Vets Now Winchester

Vets Now Winchester is part of the Vets Now emergency-vet group (opened in 2008) and focuses on out-of-hours urgent and critical care for dogs, cats, and small animals. The website describes a fully equipped emergency clinic with on-site diagnostics and hospitalisation facilities (including X‑ray, ultrasound, in-house lab, operating theatre, isolation, and a hospital ward), and it’s listed as an RCVS accredited Small Animal Emergency Service Clinic. In recent reviews, owners describe overnight stays for severe illness (including HGE) and emergency surgery in the early hours for pyometra, alongside phone triage where a vet advised when a situation was not yet an emergency and what warning signs to monitor. Feedback is mixed on communication: several reviews mention clear explanations and updates, but one recent review reports an abrupt, dispassionate tone during initial contact.

Services

• •Out-of-hours emergency veterinary care (nights, weekends, bank holidays) for dogs, cats, and small animals (website).
• •Accident and emergency care and critical care support (website).
• •Hospitalisation/ward care, including pets kept for multiple nights when primary vets do not provide overnight care (website + reviews).
• •Emergency surgery (review describes pyometra diagnosed quickly and operated on overnight).
• •Diagnostics and monitoring listed on the website, including
• •X‑ray, ultrasound, ECG
• •Blood pressure monitoring, haematology, blood smear analysis
• •In-house laboratory
• •Endoscopy
• •Advanced treatments/facilities listed on the website
• •Blood transfusions
• •Advanced fluid therapy
• •Advanced pain management
• •Isolation unit (website)
• •Medication treatment following examination/assessment is mentioned in reviews (treated with medication; clear “what to do next” guidance).

Pricing

• •Video vet consults: £28 (pay-as-you-go) (website).
• •Reviews note that the out-of-hours service is “expensive,” but no specific in-clinic fees are stated.

People

• •Nicola (vet) is named in one review as diagnosing pyometra quickly and performing life-saving surgery overnight.
• •Reception/phone team: experiences vary. Some reviews describe empathetic, supportive handling from first phone contact through the visit, while one recent reviewer reports an initial voicemail and follow-up call that felt “dispassionate, abrupt and rushed.”
• •Vets are described in reviews as
• •Providing telephone triage and explaining what signs to watch for if symptoms worsen.
• •Being thorough in examination and assessment, explaining actions during treatment, and giving clear next steps.
• •Communication during inpatient care: one owner reports being updated twice a day while their pet was hospitalised.

Reviews

4.6 stars from 195 reviews. “”

• •Overnight/emergency capability: cases described include HGE requiring a two-night stay and pyometra requiring rapid diagnosis and surgery in the early hours.
• •Clear explanations and triage: multiple owners mention being told what was happening, what medication was given, and what to do next; one review highlights being reassured it wasn’t an emergency yet and being given warning signs to monitor.
• •Updates during hospitalisation: one owner reports condition updates twice daily.
• •Cost noted but mitigated by insurance: one review calls out-of-hours care “expensive” and mentions insurance helped.
• •Communication tone is inconsistent: most reviews describe empathy and professionalism, but one recent review reports a lack of compassion and a rushed manner during initial contact.