Emergency Service

What counts as an emergency?

Any situation where your pet is in pain or in danger counts as an emergency. If you are not sure - call us anyway, we'd rather check a healthy pet than miss a dangerously ill one!

Rearranging appointments, requesting prescription medicines, enquiring about our opening hours, etc, is not an emergency - please call us during normal hours instead.

Out-of-hours Emergency and Inpatient Veterinary Care

• Outside of our normal opening hours, shifts are divided between our own vets and Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies in Axminster, together providing emergency veterinary cover 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• If your pet needs veterinary care outside of our normal hours, you may be directed to see a vet at our Sidmouth practice or at Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies, based at Coombefield Vets in Axminster, depending on which practice is covering that shift.
• This emergency service is only open to our own registered clients.
• We are not normally able to provide 24/7 emergency services for pets registered at a different practice - please contact your own vet's 24/7 emergency service.
• If your pet needs to stay with us overnight, then our own vet will be in touch to discuss a plan for their overnight care with you. This may involve them staying at Jurassic Vets or being transferred to the dedicated overnight team at TCVES.
• Holiday-makers staying within 7 miles of our Sidmouth and Colyton practices may also be eligible for our emergency service - please call us to discuss.

Out-of-hours Home Visits

• In an emergency, it is far better to bring your pet to the emergency vet, if at all possible – they will be seen sooner, at a lower cost, and with all our equipment, drugs and and facilities to hand.
• Home visits cannot normally be carried out beyond 7 miles from our Sidmouth or Colyton practices - this would leave our staff too far from the practice to respond to another emergency.
• Requests for emergency home visits will be considered by the practice on call – but the vet will need more time to prepare equipment and to travel, and there will be a higher cost.
• Home visits may not be possible if the on-call vet is too busy - for instance, if they are carrying out an emergency operation or caring for an inpatient
• In any case, please call to discuss your needs – it is the responsibility of the pet's owner to arrange transport if a home visit cannot be provided in time, but our staff will always do their best to find a way to get your pet the care it needs.

Who will see my pet in an emergency?

The exact staff members who care for your pet will depend upon the duty rota. Some of our shifts will be covered by our own veterinary staff or by our regular locums, other shifts will be covered by Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies in Axminster. If one staff member is taking over from another, or we are transferring care of your pet to or from Three Counties Emergency Service, we have a standard procedure for handing over responsibility for the case, so that the staff taking over your pet's care will be fully informed about the case and your pet's needs.

Will my pet need to stay in after their operation?

Only very rarely – more than 99% of our surgical patients are able to go home that afternoon or evening. Routine surgical patients do not need to stay overnight with us. If we think your pet may need to stay in hospital, the vet will tell you this as soon as possible - usually when they are being admitted. We know that you and your pet would prefer to be together at home and we will only recommend that they stay if we consider that it is medically unsafe to discharge them.

Where will my pet stay if they are hospitalised?

At Jurassic Vets, your pet will be cared for overnight at in the same kennel rooms we use for daytime patients. At Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies, your pet will stay at Coombefield Veterinary Hospital. The staff caring for your pet will discuss the plan for their overnight care with you should they need to stay in hospital.

How frequently will my pet be checked?

Whether your pet is cared for at Jurassic Vets or at Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies, inpatients staying at Jurassic Vets during the daytime of weekends and bank holidays will be cared for by duty staff, who will consider your pet’s needs and make a plan to monitor them as frequently as they need throughout the day. If your pet needs veterinary care overnight, we will arrange for them to be transferred to Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies, keeping you closely informed throughout, so that they can be cared for by a dedicated night team who will be with them throughout the whole night.

Jurassic Vets always puts the welfare of our patients first, so you can be confident that the duty vet will plan for the best possible care for your individual hospitalised pet.

Will my pet be fed and exercised? Do I need to bring food or bedding for my pet?

If your pet is on regular medication, please bring this along so that we can give doses from your existing stock while your pet is hospitalised. You are welcome to bring food and bedding which your pet may be more familiar with, but we have plenty of tasty food and comfy bedding available here, so there is normally no need for you to bring any unless you wish to. Our staff will ask or contact you if there is anything that we do need you to bring in. We will make sure all the needs of any hospitalised pet, including exercise and company, are met. We will even put a video on YouTube for your pet to watch if we think they'd like that! If your pet is to be transferred to Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies for overnight care, we will work with you to help you transfer your pet smoothly and safely.

How will I know how my pet is getting on?

The veterinary surgeons caring for your pet will advise you of when to expect updates – this will be once a day at the very least, and more frequently for patients receiving intensive or surgical care.

Outside of planned updates, we operate a “no news is good news” policy and will contact you only if there is a reason to be concerned. Regardless of the time, we will always telephone you as soon as possible if we are becoming more concerned about your animal, so you can rest assured that, if the vet has not telephoned, there is nothing to be concerned about – they may be catching up on some well-deserved sleep between checks, and will contact you with an update soon.

Can I stay with my pet?

Unfortunately, for many reasons beyond our control (such as the requirements of our practice insurance policy and the Controlled Drugs regulations) we can't allow owners to stay at the practice with their pet – but we will usually be able to arrange for you to visit your hospitalised pet daily if you wish. The vets caring for your pet, whether at Jurassic Vets or at Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies, will be able to advise you of when you can visit your pet in hospital. It is rare for pets to spend more than two or three days in hospital - we know that pets prefer to be home as soon as possible and won't keep them longer than is clinically advisable.

How much will it cost?

The exact cost of out-of-hours emergency or inpatient care will depend on the level of care required for your pet - the duty vet at Jurassic Vets or at Three Counties Veterinary Emergencies, will be able to discuss costs with you when they update you on your pet, and we are always able to give an estimate prior to agreeing a plan to admit your pet for treatment.

For out-of-hours appointment prices at Jurassic Vets, please see our price list

For out-of-hours appointment prices at Three Counties Veterinary Emergency Service, please see https://www.coombefieldvets.co.uk/services/pricing

In all cases, veterinary care outside of normal hours will be significantly more expensive than care during our opening hours - so please call us as soon as possible if you are worried about your pet. Don't wait for it to become an out-of-hours emergency.

We strongly recommend taking out pet insurance that covers the cost of emergency care.

How can I get my pet to the emergency vet?

Whether your pet is to be seen at Jurassic Vets or at Three Counties Veterinary Emergency Service, if you have difficulty transporting them, here are some of the local taxi services willing to help if your friends and family cannot:

Local Pet-Friendly Taxi Firms

Sidmouth Taxis  – Yes to pets

Tel: 07474 205328

Peak Taxis – Yes to pets

Tel: 01395 513322

Premier Taxi Axminster – Will take small dogs (lap sized), cats and small animals but NOT large dogs

Tel: 07368 381201

Av2Go Taxis Axminster – Will allow pets but not emergencies

Tel: 01297 441779

Axminster Taxis – Yes to pets

Tel: 01297 34000

Seaton Cabs  – Yes to pets

Tel: 074940 46464

Causley Cabs  – Axminster/Seaton & Surrounding Areas – Will allow small dogs (lap sized), cats and small animals but not large dogs

Tel: 01297 642011

Animals At Home Pet Taxi  – In Taunton but cover local area

Tel : 07585 979056