Emergencies
Emergency Vet Care
Heathside Veterinary Surgery is committed to providing 24 hour emergency cover 365 days per year, providing you with peace of mind should the unexpected happen.
In the event of an emergency please call the normal practice telephone number 01489 607 001 at any time
Please note that out of normal surgery hours, consultations attract an emergency consultation fee.
It can be a very worrying and distressing time if your pet is taken ill, especially outside normal surgery hours.
All Heathside’s veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses work at the surgery during the day, so to prevent any of their staff having to work 48—72-hour shifts, they provide out of hours cover until 7pm weekdays, 4pm on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday.
When you call the normal practice phone number, you will be given the option to be transferred directly to the on-duty vet. If the vet is dealing with another emergency, please leave a message and your call will be returned within 5 minutes.
The vast majority of emergency calls are before these times, which means that your pet will be able to be hospitalised with Vet’s Now (if necessary) and any procedures will be carried out on site. Your pet can also be monitored accordingly, at the vet’s discretion.
If you do require advice or a consultation by Vets Now, all details will be emailed to us immediately after your visit. Hospitalisation facilities are available at Vets Now, along with any procedures performed as necessary. You will be able to transfer your pet back to Heathside to continue any treatment during normal working hours.
FAQs
Out-of-hours cover provided by Vets Now Southampton
Between 7pm and 8:30am weekdays 4pm Saturday to 10:30am Sunday and 1pm Sunday to 8:30 Monday a dedicated emergency out of hours centre, Vets Now Southampton, cover Heathside’s emergency calls. Vets Now are based in Bitterne, and are an RCVS approved emergency services clinic.
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Vets Now are the leading provider of out of hours veterinary care in the UK. Vets Now works alongside your daytime practices to ensure pet owners have access to a vet whenever they need one regardless of the time. Their clinics are open when your daytime practice is closed
Fully qualified vets, nurses and receptionists are based in the clinic for the full duration of their shift. All staff receive regular training with a particular emphasis on emergency and critical care of small animals.
Whenever your normal practice is closed.
You can call the daytime practice and listen to an answering machine which will give you the opportunity to select an option to be transfered directly to the duty vet at Vets Now. You will need to provide them details of the problem and qualified staff will give you advice on what do. All telephone calls are logged and recorded for reference purposes.
Your Vet has subscribed on your behalf to the Vets Now Out of Hours service. Our trained staff can offer advice over the phone and although an appointment is always offered it is not always necessary. In fact only around 20% of our calls result in an appointment. Telephone advice is provided free of charge as part of the complete service.
Vets Now is an independent company so you will be asked to pay at the time of treatment. Vets Now accept all major debit and credit cards or cash payments. Details of Vets Now fees are available from the practice.
Vets Now fees should be covered in the same way as any other veterinary fees by your insurance company. If you are in any doubt, check the detail of your policy with your provider.
The interests of the animal always come first and our clinics work together with your practice to ensure that integrated care is given based on the needs of the pet.