It is twenty to midnight on a Tuesday. Your spaniel has vomited three times, is pacing the kitchen and won't settle, and you are standing in a dressing gown trying to work out whether this is the sort of thing that can wait until morning. Most pet owners in Devon have faced some version of that moment, and the answer is rarely obvious at midnight.
It comes down to three things: recognising what genuinely cannot wait, doing only the first aid that is safe, and knowing where you would drive. Sort those out now and the middle-of-the-night panic gets a lot smaller.
Signs that mean you call the vet now
Ring the emergency number if you see any of the following. These are the situations where waiting until 8am can genuinely change the outcome.
- Breathing problems. Laboured, noisy or visibly effortful breathing, or gums that look pale, white, blue or grey.
- Collapse or sudden weakness, especially in the back legs, or a pet you cannot rouse.
- Repeated unproductive retching with a swollen, drum-tight abdomen. This pattern is more common in large, deep-chested dogs and does not settle on its own.
- A seizure lasting more than a minute or two, or seizures coming one after another with no recovery in between.
- Bleeding that keeps seeping despite several minutes of firm, steady pressure.
- Any suspected poisoning: chocolate, raisins and grapes, xylitol in sugar-free gum, antifreeze, slug pellets, lilies for cats, or human medicines.
- Road traffic accidents always, even if your pet gets up and walks away.
- Straining to urinate with little or nothing coming out, particularly in male cats. A blocked bladder becomes life-threatening within hours.
- Heatstroke: heavy panting, drooling, wobbling, brick-red gums.
- Serious eye injuries, burns, or a rabbit that has stopped eating.
If you are arguing with yourself about whether a call is justified, make the call. A quick conversation costs nothing, and the person on the other end can help you decide.
What can usually wait until morning
A single vomit in an otherwise bright, drinking pet. A mild limp with no swelling. A small graze. A dog with soft stools who is still eating and alert. These are usually fine to monitor overnight and ring your own practice when it opens.
Be stricter with puppies, kittens, elderly pets, and anyone with an existing condition such as diabetes or heart disease. Small bodies and compromised ones go downhill faster. And never reach for the human medicine cabinet: paracetamol and ibuprofen are toxic to cats and dogs, and pain relief you have at home is not a substitute for a vet.
Safe first aid while you get ready
Your job is not to treat anything. It is to keep your pet stable, comfortable and safe until a vet sees them.
Bleeding and wounds
Press a clean pad or folded tea towel firmly onto the wound and hold for several minutes without lifting it to check. If something is embedded in the wound, do not pull it out; pad around it instead. Tourniquets do more harm than good.
Burns and scalds
Cool the area with gently running cool water for several minutes. Cover it loosely with cling film or a clean, non-fluffy cloth, keep the rest of your pet warm with a blanket, and ring the vet. Never apply ice directly to skin.
Suspected poisoning
Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packaging, or a photo of it, and note roughly how much was eaten and when. That information is often more useful to the vet than anything else you can bring.
Seizures
Do not put your hands near the mouth or try to restrain your pet. Move hard furniture out of the way, dim the lights and keep the room quiet. Time how long it lasts. Once it stops, keep them warm and still, and call.
Choking
Never poke blindly down a throat; you can push an object further in or get bitten badly. If you can clearly see something loose and easily reachable, remove it. Otherwise, get in the car.
Getting your pet to the car safely
For suspected spinal or pelvic injuries, slide your pet onto something rigid, a board, a tray or a firmly held blanket, and keep the spine as straight as you can. Cats travel far better wrapped in a towel, head covered, inside a carrier. A muzzle helps with a painful dog, but never muzzle a pet who is vomiting, struggling to breathe, or has a facial injury. Keep them warm on the journey, don't offer food or water, and take a second person if you can spare one.
Finding a night vet in Devon
Devon is a large county and the distances matter at 1am. Practices in Exeter, Plymouth, Torbay and Barnstaple usually either run their own out-of-hours cover or work with a dedicated emergency clinic. Smaller rural practices often share a rota, and the recorded message will tell you which site to attend. From parts of North and mid Devon, the nearest out-of-hours clinic can be well over an hour's drive, so it is worth knowing which direction you would head before you ever need to.
- Start with your own practice's number, even out of hours. The recorded message almost always gives the emergency number to ring.
- If you get nothing back, call a known 24-hour emergency clinic in the nearest city: Exeter or Plymouth for most of the county, Barnstaple for the north coast.
- Check your practice's website during the day, not in the middle of the night. Cover arrangements change.
- Save the number in your phone and write it on a note in the car. You will not be searching for it calmly at midnight.
- At your next routine visit, ask your vet directly: who covers your nights, and where do I go?
What to say when you call
Have your pet's species, rough age and weight ready, along with what happened and when, the symptoms you are seeing, anything you have already done, and any medication they take. Say clearly how far away you are and whether you are on your way. It is also reasonable to ask about payment, since out-of-hours care costs more than a daytime appointment, and to ask whether they can bill your insurer directly. Check your policy details and emergency helpline ahead of time rather than in the car park.
Before it happens: ten minutes this weekend
Save your vet's daytime and out-of-hours numbers in your phone. Put the carrier somewhere you can reach without moving boxes in the dark. Build a small kit: a roll of bandage, a non-adherent dressing, saline, a tick tool, blunt-nosed scissors, a foil blanket and a spare lead. Note the clinic's address, not just the name. If your pet is insured, keep the policy number and emergency line together.
Then, if you ever find yourself sitting up at midnight wondering whether it is worth ringing, ring. Nobody in a veterinary practice minds being asked.
Photo: Roger Brown / Pexels
