Does your pet need urgent help?

Call us first

If you are worried about your pet, telephone the practice straight away rather than booking online or sending an email. Online booking is for routine appointments, and an email may not be read in time. When you call, the team can tell you whether your pet needs to be seen urgently, how quickly to come in and what to do while you travel.

Examples of situations where you should call promptly include a road accident or other injury, breathing difficulty, collapse, a seizure, suspected poisoning, or repeated vomiting or diarrhoea. If in doubt, call. It is always better to ring and be told your pet can wait for a routine appointment than to wait at home with a pet who needed help.

Signs that need a same-day call

Some problems are obvious emergencies, but others creep up quietly. Please ring us the same day if your pet is straining to pass urine or cannot pass any, has a swollen or tight belly, is bleeding and the bleeding will not stop, cannot put weight on a leg, has been stung or bitten and is swelling around the face, or seems weak, wobbly or unusually quiet.

Small pets can go downhill quickly. A rabbit that has stopped eating or stopped passing droppings, or a guinea pig that is hunched and not interested in food, should be treated as urgent. You can read more about caring for these species on our rabbits and small furries page.

What to tell the team

Have your pet’s name, age and any current medication to hand, and describe what has happened and when it started. If your pet may have eaten something harmful, keep the packaging to show the vet. If you can, note how often your pet has been sick, whether there is blood in vomit or faeces, and anything unusual they may have got into on a walk or in the house or garden.

Please do not give human painkillers or other home remedies unless a vet has told you to. Some common human medicines are poisonous to pets, even in small amounts.

What happens when you arrive

We see dogs, cats, rabbits and small furries, and the vet will start with a full clinical examination. Depending on what they find, your pet may need tests such as blood tests or X-rays and other imaging, along with pain relief, medication or fluids. Some problems need an operation, and our pet surgery page explains how that works.

The vet will talk you through what they have found, the options for treatment and an estimate of the cost before going ahead wherever possible. In a true emergency, the first priority is to stabilise your pet, and we will keep you informed as things progress.

Travelling to the clinic safely

Move an injured pet carefully and keep it warm and as still as possible. A blanket or towel can be used as a stretcher for a larger dog, and a box or secure carrier works well for cats and small pets. A frightened or painful animal may bite, even if they are normally gentle, so handle them calmly and keep your face away from theirs. The clinic is at 2–4 Cargo Fleet Lane, Middlesbrough; see our contact page for directions and opening hours.

Outside opening hours

When the clinic is closed, emergency care for our clients is provided by Bridge Veterinary Hospital Middlesbrough (CVS Vets 24/7), Victoria Street, Middlesbrough TS1 5QZ (telephone 01642 134522). Hospitalisation and emergency consultations are available at our OOH provider 24/7 when we are closed. Full provider details, including their website, are shown below. Please phone them before setting off so they can prepare for your arrival. For non-urgent concerns, book a vet consultation or read our pet care advice.

After an emergency

If your pet has been seen out of hours, please let us know when we reopen and bring any paperwork you were given. Ring us to arrange any follow-up checks, repeat medication or further treatment, and we will carry on from there.

Common questions

Can I call just for advice? Yes. If you are unsure whether your pet needs to be seen, call us during opening hours or the out-of-hours provider when we are closed, and they will advise you on the best course of action.

How much will an emergency visit cost? It depends on your pet and the treatment they need. There is always a fee for the examination, even if you decide not to go ahead with further treatment. We will give you an estimate before any treatment wherever we can, and you can see our routine fees on the prices page.