Emergencies & Out-of-Hours Care

Some symptoms require immediate veterinary attention. If you notice any of the following, please contact us straight away:

• Difficulty breathing

• Seizures or fitting lasting more than 5 minutes

• Major trauma (e.g., road traffic accidents, severe wounds, falls)

• Poisoning or ingestion of a toxic substance

• Difficulty giving birth (dystocia)

• Straining or inability to urinate

• Protracted vomiting or diarrhoea

• Collapse, weakness, or severe lethargy

Please note this is not an exhaustive list – if you are concerned about your pet, it is always safer to call us for advice.

We are equipped to deal with a wide range of urgent and emergency situations on-site. Our facilities include:

• Dedicated treatment and triage area – allowing rapid assessment and stabilisation

• Modern digital radiography and ultrasound – for fast imaging and diagnosis

• In-house laboratory – enabling immediate blood tests and critical sample analysis

• Oxygen therapy – with oxygen cages for pets in respiratory distress

• Intravenous fluid therapy and infusion pumps – for precise fluid and medication delivery

• Separate dog and cat wards – to minimise stress during hospitalisation

• Isolation ward – for safe treatment of infectious patients

Our highly trained veterinary team work closely with our Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs), Melissa and Jodie, who both hold the CertVN ECC (Certificate in Emergency and Critical Care). Their specialist training means that your pet benefits from advanced nursing skills, round-the-clock monitoring, and compassionate care when they need it most.

If your pet experiences an emergency during our normal opening hours:

1. Call us immediately to advise us of your pet’s symptoms.

2. Our team will guide you on the next steps and prepare for your arrival.

3. When you arrive, your pet will be triaged promptly, and we will begin stabilisation and diagnostics as needed.

Our goal is to prioritise urgent and emergency patients as quickly as possible while keeping you informed throughout the process.

If your pet needs urgent care outside of our normal opening times, our phone line will direct you via an answer message to:

Medivet Beckenham
📞 0208 650 2003

Their experienced veterinary team provides emergency and critical care overnight, at weekends, and on bank holidays.

If your pet is already hospitalised with us and needs continued monitoring or treatment overnight, we will arrange for them to be transferred to Medivet Beckenham for ongoing care. Owners are responsible for transporting their pet to and from the out-of-hours provider.

Medivet Beckenham operates independently of Whisker & Woof. All payments, including insurance claims, are made directly with them. We recommend checking your insurance policy to ensure you are covered for out-of-hours treatment.