Pet A&E operates during the hours when most veterinary practices are routinely closed.

During the week we normally start at 7pm (19.00 hrs) and provide cover through until 9am (09.00 hrs) the following day.

At weekends we normally provide cover from 12 noon (12.00 hrs) on the Saturday until 9am (09.00 hrs) on the Monday morning.

We also provide cover for Bank Holidays and occasionally provide emergency cover for absence for CPD (professional training) or for sickness.

Our Fees

Our fees have to cover the high costs of providing on-site 24hrs nursing care for in-patients from qualified (or in-training) nursing staff, together with that of ensuring that an experienced veterinary surgeon is available for consultations and to operate as necessary. In addition Pet A&E have to contribute to the costs of the extensive veterinary equipment and providing the failities of OakBeck out of normal hours.

A call-out charge is made (which varies with the time of day/night). This is in addition to the standard consultation/examination fees and the costs of drugs etc. If investigative procedures or operations are required then a surcharge to the normal daytime operating rate has to be levied. Occasionally charges to cover the costs of supplying additional staff for more complex procedures may have to be levied.

Detailed estimates will always be provided in advance of any procedure. Signed consent is required (apart from exceptional cases where telephone verbal consent may be required - for example in mid-procedure).

Payment must be made at the time, often a significant deposit may be needed prior to embarking on a procedure. Credit or Debit card payment is preferred, cash may also be used, however cheques cannot be accepted.

Home Visits

Home visits are very rarely clinically necessary for small animal patients. It is usually in the best interests of your pet to bring them to Pet A&E. If a visit is undertaken patients will often have to be transported back to the Hospital to start effective treatment. Inevitably this will delay the start of treatment, compared to you making the initial journey to Pet A&E. In addition a number of factors will have to be considered by the veterinary surgeon on duty. These include the welfare of other in-patients and the needs of other animals that may require emergency care whilst the vet is away from Pet A&E. A second nurse will have to be called into the hospital to provide cover for in-patient care whilst the primary nurse accompanies the vet on a visit, inevitably this will also add further delay to any visit. In general any "out-of-hours" visit will take at least 1-2 hours to organise in addition to the journey time (remember the vet may not be familiar with your particular location - whereas the hospital is signposted). Unfortunately there is also a significantly increased cost (with additional staff having to be called in to provide cover). Therefore visits will probably cost upwards of £400-500 in addition to any treatment. Payment will have to be taken in advance by credit card over the phone. We therefore strongly recommend that pets are brought into Pet A&E. We have found Blue Line Taxis (01423-530830) to be very helpful.