintaining this service.

A typical out-of-hours consultation start from £208