What should I do if my pet needs a vet at night?

Phone your own practice's usual number first. Its recorded message or website gives the number of whoever is covering tonight, and the vet on duty will tell you whether your pet needs to be seen now. Don't drive to a clinic without phoning: the out-of-hours service is often at a different address from your daytime vet.

Can I use an emergency vet if I'm not registered with them?

Yes. RCVS guidance says emergency services should still give first aid and pain relief to animals that aren't registered with them, though registered clients may be prioritised. If you're away from home, phone the nearest practice and its message will point you to its out-of-hours service.

Can an emergency vet refuse to treat my pet if I can't pay?

A vet on duty should not unreasonably refuse first aid and pain relief, and a conversation about cost should not delay it. Beyond that, the vet can discuss costs with you and ask for payment at the time. If money is a worry, say so early: some practices offer payment plans or can prioritise the most essential treatment.

Why is the out-of-hours vet in a different town?

Many practices hand their night and weekend cover to a dedicated emergency clinic that serves several practices from one site, so it may be further away than your daytime vet. RCVS guidance makes owners responsible for getting their animal there, so check the address and plan the journey before you need it.

Vets Now Limited is controlled by Inspiring Vet Care Limited, part of IVC Evidensia, according to the Companies House register (since January 2019). It is the most common out-of-hours provider among the practices in our directory whose arrangement we have verified.

Out-of-hours vets: who to call when your vet is closed

If your pet needs a vet when your practice is closed, phone your practice’s usual number. Every vet practice in the UK must arrange 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief, and the out-of-hours message or website will give you the number to call. Often that’s a separate emergency clinic run by a different business, sometimes in another town, and you pay that clinic directly.

This guide isn’t veterinary advice: if you’re worried about your pet now, stop reading and phone a vet.

What to do in a vet emergency

Phone first. Call your own practice’s number. Out of hours, it should play a message or divert you to whoever is on duty. Don’t drive straight to the practice: at night the vet is often at a different address.
Describe what’s happening. The vet on duty will tell you whether your pet needs to be seen now or can safely wait until morning.
Get the address and plan the journey. You’re responsible for getting your pet there, so think about who can drive you, or a taxi that takes animals.
Have the details ready. Keep your pet’s microchip number and insurance details to hand.

Away from home, or can’t get through? Any emergency vet should still give first aid and pain relief, even if you aren’t registered there. Find emergency vets near you, and contact them before you set off.

How out-of-hours vet cover works

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), which regulates vets, says every vet in practice must “take steps to provide 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief”. That doesn’t mean your own vet is awake all night. A practice can meet the rule by:

running its own 24-hour service
sharing a rota with other local practices
paying a dedicated out-of-hours clinic to take its calls
using an online service that works with local clinics

When a practice hands its nights and weekends to a separate provider, it signs a contract with that provider, and you pay the provider directly for any treatment. That’s how the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) describes the arrangement in its March 2026 final report on the vet market.

Why out-of-hours vets cost more

Expect to pay more at night and at weekends than for a daytime visit. The CMA puts this down to unpredictable demand and the higher pay needed to staff a clinic through the night. The RCVS says the same: emergency care usually costs more than routine treatment.

First aid comes before the bill. A vet on duty shouldn’t unreasonably refuse first aid and pain relief, and talking about money shouldn’t delay it. After that, the clinic can discuss costs with you and ask you to pay on the night. If cost is a worry, say so early: some practices offer payment plans or can focus on the most essential treatment.

Prices are becoming easier to check in advance. Under the CMA’s order, each practice’s published price list must include the cost of an out-of-hours consultation. Where a practice outsources its cover, the list must show that provider’s consultation price and link to the provider’s own price list. Large groups (15 or more sites) must comply from 22 December 2026, smaller practices from 22 March 2027.

Who runs out-of-hours vet services

The provider you’re most likely to meet is Vets Now. Companies House records show Vets Now Limited has been controlled by Inspiring Vet Care Limited, part of the IVC Evidensia group, since January 2019. Vets Now says it runs more than 60 emergency clinics and two 24/7 hospitals, in Glasgow and Manchester. See our Vets Now profile for the full ownership chain.

It isn’t the only group in this market. The CMA found that both CVS and IVC own dedicated out-of-hours businesses.

As of 19 October 2026, we’ve verified the out-of-hours arrangement for 358 practices in our directory. Vets Now covers 314 of them. That matters because an independent practice can still hand its nights to a corporate provider: the vet who sees your pet at 2am may work for a different business from the one you chose. Browse out-of-hours cover by area to see who covers practices near you.

The CMA also found that long contracts made it hard for practices to switch out-of-hours provider when prices rose or service slipped. Since 22 September 2026, new out-of-hours contracts can’t require a practice to give more than 12 months’ notice to leave.

How to find your vet’s out-of-hours arrangement

Check now, while your pet is well:

Look on the practice website. RCVS guidance says practices should publish their out-of-hours phone number, address, opening times and the likely starting cost. From 22 December 2026 (22 March 2027 for smaller practices), the CMA’s order also requires the provider’s name, phone number and address on the website and in the practice.
Check the practice page here. Search for your vet and its page shows who owns it and, where we’ve verified it, who covers its out-of-hours care.
Ask at reception. Who covers nights and weekends, where are they, and what does an out-of-hours consultation cost?
Save the number in your phone, and look up how long the drive takes.

If you’re choosing a new practice, put out-of-hours cover on your list alongside prices and ownership. Our guide to switching vets covers the rest.