Think first – is your late call a real emergency?

ANY vet that has spent a night or two (or a few thousand) on call will tell you the same story.

The incessant ringing of the phone wakes you from a troubled, restless sleep.

“Hello. I am sorry for phoning so late.” (I have often asked myself at what point in a night does “so late” become “so early”, but I digress.)

“What seems to be the problem?”

“My dog was playing in the woods this morning and it appears to have an injury.”

“Your dog was playing in the woods this morning?”

“Yes. Sorry, I only just noticed it.”

“Ah well, it shouldn’t be too serious then. Is the wound bleeding?” “I don’t think so.” “Is there any blood?” “No.” “Good. So it’s not bleeding then. How big is it?” “It’s quite big.” “How big in terms of centimetres or inches?”

“It’s quite big.”

“Okay. Would you say it was a scratch or a cut?” “I am not sure.” “So is it just on the surface of the skin or is the skin open?” “I’m not sure.” “Okay, just to be safe, I will see you at the surgery in 20 minutes.”

“It’s pretty late. Can I not just get an appointment to be seen tomorrow?!”

I did see this dog that night and the injury turned out to be a gaping hole in the poor fella’s flank that I could have put my fist in.

But then there was this: “You have to come to the house straight away. My dog is bleeding to death!”

“Where is he bleeding from?”

“Just come! He is bleeding to death!”

“If it is that bad, you are going to have to stop the bleeding. I will help you. But you must stay calm and listen. Where is he bleeding from?”

“I don’t know. It’s everywhere!” “What happened?” “He was out for a walk and came back bleeding.”

“Okay. It is most likely from a foot. Can you look at them?” “Yes. It’s his front foot.” “Okay. Wrap a tea towel around it and tape it on quite tightly. Can you do that?”

“Yes I have some parcel tape.”

“Good. Then put his foot in a carrier bag and come to the surgery.”

This dog had a matchhead-size wound in a pad that did not require any treatment.

A recent survey found that only 28.2 per cent of out of hours calls to vets were genuine emergencies.

But – it still remains important that worried pet owners are allowed the opportunity to discuss their concerns.