The company was launched in 2001 by Veterinary Surgeon Richard Dixon, who saw a gap in the market not only providing an alternative to the "on call" service which vets are required to provide by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, but to providing a dedicated Emergency and Critical Care service for pets.
Launched with the dual mission of improving the lives of vets and pets, Vets Now has indeed revolutionised pet care and quality of life for the veterinary profession in the UK. The company provides the Out Of Hours service for over 700 veterinary practices across the country and treats over 65,000 small animal emergencies every year.
In 2007, Vets Now also launched and financed the UK’s first national canine donation charity, Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk), the equivalent to the national blood transfusion service for humans, providing blood products for life saving transfusions.