Our Purpose
To give people and their pets the care and support they deserve, at the time they need it most.
Made for emergencies since 2001
Our Mission
To attract, develop and invest in dedicated people, and ensure that we deliver exceptional care and support for pets and people at the time they need it most.
Our Vision
To be the UK’s most trusted provider of accident and emergency pet care.
Who We Are
Vets Now was the UK’s first fully focused veterinary emergency service. For 25 years, emergency and critical care has been at the heart of what we do, helping pets and their owners access dedicated care and support when their regular vet is closed.
From Aberdeen to Portsmouth and beyond, our network includes more than 60 emergency clinics and two 24/7 specialist and referral hospitals in Glasgow and Manchester. Our emergency clinic teams work exclusively in emergency and critical care, with vets and nurses trained to respond to a wide range of pet emergencies.
We work in partnership with more than 1,800 veterinary practices across the UK, acting as a trusted extension of their teams and helping make emergency care available when it is needed most.
25+ years
UK emergency care
1800
Partner practices
60+
Locations in the UK
Two
24/7 hospitals
365 days a year
Including Bank Holidays
200,000+
Animals treated annually
25 000+
Reviews on Trustpilot
230,000
Phone calls handled
25 years of being ready
Vets Now was founded in Glasgow in 2001 by veterinary surgeon Richard Dixon, who understood the pressure of being on call around the clock while also trying to maintain a good quality of life.
His solution was a dedicated out-of-hours emergency and critical care service, with teams focused specifically on caring for pets through the night, at weekends and on bank holidays. It was a pioneering model that helped transform the way emergency veterinary care was delivered in the UK.
The name reflects exactly why the service was created: NOW stands for Nights or Weekends. 25 years later, Vets Now has grown and veterinary medicine has evolved, but our founding purpose remains the same - to give people and their pets the care and support they deserve at the time they need it most.
Meet Tricia, our CEO
Tricia Colville is a veterinary surgeon who joined Vets Now in November 2009 as Hospital Manager at our Glasgow hospital. She went on to become Business Development Director and then Chief Operating Officer before being appointed CEO. Her experience across Vets Now gives her a deep understanding of our people, our purpose and the realities of providing emergency and critical care when pets and their owners need it most.
Our Initiatives
Helping build the future of emergency care
We don’t just provide emergency care - we invest in the people who deliver it. Through learning, development and opportunities to share knowledge, we help strengthen emergency and critical care across the veterinary profession.
Louise O’Dwyer bursary
Created in memory of respected veterinary nurse Louise O’Dwyer, this annual bursary supports a Vets Now veterinary nurse to develop their skills and share learning in their chosen area of care.
Edge programmes
Through Cutting Edge and AdvantEdge, we help qualified vets transition from daytime practice into emergency and critical care. Combining online learning with practical training, our programmes build the skills and confidence needed for a career in ECC.