| |
|
What
happens if my pet is injured
or becomes unwell outside
normal working hours?
If your pet
needs veterinary attention
outside normal workings
hours, you will quite
rightly still want to
receive the same
professional and prompt
attention that you get from
your vet during the day. |
 |
|
However,
even the best vet in the
world cannot be
personally available 24
hours a day, 365 days a
year. Nevertheless,
their top priority
remains to ensure that
your pet's welfare is
safeguarded no matter
what the time of day or
night. |
|
In order to provide you
and your pet with high
quality veterinary care
at night and during the
weekend, your vet has
arranged for a
specialised emergency
out-of-hours service to
be available. This
ensures that you can
always get help. The
service is called 'Vets
Now' which stands for
'Vets night or weekend'.
Vets Now is permanently
staffed out of hours by
a qualified team of vets
and nurses who can
attend to you and your
animal when your own vet
is off duty. |
Is
this similar to the
system my own doctor
uses?
Yes. Doctors, like
vets, know how
important it is to
provide good quality
care 24 hours a day
and therefore most
GPs also use
specialised
emergency clinics to
care for their
patients out of
hours. The Vets Now
clinic runs in much
the same way as a
hospital casualty
unit. |
Isn't it better
to see my usual
vet?
Emergency
veterinary
procedures have
become more and
more specialised
over recent
years. In an
emergency
situation it is
therefore often
preferable for
your pet to be
treated by vets
and nurses who
work entirely in
this area. The
Vets Now staff
regularly attend
courses to
ensure they
remain up to
date in
emergency and
critical care.
In addition,
your normal vet
has to work all
day during the
week making it
impractical also
to work every
night. The Vets
Now staff only
work out of
hours, thus
ensuring that
they are fresh
to deal with
emergencies.
If possible,
bring along any
medications that
your pet is
receiving when
you come. |
How do I get
help outside
normal
working
hours?
If
you need
assistance
outside
normal
working
hours you
should
telephone
your usual
veterinary
practice.
There you
will be told
the contact
telephone
number for
the local
Vets Now
centre. Vets
Now is
permanently
staffed at
night and at
weekends so
you can
always get
help for
your sick or
injured pet. |
Can I
telephone
just for
advice?
Of course.
Vets Now
staff are
able to give
advice over
the phone
and will
tell you if
they think
it is safe
for you to
wait until
the morning
before being
seen. If
your
question is
not urgent
then you
should wait
until the
morning and
speak to
your usual
vet. |
Can the
vet come to
my house?
In order to
provide high
quality care
you and your
pet will
need to be
seen by a
veterinary
surgeon at
the Vets Now
centre.
Being seen
at the
clinic
allows us to
give your
pet the best
possible
care and
treatment. |
Where is
the service
and can I
just turn
up?
The Vets Now
clinic is
based at the
local PDSA
PetAid
hospital. It
provides
care for
many local
veterinary
practices
and this
central
location is
within reach
of all their
clients. If
you phone
and arrange
to be seen,
the vet or
nurse will
give you
specific
directions.
You must
phone before
going to the
clinic and
cannot just
turn up
since the
duty vet may
also be
dealing with
other
emergencies. |
Do I
have to
pay for
the
service?
Yes. As
is
usually
the case
with
your
normal
vet,
payment
should
be made
at the
time. If
your pet
is
insured
then
this
should
cover
the
costs. |
Why
PDSA?
By
working
with
PDSA,
Britain's
leading
veterinary
charity,
Vets
Now
can
provide
out-of-hours
facilities
with
all
the
necessary
equipment
for
dealing
with
veterinary
emergencies
at
readily
accessible
locations
in
major
cities
and
towns
throughout
the
country. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
©Abbey Veterinary Group
All Rights Reserved |
|
|
|
|
|
_______________________________________________________________________________________
|
Abbey Veterinary Group is the trading name of Abbey Vets (Derby) LLP a Limited Liability Partnership registered in England and Wales Number OC317397.
Partners Clive McPherson, B.Sc., B.Vet.Med., M.Sc., MRCVS and Carole Morrison |
|
|
|
