Name: Vets Now
Address: Penguin House, Castle Riggs, Dunfermline, Fife
Rating: 4.26

“We were a bit disappointed that the diagnosis was so incorrect and we were given medication for the wrong condition. This was a very expensive mistake and meant out dog was in pain for longer than necessary. Have found the service to be good in the past however.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Mrs Ziska, thank you for taking the time to let us know about your recent experience. If you would like us to look into any aspect of your visit then please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com

Posted 4 years ago

“GATESHEAD. The one star is for the vet who finally put my poor dog out of her misery and who was there at the end to console us. On Saturday 12th December, we had taken Polly to see our vet in Windermere as she seemed to be in some discomfort and had been crying during the night. At this point she was eating, drinking and could walk, so the vet thought maybe her arthritis and gave pain killers. Later that day though she took a turn for the worse and had run from our caravan, passed bright yellow diarrhoea and howled in pain when i lifted her back in, under her tummy. We decided to bring her home to see the family as we knew it was serious. We called Vets Now for a ring back. We waited two hours and nobody called, so I called again. My call had not been logged. When i finally spoke to the vet she said take her straight down, which I did. We handed Polly over and the vet said she would call us during the consultation. She didn't, she called afterwards saying Polly must have hurt herself when she fell from the caravan. I told her Polly had not fallen, she had run because of the diarrhoea, and she had serious abdominal pain. Polly had been given a painkilling injection. The injection did not work and Polly was in extreme pain during the night. We took her back the next morning, by this time she could not stand, and had stopped eating and drinking. Again I told the vet about the yellow diarrhoea and extreme pain. Again a fall from the caravan was mentioned. For the third time I said, there was no fall! This was then removed from the records. Polly was given another injection which did not provide relief. I managed to speak to my own vet who immediately suspected pancreatitis or cancer, but as he was away from home he was unable to visit Polly. I called Vets Now back again and advised of my vet's opinion. We were told to wait until 9pm in the evening to get another pain killing injection, hopefully to get her through the night comfortably. This was at 12 noon. Polly by this time was in agony, her poor little body rigid with pain. At 3pm we decided enough was enough and we took Polly to be euthanised. This vet was very sympathetic and reassured us we were doing the right thing, but told us she had not examined Polly earlier. I was so confused but knew we were doing the only thing we could to help Polly. The next day when I took Polly to our vet to arrange cremation, another of our vets identified possible ruptured stomach ulcer as she was on NSAIDS. I spoke to our vet in Windermere on Monday. She also suspected a form of canine cancer which does not present until advanced stages. My question is this: if three vets who did not see Polly, suspected advanced cancer, pancreatitis, or ruptured ulcer just from my verbal description of Polly's symptoms, then why did the one vet who did examine her assume she had pain from a fall and treat her for arthritis, when it was very clear to us, lay people, she was in severe pain and distress. I doubt if anything could have been done to save Polly, but she could have been released from her pain a day earlier, had we been given a more accurate assessment of her condition. She was such a beautiful animal and had given us so much love, she did not deserve to suffer this way at the end. We are truly devastated that she was allowed to suffer. Worst 24 hours of our lives.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Mrs Thompson, thanks for sharing your experience with us. We’re really sorry to hear it wasn’t a more positive one for you. Our client care team has advised that your case is currently being investigated. We really appreciate your patience whilst this is on-going.

Posted 4 years ago

“Out of hours emergency fees were extortionate for the service provided. For example the metacam was charged at £60 and my vet quoted £10. A sedation and a few stitches £675. My dog had 16 teeth removed and it cost half the fee”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Caroline, I know it can be frustrating having to pay for an unplanned trip to the vets. Much like it is for other out-of-hours services in other industries, It's more expensive to run an out-of-hours pet emergency service than a general daytime practice. We've broken down where our costs go here if you'd like to find out more: https://www.vets-now.com/2018/01/emergency-vet-costs-prices-fees/. If you’d like to query your bill or speak to us about anything we’re here for you on customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“My dog came to you after being run over. I expected her to be x-rayed and scanned neither of these things were done but was given plenty of expensive pain killers and others things enough probably to have kept her comatosed. I took her home and saw what you had given her snd I was extremely annoyed at the amount of drugs on there. And the price £1400 ridiculous. I will be getting a second opinion. So you will be hearing from me”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Margaret, thanks for sharing your experience with us. We’re really sorry to hear it wasn’t a more positive one for you. If you’d like to query your bill or speak to us about anything we’re here for you on customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“Vets Now are used by my own vets as their out of hours service. I noticed a small wound under by 14 week old rabbits eye at 7.30pm on a Saturday evening and so phoned for an emergency appointment, knowing that any issues with rabbits can escalate quickly, my rabbit saw a vet and was prescribed eye drops for the wound. I asked to be given antibiotics as well as stressed and I’ll rabbits can develop Statis which can be life threatening and we were told that Vets now are an emergency vet and only treat what they can Sean’s to see our own vet Monday. Sadly our rabbit did indeed already have Statis and deteriorated very quickly Saturday overnight. By the time my vets had a vet on site at 9am Sunday it was too late to save our baby bunny. I believe that vets now inexperienced vet(s) yes two consulted on my rabbit, caused unnecessary suffering to our rabbit and caused her death.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Toni, thank you for letting us know about your recent visit. I've noticed that you've already raised your concerns with our client care team. If you've any further queries please contact us on customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“My terminally ill female spaniel was examined by Vets Now in Reading, October 2020. I was not there for the examination but was called on my mobile phone afterwards. The vet consistently referred to my female dog as ‘he’ and completely failed to grasp why I had brought her to the surgery. I was charged £192.50 for a worthless examination and an equally worthless conversation. Absolutely appalling!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Tim, we are disappointed to hear that you did not have a more positive experience with us at Vets Now Reading. We would like the opportunity to address your concerns. Please reach out to us directly at customersupport@vets-now.com when you have a chance. Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Posted 4 years ago

“So our cat became ill late on Saturday. We don’t have our own vet yet as we’ve just returned from abroad 10 days ago and we’re still in quarantine. I was told by Vets Now Preston just to examine our cat would cost £220 which seemed excessive, (Vets4Pets charge a £34 consultation fee during the week) but hey they have you by the short and curlies because there isn’t another emergency vet in the immediate area and you don’t want to see your pet suffer. Plus we could not leave the house as we were quarantining. We waited to see if what we thought was constipation would resolve itself, but by morning he was no better, so he had to go in. Slightly less charge of £170 as it wasn’t an evening call, but it was a Sunday. He had a blockage in his bladder and total costs just for the emergency vet is £1400. I’m waiting for a breakdown. I will be challenging the call out fees and will reserve judgment on the rest of the bill until I receive a breakdown. 7 times a ‘normal’ exam fee, to me, is excessive and is taking advantage of pet owners who don’t choose when their pet gets sick, but obv don’t want their pet to be in pain until 9-5 on a week day. I accept that you pay more for out of hours, but 7x more? I also have additional fees for his follow on treatment including another (admittedly much less) consultation fee from Vets4Pets, because they deal with his ‘in hours‘ treatment which may continue a few more days. That’s going to be at least another £260, possibly another £780. Vets Now will be monitoring his out of hours care while he’s at Vets4Pets Preston surgery. I’m sure the treatment he had and is currently receiving is good (although because of Covid I cannot check on him or the treatment). I’m just very disappointed that I had to agree to the outrageous price as there was no alternative (unless you call euthanasia an alternative) and delayed treatment because it was so high. If the price had been more reasonable, I would not have waited until Sunday morning to send him in. Unfortunately I don’t have a case number as I have not received a final invoice, nor receipt for the 50% deposit.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Vicky, thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I know it can be frustrating having to pay for an unplanned trip to the vets. Much like it is for other out-of-hours services in other industries, it's more expensive to run an out-of-hours pet emergency service than a general daytime practice. We've broken down where our costs go here if you'd like to find out more: https://www.vets-now.com/2018/01/emergency-vet-costs-prices-fees/ If you’d like to query your bill or speak to us about anything we’re here for you on customersupport@vets-now.com

Posted 4 years ago

“Wish I could justify charging 1500 for four hours of supposed watching on a dog that might have another cluster seizure Only difference between a bank robber and Vets Now is the Bank robber usually wears a mask”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Andy, we regret to hear that you are displeased with your recent experience with us. Much like it is for other out-of-hours services in other industries, It's more expensive to run an out-of-hours pet emergency service than a general daytime practice. If you’d like to query your bill or speak to us about anything we’re here for you on customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“Absolutely appalling way to treat animals and customers, told I must see the vet 11:00 slot, sat in car park for 3 hours and was told told “ we are like NHS accident and emergency” They had no history about my dog and shot him up with Bupranorphine or in human form Subutex same thing they give addicts ? A completely over the top pain killer for an abscess that apparently they had drained and all was so good he didn’t need antibiotics, no it wasn’t drained seeping puss all the way home ! My dog couldn’t stand up and I was so scared about his breathing, I thought he was going to die! Took over an hour to try and get hold of them to find out who had given him and where to take him or what to do , no one would take responsibility! They then kept him inside the building until I paid over the phone ? I watched a guy sit outside with his dog unable to walk for three hours in his arms it was heartbreaking! I think my little guy is ok but he needs antibiotics. So that’s a another bill! Vets who are using this service are going to loose a lot of clients, if my pet has to go through a situation like that ever again I’ll leave and take all 7 fully insured animals elsewhere for treatment. You see VetsNow you are not an over pushed National Health Service PetsNow , you are greedy poor veterinary service! Your reference to the NHS turned my stomach when I think what nurses on the front line get paid next you you who play on the emotions of owners and are happy to willy nilly inject a brachycephalic dog with subutex . My dog is bloody traumatised , I’m traumatised by the lack of aftercare or concern for him and to top off the insult they took money from my account for paid blood Pet products Where do these people get off ! Never Ever Ever use them !”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, we would like the opportunity to address your concerns. Please reach out to us directly at customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“Couldnt post a no star or I would have done, My dog Barnie was real ill, took him to a vets now £1700 + for a course of antibiotics and 2 nights staying in, dearer than the Hilton”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I took my dog on an emergency call yesterday as they are the out of hours my vets used. It was my first experience. I was asked to call when I arrived at the clinic. I arrived 25 mins after a I called. Called to say I had arrived and was told some one would come and see me. I was not asked what was wrong with my dog. An hour later no on had been so I called reception to be told that I had not been forgotten and someone would be out. 20 mins later the receptionist came out and to take Buzz in. She didnt even ask what was wrong. When prompted if she wanted to know what was wrong with him I was told a vet would call me. Another 20 mins + passed and no call so I rang at reception and was told his Triage was being done and the vet would call me. Another 20 mins and still no call. The recpetionist was outside seeing to someone else and when I explained I had been there 2 hrs and not spoken to a vet was anxious about my dog being inside not having been told anything she offered to bring him out for me. When she brought him out I was told they had a cat come in that had been run over and that I was likely to have another hours wait. As Buzz had improved I decided to take him home. Absolutely awful customer service. Another lady left before me as she had got the same silent treatment and had been waiting a while. I will not be using them again for out of hours! For the £179 call out charge they should be on to of customer service!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Mel, thank you for taking the time to leave a rating. If you would like to discuss your experience further then please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com including details of the clinic you attended, pets name and your address.

Posted 4 years ago

“We were forced to use this vets 3 week ago just under 1200 pounds for my cat to stay there overnight if we hadn't he would have possibly died he suffers from UTI and blocks easily , went to fetch him the next morning to take to my own vet only to be told I would have to take him back when my vets shut in the evening , I asked why and their reply was he'll be on his own alnight is that what you want ? It's as though I was being blackmailed into feeling guilty ! He was in my vets with x-rays , scans and blood tests for 3 nights at a cost of £368 big difference . So basically if you are desperate to see a vet out of hours they know they have you over a barrel and can and do charge what they want , where's the so-called compassion for pets and owners , the Gov. need to cap what vets charge , just hoping my insurance will pay most of the costs incurred buy a very money grabbing vets.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Jacqueline, I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy after your recent visit to Vets Now. If you would like us to look into any aspect of your visit then please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com with your concerns, pets name, first line of address and postcode

Posted 4 years ago

“Took my dog in for emergency care as she is due in a vets tomorrow but feel she could not wait. They took her rudely / abruptly and rushed - the vet then called me as due to cov I was not allowed in which is de-stressing in itself. They said that her heart rate and temperature were normal but they had to run tests which would be £400. I agreed they carried out the tests - called me saying they have all come back negative but she is very de- hydrated. I said ok - but they requested I leave her over night - I refused as I would not leave her some where strange - i asked what was wrong - they said she was a very poorly dog but gave me no answer as to what was wrong. My dog is 15 and is old and I’m aware she is not well. They simply told me to take her back to a vets tomorrow so I am £400 down and non the wiser if my dog is just poorly as she is 15. Do not use them wish I had read these reviews before - and now reading them I am so happy I decided to take her home. They talk to you like rubbish and are rude. Con artists and time wasters.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Rebecca, thanks for sharing your experience with us. We’re really sorry to hear it wasn’t a more positive one for you. If you would like to discuss your experience further then please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com, including your concerns, Pets name, first line of address and postcode.

Posted 4 years ago

“4 weeks ago on a Sunday evening 8pm ish my 17 year old cat was taken ill. I rang the vets in tears as I knew this was it and I wouldn’t be bringing her home. I informed person on the phone that it would be a pts appointment but they still insisted she needed a checkup for the small cost of £180. When I asked for the price of the whole appointment I was told it would be £350. My little cat weighed about 2 kg I’m still struggling to understand how it could cost that much extra. My last cat I had pts 2 years ago during normal opening hours cost £65 and he was at least double her weight. Vets now are all about extorting people that have no other choice when they are scared and vulnerable”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Debbie, thank you again for taking the time to reach out to us. We regret that you weren't satisfied with your experience. If you would like us to look into any aspect of your visit then please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com

Posted 4 years ago

“Never again. My 16 week old toy breed puppy tried to eat a cigarette butt on a walk this evening, I managed to pull out of his mouth as he nearly ingested it & he seemed fine. Ate his evening food an hour or so after & was fine. 2 hours after that I came to see him shaking, wobbly, disorientated & staring vacantly like he was drunk. He was clearly not himself I tried getting him to drink water or have an icecube (which he normally loves & he just had no reaction). So I panicked & took him to vets now (my usual vet is lovely- only charged £30 for antibiotics despite 3 vets visits due to burst abscess a few weeks prior- but being a Sunday eve was closed & had vets now listed as their out of hours service). While I appreciate this is an out of hours service I still find the costs extremely excessive. He was seen for approx 5 mins & I was charged £150 despite them saying nothing was wrong with him, he seemed fine but they hadn’t done any blood tests. So basically it cost me £150 for them to “look at him”. I felt relieved obviously first & foremost... but I am still not sure my puppy is ok. When I returned home I took him out to the toilet in the garden & he just sat & stared at the floor & didn’t go to the toilet & I had to carry him in as he couldn’t get up the back step. I am really annoyed they didn’t check for anything else or properly do anything as he really isn’t himself still. So my mind is not at ease & after just being made redundant due to Covid-19 I really could have done without a £150 for less than basic checkover. Hopefully I can claim this on my insurance without a ridiculous costly excess. This is clearly a money-making scheme to over-charge pet owners when they are at their most vunerable & have nowhere to turn. Surely 5 mins of their time is not worth £150. My main concern is the health of my pup & I hope my puppy returns to his usual self as I don’t feel 100% that his check up was thorough or even based on real care for animals. Only upside was staff were friendly.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy after your recent visit to Vets Now. If you’d like to query your bill or speak to us about anything we’re here for you on customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“My daughters dog was not well on a Sunday and this was emergency vets directed to. Very polite and well treated in car park and because of COVID she was taken in alone. Returned to tell us that problem was neurological because of the way she was behaving and would require head scan. This proved negative although costing£1,500. She then required body scan which found possibly cancer. They said they could treat her but she would only survive a few months at best. Not wishing to put her through any more trauma we decided to say goodbye and not see her suffer. She was in from Sunday afternoon until the Tuesday afternoon when she was put to sleep. My daughter had insurance up to £3000 pounds with the usual conditions. The final bill was £2,700 which we had to pay as only £500 was paid by insurance company I feel that although we were treated courteously we were put in a very difficult position while under stress. I am almost certain if our own vet had been available he would have given us better advice and although outcome would have been same the cost for tests could have been reduced.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, I know it can be frustrating having to pay for an unplanned trip to the vets. Much like it is for other out-of-hours services in other industries, It's more expensive to run an out-of-hours pet emergency service than a general daytime practice. If your daughter would like to query her bill or speak to us about anything we’re here for her on customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“Last week a dog was taken to Vets Now out of hours emergency, after it had been bitten by my son's dog. Despite, both myself and the other dog owner's belief that there was minor/limited injury to the dog, as a responsible dog owner, i encouraged the owner to seek a vets assurance that all was well. Less than 15 hours later, im left with a cost off 1100+!?!?! I was shocked by the excessive cost of treatment for what we believed to be minor injuries. Furthermore, despite the cost, several days later, a lump had come up on the dogs belly, which may have been from an infection, which we believed the Vet had managed!! Now we were informed that the dog may need an operation!!! More cost!!! At what point and by who will the rising costs of vets bills be explored and looked into? I feel that responsible dog owners are taken advantage of at a time when the are vulnerable and will do anything to help their pets!! Please feel free to explore my payment invoice and if anyone can expalin the cost to me that would be great!!! 🤬”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Jay, I believe you've already phoned us to discuss this case. If there is anything else you would like to raise with us we’re here for you on customersupport@vets-now.com.

Posted 4 years ago

“Do not use!! Shocking experience at a very traumatic time. On Sunday 14th our dog suffered an injury whilst playing in the garden and we were convinced he had broken it. We called Vets Now as it was gone 8pm and were told to bring him straight in. We arrived and due to Covid we had to wait in the car park for 15 mins after telling them we had arrived (our dog was whining and shaking in pain). Finally someone came out to see another owner waiting outside and we demanded he be taken in straight away which he was. 10 mins later a nurse called me to say they didn’t think he had broken it and won’t be long. We were very confused and asked if he had an x ray and they said no because he didn’t need it! We took him home that night and were told he needed rest for a week. A week goes by and he’s still very sore and visibly lame. He goes for an appointment at our regular vet who says again he’s fine and can see him playing so can’t be anything wrong. He was having a routine castration so requested he was x rayed and we were prepared to pay it but again there was apparently no need. Fast forward another 2 weeks and we demand an x ray only to find out SHOCK he has broken it. Our boy dog has been walking around on a broken leg for 3 weeks with vets including vets now telling us he is fine! Surely if a client is requesting an x ray you bloody well do it! We were there, we heard the crack and saw his reaction! We knew something bad had happened! So fed up with vets talking down to owners when they don’t know the dog. Vets now charged us nearly £300 for a 15 min appointment and a week of metacalm!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Charlotte, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. If you would like us to look into any aspect of your visit then please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com

Posted 4 years ago

“I went through these people that put my poor cat to sleep 5/6/20 on the phone I was told 45.00 consultation fee when in fact they charge me 239.00 They said she would need overnight care for over a thousand pounds for 1 night, in the end she had to be put to sleep as he then claimed she wouldnt make it through the night I've argued the conservation I had with the operator I was sent the recorded call and they have taken out parts of the conversation, I know 100% that I repeated the price back to her to confirm it that part of the conversation was missing do not trust these people with your pet or money they lie all we wanted to do was take our cat back out of that place and go to another vet who truly would help a poorly cat treat her which is what a vet should do”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Imogen, thank you for taking the time to leave a rating. What you’ve described sounds very unusual and we’d really like the opportunity to look into this further for you. Please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com

Posted 4 years ago

“Vets now are a money grabbing con. they should not be allowed to charge such extortionate amounts to people with sick animals at night when there's no other option. Normal day time vets fees are expensive enough, and I could understand it being a little more, but they charge you for things that aren't even necessary or fair. For example, my dog was taken through to the back for an injection, and trust me I was looking at the clock and she was in there for 4 minutes- and they charged her an over night admittance fee for that! Which is meant to cover the cost of food, bedding, through the night nursing, and obviously she came home with me and was only in for a few minutes. They really are to be avoided at all costs and should be ashamed of themselves. They milk your insurance for everything they can, but then even the top level insurance I have won't cover the extortionate amounts they charge for even consultation fees etc. Avoid!!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Jessica, I’m sorry to hear you’re unhappy after your recent visit to Vets Now. What you’ve described sounds very unusual and we’d really like the opportunity to look into this further for you. If you could provide us with more information, we can review your case and gain a better understanding of your experience. Please contact us at customersupport@vets-now.com

Posted 4 years ago

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