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What to expect at Vets Now
At Vets Now, we provide dedicated out-of-hours emergency veterinary care with a team of vets and vet nurses who work overnight, at weekends, and on bank holidays. This means they are always bright, alert, and ready to respond when a pet emergency arises.
We partner with daytime vet clinics across the UK, ensuring that when they close for a well-earned rest, our highly skilled emergency vets and nurses take over—providing care at the same trusted location for those clients and other pet owners within that area. Our experienced teams are made up of fully qualified vets and registered vet nurses, all of whom have undergone intensive training in emergency and critical care. Whether it’s 3 AM or Christmas Day, our teams are always on hand to deal with accidents, injuries, and urgent situations that can’t wait until the morning.
What is a pet emergency?
A pet emergency is any sudden illness, injury, or condition that requires urgent veterinary attention and cannot be left until the following day to seek help.
Common emergencies can include, but are not limited to:
- Breathing difficulties
- Collapsed or unresponsive pets
- Trauma
- Poisoning
- Seizures
- Persistent vomiting/diarrhoea
If you’re worried your pet requires urgent, emergency treatment, please contact your vet as soon as possible or, if it’s out-of-hours, your nearest Vets Now pet emergency clinic or Vets Now 24/7 hospital.
When calling, have a pen and paper ready to write down any instructions or directions.
The person on duty should be able to give you advice over the phone, but it may be necessary for you to take your pet to the clinic where the personnel, equipment, and drugs are available to provide immediate treatment.
You’ve arrived at one of our clinics, what happens now?
When you arrive at one of our clinics, you may have to wait a while before the vet sees your pet. Emergency work is, by its nature, unpredictable, and it’s often difficult to schedule appointments.
It’s important that you give our call handlers as much information as possible so the vet can ascertain what kind of emergency it is. This is especially important for very sick pets since the team can prepare some of the emergency treatments before your arrival.
If there is likely to be a delay before the vet can see your pet, a qualified veterinary nurse will perform a triage assessment – a method used to prioritise cases based on the severity of their condition. This ensures that the most critically ill or injured pets receive immediate attention.
If you have concerns about your pet while waiting to see the veterinary surgeon, always speak to the receptionist or nurse – don’t sit and worry.
Once the veterinary surgeon has examined your pet, they will discuss any tests that may need to be run and any treatment that needs to be given. At this point, you will also likely be given an estimate of the cost of any treatment.
Vets Now prices and payment
Our reception staff will request payment at the time of your pet’s consultation. If you have pet insurance, all or some of the costs you incur may be reimbursed. However, insurance policies vary considerably so you should check your policy to see what it covers and what excesses apply.
Out-of-hours veterinary fees are typically higher than daytime fees. This is due to the increased costs of providing a dedicated team – who work at nights, on weekends and bank holidays – trained and skilled in dealing with accidents and emergencies. Our clinics are also kitted out with specialist clinical equipment to ensure your pet receives the best care possible.
Questions you should ask
Do not be afraid to ask questions if there is anything you are not clear about. You may have to make difficult decisions on behalf of your pet, and it is important you have all the information available on your pet’s condition and possible treatment options.
We also have a table of general FAQs here.
Patient transfers
In most cases, pets are transferred back to their regular daytime practice once they reopen, which is typically the next working day.
It may be possible to organise an ambulance or taxi transfer for your pet, in which case the duty staff will telephone you before discharge to discuss ongoing treatment.
However, pets are only discharged if they are stable enough to travel. In the case of some critically unwell pets, this may mean staying at the emergency clinic or hospital for several days.
If this does happen, the pet will be looked after by our out-of-hours team at night, and the daytime practice staff during the day. Upon transfer or discharge, you will be provided with a full clinical history for your pet, detailing results of all tests performed, and treatments given. This clinical history will also be sent to your daytime practice, so they have all the information they need to continue treating your pet.