Who are Vets Now?
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Jacqui Patersons works alongside dedicated Accident and Emergency vets - "Vets Now"
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Vets Now provide an Out-of-Hours service during the night, on weekends and over bank holidays.
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Vets Now are the UK’s leading Emergency Out-of-Hours provider with more than 60 practices all over the UK. They only see emergencies and have the highest Out-of-Hours emergency caseload in the UK. Their considerable experience and knowledge in emergency medicine mean we trust them to look after your pet when we can’t.
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Vets Now work out of our Preston Farm branch through the night from 7:00 pm until 8.00 am during the week and from 12.00 pm on Saturday right through to 8.00 am on Monday morning.
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During your pet's stay with Vets Now, they will be provided with the highest quality of care, with regular monitoring as appropriate to your pet's condition. Vets Now will be able to provide immediate assistance should your pet’s condition deteriorate and should they become unstable or critically ill. This dedication to care gives both ourselves and our clients peace of mind.
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Treatment under the care of Vets Now includes but is not limited to performing diagnostic tests, altering treatment plans and performing surgery where required.
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Vets Now will always endeavour to provide you with regular updates if your pet is hospitalised.
What is a stable pet?
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Suppose your pet has been admitted into Jacqui Patersons during the day and requires ongoing overnight hospitalisation as a stable patient. In that case, they will be medically assessed by Vets Now staff at least every four hours to ensure that they are on track to getting better.
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Their food and water will be kept topped up, and they will be taken out for walks/toilet breaks or have their bedding changed, as and when necessary, depending on what type of pet they are and what their condition is.
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During the evening rounds when patients are handed over from Jacqui Patersons to Vets Now, a treatment plan will be agreed upon for stable patients. This plan will be followed unless there is a reason for concern, for example, your pet’s condition deteriorates.
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In the event of a patient deteriorating, the Vets Now duty staff will contact you to discuss necessary changes to your pet’s treatment and/or diagnostic plan.
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What is an unstable pet?
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Pets classified as “unstable” have conditions that are more likely to change and require monitoring more frequently. They often require frequent medication (for example, hourly eye drops or tube feeding) and may require repeat tests, e.g. blood sampling.
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In these cases, ongoing treatment is not easy to predict or pre-plan, and decisions about changing their treatment plan are anticipated.
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Unstable patients are also those with heavier nursing requirements, such as paraplegic patients or profuse diarrhoea cases requiring frequent bedding changes.
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What is a critical pet?
Critical pets represent a more severe requirement for ongoing, continuous care and diagnostic monitoring. Patients will be carefully watched and cared for by Vets Now. This will include any patients undergoing major surgery or those with serious illnesses or injuries such as breathing difficulties, continued seizures or other significant traumas.
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How much will it cost me for out of hours hospital care?
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Initial Fees:
Out of Hours Fee: £211.50
Consult Fee: £64.50
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Pet hospitalisation and monitoring are charged at three levels – Stable, Unstable and Critical. If your pet is transferred to Vets Now as a stable patient and the pre-determined plan can be followed, there will be no additional charge from Vets Now as the costs are covered by the Jacqui Patersons hospitalisation fee.
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If during the night/weekend, your stable pet's condition changes and it becomes necessary for Vets Now to manage your pet as an unstable or critical patient, they will contact you to discuss options and associated estimated costs.
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Suppose we recommend that your pet is transferred to Vets Now as an unstable or critical patient. In that case, we will give you a rough guide of the costs, and Vets Now will provide you with a detailed price at the earliest opportunity once they are on duty and have taken over the care of your pet.
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All Vets Now’s hospitalisation fees include standard food and water requirements, bedding changes, toilet breaks, plus all veterinary and nursing attention to the level stated. It also consists of a repeat of many of the essential diagnostic monitoring tests as appropriate to your pet’s clinical condition. An average stay in the hospital may include several different levels of care as a patient's condition changes.
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