At the end of the day expecting any one person (GP or vet)  to be able to work 24/7 on a regular basis is unreasonable, and that's when life threatening mistakes can happen.  So while ooh may not be what people want, it's the most practical if we want our vets alert and fresh when treating and operating in normal hours. 

But that isn't how it works any more. The single vet practice is more or less extinct these days. Most practices have several vets, and therefore they can take it in turns to do the out of hours -and it doesn't even have to be on a day when they have already worked.

Ours has 3 vets, they each work every day.  What rotates is the days the operations, but they are all in the building almost every day.  then there's vacation etc, so if they're all working 5-6 days a week, then even if they rotate nights you will always have a vet in the building that will have worked up to 36 hours straight.  And if one takes the day off they're on ooh, then that's one less vet for normal Appts.

It's not practical

>The other benefit to them no longer doing their own ooh was that they then started to offer longer surgery hours, extra hours on Wednesday, plus a whole day Saturday.  So in doing so increased the amount of hours they are available to us in general.

The vets I use do their own OOH as well as having surgery from 8am - 7pm on weekdays, all day Saturday 8am - 5pm and Sundays 10am - 4pm.  All included as "normal working hours" and any Bank Holiday Monday they are open the same as a Sunday, again, no extra charge, as they advertise that they are open.  The practise is staffed by 2 vets and 2 nurses at night.  So, even if a vet is called out, there is a vet at the surgery all the time.  In cases where dogs have been very poorly, I've had a vet phone me at 10.30pm asking for permission to carry out anything extra that they feel is really necessary.  Be it x-ray, scan etc.

I've actually phoned at midnight and spoken to the nurse in charge of my dog to see if he was ok (jugular bitten) and she was so thrilled to tell me that she had warmed chicken for him, and he was eating at last.

>Most practices have several vets, and therefore they can take it in turns to do the out of hours -and it doesn't even have to be on a day when they have already worked.

Our practice has three vets and two branches - there is a vet full-time at the main branch where the surgical facilities and hospitalisation unit is, and a diagnostic and routine treatment clinic where there is only a vet on the premises for limited hours - the rest of the time they're at the main branch. They take it in turns to do OOH and weekend on call, but if they're called out in the night they still have to work the next day. It would be impractical to employ a fourth vet to work on an ad hoc basis, and charges would have to rise a lot to pay for it.

"At the end of the day expecting any one person (GP or vet)  to be able to work 24/7 on a regular basis is unreasonable, and that's when life threatening mistakes can happen.  So while ooh may not be what people want, it's the most practical if we want our vets alert and fresh when treating and operating in normal hours".

"But that isn't how it works any more. The single vet practice is more or less extinct these days. Most practices have several vets, and therefore they can take it in turns to do the out of hours -and it doesn't even have to be on a day when they have already worked".

I agree Goldmali. I used to go to a Practice where a large number of Vets are employed but they use Vets Now for their OOH. I was told by a Vet there it was cheaper to retain Vets Now than pay their own Vet for the OOH time worked, plus no one had to get out of bed at night.

Also some OOH providers may be frequently changing staff which means sometimes they might short of their own employed Vets. These shifts have to be covered by other Vets who are offered the work from local Practices. I wonder if there is a guarantee those Vets have never worked during the previous day when they are covering a night shift?

Can I just say in defence of my vet, who works at companion care inside pets @ home, that I have never been fobbed off with a different vet, I make the appointment and ask for him. He has called me after 7pm with test results, never tries to take random bloods, promote the vaccs for life plan etc. I think it depends on the practice. The nurses know my dogs by name and when they found out it was my black girl's pup in reception, we were asked to wait so that all could have a cuddle.

When someone dumped a starving rabbit on our doorstep, they let me in at 7.30 in the morning, and after the poor thing died, refunded me the cost of treatment so there are good franchises out there....

I do think the Companion  Care Vets being opened within Pets At Home gives vets the opportunity to start up as surely for so may premises must be a major headache and cost.

I do actually use one if I need to outside my own vets normal office hours.  He doesn't work Sundays or Saturday afternoons, so this gives cover that isn't as expensive as the OOH dedicated service he now uses also with most practices around here.

Being within a pet store they do tend to be geared for the average pets requirements of vaccination and neutering, teeth cleaning etc, and do have low expectations of owner knowledge and competence..

Interestingly we have Vetsnow (as I mentioned in a previous post).  In the 5 times I've needed to use them I have never been asked for anything up front.  I know ours went through a change of ownership a couple of years back, but I've never been asked up front from either owner so I suspect it must be specific to individual franchises.

One of my girls had D&V off and on since early Monday.  Saw our own vets yesterday afternoon, but after they shut she started vomiting blood, so got her straight over to Vets now.  £140 consult, estimated treatment (to be 12 hours fluid IV, x-rays, and other meds) £700-800.  I assumed that was in addition to the consult.  On my way out (in tears at having to leave her but knowing it was best) I checked if I needed to pay anything up front and was told no, just when I came to pick her up in the morning.  She has been diagnosed with Hemmorhagic Gastroenteritis - something I've never experienced or heard of in all my years in dogs, but can be deadly if not treated immediately with fluids http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/12_7/features/Dog_16136-1.html

Bill this morning total was £674, much less than the estimate, and included the £140 consult fee.  Took her straight from there to my vet where they have continued her drip and are trying to get her to take a bit of food.  I popped over a little while ago to see if she would eat.  Their hope is they can get her well enough to send home for overnight as they feel she will be happier and heal better at home for a bit, even if she has to go back in the daytime for IV fluids.  Fingers crossed she can come home.

Sorry, all of this to say that not all VetsNow practices require payment before treatment, I have been more than happy with the care I've received from them past and present.  And based on costs I've seen for overnight treatment even at own practices it compares.  And to come in under the estimate was a pleasant surprise, and says to me 'no padding'.

I'm just grateful I trusted my gut and took her in when I did.  That's likely why she's responded so well, though she's not 100% out of the woods.  Of course I'm happier she's at my own vets today, but she didn't want for care and attention last night either, and I owe them her life (no exaggeration).

Vets Now's website states they require payment on the day and a deposit for more complex treatment, so maybe that explains it:
http://www.vets-now.com/pet-owners/faqs/how-do-i-pay/

I hope your bitch will soon be well again -I can so imagine the worry.

Maybe, but we didn't need to pay up front for a full C-section either.  Or maybe they don't view that as complex ;)

Fingers crossed she's turned a corner.  I'm bringing her home for overnight, and back in to our vets in the morning for evaluation. 

Wendy - I have no experience of Vetsnow but just wanted to say I hope your girl is doing well and that she will soon be fully recovered.

One of my boys has had two bouts of haemhorragic gastroenteritis - once on his birthday a couple of years ago and once last Christmas Eve (he's good at dates, bless him).

The first time he was vomiting (but no blood) and there was no mistaking the copious amounts of bloody diarrhoea, poor boy.  This started in the early hours and we went to the Vet mid morning.   He diagnosed HGE and treated him with a cocktail of Amoxicillin (injection and a course of tablets), Zantac, Ranitidine and Promax paste.  We were lucky that we caught it very early, I think.  I bought him home and luckily he drank water (with chicken broth in it) and he ate regular very, very small meals of boiled chicken and then Chappie.  The speed of his recovery was amazing.  The vomiting and diarrhoea stopped almost immediately.  My Vet warned me to take him straight back in if he did not start improving straightaway because he would need to be put on a drip, like your girl.  Fortunately this was not necessary, but it was scary.

Vet said cause unknown but the drug combination certainly worked.  Might have been bacterial, perhaps something scavenged - who knows - but it was horrible.

The second time it happened I was in the car quicker than you could say 'Vet' as I knew immediately it was the same thing.

My other dog was completely unaffected.

Fingers crossed your girl will be back to normal very, very soon.

All the best
Blay

Thank you.  I'm sorry to hear you've gone through this as well. 

She's home now and eating tiny bits when I'm letting her.  The important thing with this is to avoid the dehydration.  It can happen so fast.  I can't believe in all my years in dogs I'd never heard of it, as now that we've experienced it I'm hearing of so many others.  Luckily my other 4 are unaffected as in your situation.

Sounds like a similar cocktail to what they had/have Kendra on.  She goes back tomorrow morning, and hopefully if she's maintained her current status overnight she won't need to stay in tomorrow.

Now if the boomin' fireworks would stop!!  They're not helping things :(

So glad she's doing OK.  Let us know how she gets on tomorrow.

With my boy it all happened so quickly that it was not until we were home and he was on the road to recovery that it sank in how seriously ill he may have become and just how lucky we were.

Fortunately the fireworks aren't too bad here tonight - nothing too close - phew!  Hope yours quieten down soon.

Our fireworks were in all the neighbouring gardens (sigh).  Was like being in a war zone.

Kendra is doing wonderfully today.  She greeted the morning with a full on smooch and full body wag.  Was cleared by the vet to stay home (removed catheter) and on lots of small light meals for the next few days.  I'm so relieved.

Thanks for asking after her.

That's brilliant news - so pleased!

So scary for you both. Glad Kendra is recovering well 😊