What should I do if my pet has a medical emergency?

The first course of action should be to call our emergency vet and describe your pet’s medical situation. The emergency vet will be able to advise on a course of action, which may involve immediate medical attention. You can contact our emergency vet on 

If in doubt, call us.

During what hours is emergency care available?

There is always an emergency vet on-call between during our clinic hours and also through our special 24-hour emergency vet care provision. If your pet is having a medical emergency you can call us at any time of the day and care will be available.

What should I do if my pet has eaten poison/improper medication?

If your pet has eaten something it shouldn’t have such as rodent poison, weedkiller, slug pellets or human medication the first step should be to call the emergency vet. Different poisons have different effects so it is very important to know as much as possible about what your animal has eaten. Do not try to make your pet vomit, get in touch with the emergency vet and they will advise on the appropriate course of action to be taken.

Can my pet have an emergency c-section?

If your pet’s labour has gone on for more than an hour without any offspring then an emergency caesarean section could be necessary to save both the mother and babies. Call our emergency vet if you believe this may be the situation.

Will the vet be aware of my pet’s circumstances?

If your pet is registered with Highfield Veterinary Clinics then the vet on-call may know your pet personally or may be able to access your pet’s file. If this isn’t the case, when describing your pet’s condition it will be helpful to include any additional relevant information, such as medication your pet is taking or recent surgery it had.

Will my pet insurance cover emergency treatment?

Emergency veterinary treatment for your pet being covered by insurance will depend on your policy. When taking out your policy it is best to enquire from your provider whether or not emergency treatment is included.

Will my pet have to stay overnight at the clinic?

In certain situations, such as after emergency surgery or a particularly traumatic event, we may wish to keep your pet overnight at one of our veterinary clinics for observation. Our facilities have been carefully designed to lower stress among the animals staying with us, which includes segregation of species and individual animals which helps to create a relaxed environment for the pets in our care.