Emergencies

Dedicated emergency and out-of-hours service

Should you need to speak to a vet outside of our standard opening hours you will be referred to Exonia Veterinary Emergency Services (EVES). This is a dedicated emergency and out-of-hours service which operates from St David’s Veterinary Hospital at St David’s Station in Exeter.

But I’d rather see my own vet!

Many practices provide an out-of-hours service whereby one of the vets who has worked during the day takes the phone overnight for people to call should an emergency arise; depending on the frequency of calls that night, the vet may not get a break and is often expected to work the following day. Here at Whiskers we feel we cannot offer our best service to our clients and animals during our normal opening hours (6 days a week) without a good night’s sleep. Therefore, we have made the decision to use EVES, a well-respected emergency provider in our area.

Our opening hours at Whiskers are: Monday – Friday 08:00 – 19:00 and Saturday 08:30 – 13:00

Why EVES?

EVES provide a dedicated team of staff who will be based at the hospital all night, so they can closely supervise any animals under their care for the duration of their stay, provide medication as frequently as needed and watch them more closely than we would be able to. Think of Whiskers as the animal equivalent to your doctor’s GP surgery – sometimes you have to go to the hospital or the accident and emergency department. The people working within these emergency departments are dedicated to this area of medicine or veterinary and so in certain circumstances they are the best people to deal with the situation at hand.

So, what will happen if I call them when Whiskers is closed?

EVES can be contacted on 01392 284 217 – If you try to call Whiskers when it is closed, this number will be on our answering machine. You will speak to a vet (or a nurse if the vet is busy), who will confirm when they are available to see you. In the case of an emergency they will usually tell you to go straight to them.

Where do I have to go?

EVES operate out of St David’s Veterinary Hospital at St David’s Station in Exeter. When you turn into the main entrance to the station the practice is just on the left-hand side, where you can see a taxi rank. With the taxi rank on your right, follow the road straight for around 100m and you will see the entrance signposted ‘St David’s Veterinary Hospital’.

The full address is EVES Veterinary Hospital, St David’s Station, Exeter, EX4 4NT

What happens when I get there?

When you get to EVES you will be met by a member of the team. You will have a consultation with the vet who will decide on the best treatment plan for your pet. This may mean they stay in overnight at the hospital, or they may go back home having received the appropriate treatment. If they stay in overnight they will usually arrange for you to collect them in the morning (unless they are too unwell and therefore they may need to stay at the hospital for a longer duration). Sometimes they will tell you to bring your pet straight back to us for continued care, or they will tell you when to book a check-up appointment with your usual vet. They will send any notes to us, which we attach to your pet’s medical record so we know what has happened and can continue their care.

EVEs prices (correct as of June 2023)

OOH Consultation Before 10pm/After 6am £185.50
OOH Consultation After 10pm-6am £246.00
OOH Consultation (Weekend/Bank Holiday) £185.50
OOH Consultation Surcharge for transfer case, post-op check or recent condition
Before 10pm
10pm-6am
£77.00
£116.00

For more information on EVEs and the services that they provide to our client out of hours, please visit their website EVEs Emergency Vets. 

MiNight Vet – Totnes

In addition to EVEs, Whiskers Vets now offer an alternative practice for out of hours and emergency care for those patients who would prefer to visit Totnes.

The Totnes based practice, MiNight Vet – Totnes runs from 7pm until 8am Monday to Friday and 1pm to 8am on Saturday and Sunday.

For more information on MiNight Vet, you can visit their website here.

MiNight price list correct as of January 2023

OOH Consultation Before 11pm £169.50
OOH Consultation After 11pm £224.62
Hosp overnight £122.45
Case transfer £51.97
Fluids (1st bag set up etc) £294.72

If you have any reservations or concerns regarding out-of-hours provisions please do not hesitate to contact the practice and we can discuss your concerns with you directly.