Overnight Care – Client Information

Town and Country have a professional relationship with Vets Now Ltd – our out of hours provider. Here is some information on how this relationship works and what to expect for your pet.

When you call us out of hours 

  • When you call Town and Country Veterinary Group after 7pm, our phone lines will automatically divert to Vets Now – you do not need a different number to contact them. 
  • They will be able to provide advice over the phone; offer you an appointment if needed and provide estimated costs of this, before you commit to the visit.
  • If your pet is staying with Vets Now overnight, at 8am the following morning, you will be transferred to our Kingswells branch for a reassessment by our 8am Vet, who has availability first thing, set aside for such visits.
    - Vets Now will send us a report of how your pet has been doing overnight for our Vet to review before seeing you.
    - Vets Now will also call at 8am for a direct vet to vet handover. 

What is Vets Now Ltd? 

  • Vets Now is a third-party company, who work with Town and Country but operate as an independent company with regards to staff, insurance and charging.
  • They are based on Skene Road, Aberdeen, AB15 8PJ. 
  • They are an RCVS accredited Small Animal Emergency Service Clinic, and offer emergency care for a range of practices across Aberdeen, operating outwith our opening hours e.g 7pm – 8am on weekday nights; and 12pm on Saturday through to 8am on Monday. 

When you have a pet in with us as an inpatient 

  • If you have a pet in with us, and the Vet feels they should go to Vets Now for overnight care, this decision and associated costs will be discussed with you either in person, or over the phone, using the contact details provided when you pet was admitted.
  • Any pets being transferred will have their full clinical history, relevant imaging such as x-rays, and any hospitalisation sheets emailed to Vets Now in advance of the transfer being made so that Vets Now know what to expect.
  • Our late Vet will also call Vets Now to do an over-the-phone handover.

Unstable patients

  • If your pet is an inpatient with us and the Vet does not feel that they are stable enough to be transported to Vets Now, our late Vet and late Nurse will stay and monitor your patient until they feel a transfer is possible – you will not incur any additional fees if our staff are required to stay past 7pm as this forms part of our duty of ongoing care.
  • Usually the client would transfer their own pet to Vets Now, but if this is not possible or you feel unable to do this, exceptional arrangements will be made for the Vet and Nurse to transfer your pet directly. 

Where Vets Now is not an option

  • We understand that Vets Now may not be a suitable option for all clients and they may not wish to transfer them to our out of hours provided.
  • If this is the case, the attending Vet will discuss all possible options and outcomes with you and may offer the following;
  • To keep your pet overnight with ourselves; this means they would be unattended from 7pm – 8am, with final checks at 7pm and another at 8am, and we will call you if there are any changes or updates. Unfortunately, no communication will be possible during the hours of 7pm – 8am if your pet is an inpatient at Town and Country Vets.
  • To take your pet home for at-home monitoring overnight. Any medications required through the night will be discussed with you, as well as the potential risks and the potential need to contact Vets Now through the night if your pet deteriorates. 

If you have any questions regarding our out of hours care, please feel free to get in touch by calling your nearest branch, emailing in, or calling Vets Now directly on 01224 969575.