The Vet Practice

Having to pay extra for services at night or on weekends will always cost more than it would during normal working hours.

Now whether you need a Plumber, an Electrician or anyone for that matter - penalty rates apply and there's no getting round that. It's the Law!

So paying higher hourly rates to have your animal examined and treated afer hours isn't out of the ordinary at all.

But - what you pay depends on what needs to be done during those "non routine" hours.

And it's your job to find out!

For starters - having provided a 24 hour service for over 20 years, we know that not every case presented to us after hours has needed immediate costly treatment. Sometimes some First Aid, combined with effective pain relief is all that was needed see a pet safely through the night.

Further investigation and diagnostics would then continue in the morning when the rates were cheaper.

Why perform an Ultrasound at midnight when it is deemed adequately safe to do it in the morning at half the price!

The same applies to blood tests, X-Rays and even surgery. Depending on the presenting problem, sometimes some things can safely wait until the next day.

Of course you don't always have this option. Some cases are true emergencies and do need immediate surgery or expensive medical treatment. In this case you're right, you don't have a choice.

So what it boils down to is asking questions. Lots of them! Find out what's necessary between now and the next day and what can possibly wait. Just because the staff are there and able to do it, doesn't mean you need to actively engage them to do so.

Ask the vet to explain all benefits and disadvantages between doing something now or later so you can make an informed decision. Be warned though - if you've declined a specific treatment that the vet believes is necessary then you also need to take on the risks that go with this making this decision.