Worried About Your Pet When We’re Closed? How VidiVet Can Help This Bank Holiday
- 40 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Our pets do have a habit of worrying us at the most inconvenient times!
Perhaps your dog develops an upset tummy today. Your cat suddenly seems quieter than usual. Or you notice a limp, wound or something else that leaves you wondering:
“Does this need an emergency vet, or can it safely wait until Roundwood Vets reopens?”
With Roundwood Vets closed today for Bank Holiday Monday, we wanted to remind you about VidiVet, a really useful service available to our clients outside our normal opening hours.
VidiVet gives you access to bespoke veterinary advice through an app, with response times of under 15 minutes.
Sometimes your pet will need emergency treatment. Sometimes it may be perfectly reasonable to monitor them at home. And sometimes they simply need an appointment with us when we reopen.
Having a veterinary professional to ask can make that decision much easier and, where an emergency appointment isn’t necessary, could potentially save you an unnecessary out-of-hours consultation and the associated fee.
And if your pet does have an emergency that cannot wait, please call our normal Roundwood Vets telephone number and follow the prompts to be transferred to our emergency provider.
Here’s how it all works.
Contents
What is VidiVet and how does it work?
VidiVet is a digital veterinary advice service that gives you access to a UK-registered vet through an app when Roundwood Vets is closed.
Think of it as having a veterinary professional available to ask when something happens outside our normal opening hours and you simply aren’t sure what your pet needs next.
You’ll need to download the VidiVet app onto your phone. When you have a concern, you can provide information about what is happening with your pet and share useful photos or videos where appropriate.
A VidiVet vet then reviews the information you’ve provided and gives you bespoke veterinary advice for your individual pet, with response times of under 15 minutes.
Importantly, VidiVet isn’t simply an online library of general pet health information or an automated symptom checker. You’re getting veterinary advice about the particular concern you have with your pet.
Imagine it’s Bank Holiday Monday and your dog has vomited once.
They’re still bright, they’ve had a drink and they’re currently sitting beside you looking rather hopeful that dinner might still be happening!
You’re left wondering whether you need to make an emergency appointment or whether it would be reasonable to monitor them at home.
That’s exactly the sort of situation where VidiVet can be really useful.
Can VidiVet see my pet’s Roundwood Vets medical records?
No.
VidiVet cannot access your pet’s medical records at Roundwood Vets.
That’s important to know because the vet advising you won’t automatically know your pet’s previous medical history.
When you contact VidiVet, give them as much relevant information as you can, particularly if your pet:
Has an existing medical condition
Takes regular medication
Has recently been unwell
Has recently had surgery or treatment
Is currently under investigation for a medical problem
If you know the names and doses of any medications your pet is taking, having those to hand can also be helpful.
Although VidiVet cannot access our records, they do communicate with us afterwards.
Following your VidiVet consultation, they send Roundwood Vets a report telling us:
Who contacted them
Which pet the consultation was about
What the problem or concern was
What advice was given
What next steps were recommended
This means that when we return to the practice, we have a record of what happened while we were closed, which can be really helpful for continuity of your pet’s care.
For example, if you contact VidiVet today because your dog has developed diarrhoea and you’re advised to monitor them and arrange an appointment with us if it continues, we’ll receive a report explaining what happened and what you were advised to do.
If your dog still isn’t quite right when we reopen, that information can help us understand what has already happened.
When might VidiVet be useful?
There are lots of situations where you might know something isn’t quite right but have no idea how urgent it is.
Perhaps:
Your dog has developed diarrhoea
Your cat has vomited
You’ve noticed your pet limping
Your pet has a minor wound
They seem quieter than usual
You’ve noticed a lump or swelling
Your pet has developed a skin or ear problem
You’re concerned about something they may have eaten
You’re simply unsure whether something can safely wait until we reopen
Often, the difficult part for owners isn’t recognising that something has changed. It’s deciding how urgently they need to act.
That’s where VidiVet can be particularly helpful.
Could VidiVet save me an emergency appointment?
Potentially, yes.
Out-of-hours and emergency veterinary services are incredibly important, and if your pet genuinely needs urgent treatment, we absolutely want them to receive it.
But not every problem that happens outside our opening hours necessarily requires an emergency consultation.
After assessing the information you provide, VidiVet may advise that your pet can be monitored at home and booked to see us when Roundwood Vets reopens.
In those situations, having access to veterinary advice could potentially save you an unnecessary emergency appointment and the associated out-of-hours fee.
On the other hand, VidiVet may advise that your pet does need to be examined urgently.
In that situation, you have the reassurance of knowing that seeking emergency veterinary care is the appropriate next step.
VidiVet doesn’t replace a physical veterinary examination when one is needed. Instead, it can help answer that difficult question:
“What does my pet need me to do next?”
What if my pet has an emergency that cannot wait?
There will always be situations where your pet needs to be physically examined and treated urgently.
If your pet has an emergency that cannot wait until Roundwood Vets reopens, please call our normal Roundwood Vets telephone number.
Listen to the recorded message and, when prompted, you can be transferred to our emergency provider.
Our out-of-hours emergency provider is Medivet 24 Hour Hospital in Hendon.
Problems that may require urgent or emergency veterinary attention include:
Difficulty breathing
Collapse or loss of consciousness
Severe or uncontrolled bleeding
Significant trauma, including a road traffic accident
Severe pain or distress
Prolonged or repeated seizures
A swollen or painful abdomen with repeated attempts to vomit
Difficulty passing urine or being unable to pass urine
Suspected poisoning or ingestion of something potentially toxic
This isn’t an exhaustive list.
If your pet appears seriously unwell or you’re concerned that waiting could put their health at risk, please seek veterinary advice promptly rather than waiting for Roundwood Vets to reopen.
An important note about our emergency provider
We’d also like to make something very clear, as we know veterinary practice ownership can sometimes be confusing.
Roundwood Vets is a small, privately owned, independent veterinary practice. We are not part of the Medivet group.
Medivet 24 Hour Hospital in Hendon is the external emergency provider our clients are directed to when Roundwood Vets is closed and a pet requires urgent veterinary treatment.
When Roundwood Vets is open, your pet’s veterinary care continues to be provided by our independent team here in North West London.
VidiVet or the emergency hospital: which do I need?
It can be difficult to make decisions when you’re worried about your pet, so here’s a simple way to think about your options today.
I’m worried, but I’m not sure how urgent it is
Contact VidiVet. A veterinary professional can assess the information you provide and advise you about what to do next.
My pet has an emergency that cannot wait
Call our normal Roundwood Vets telephone number and follow the prompts to be transferred to our emergency provider, Medivet 24 Hour Hospital in Hendon.
My pet is comfortable and can wait until Roundwood Vets reopens
Use our online booking system to arrange an appointment with us.
If you’re concerned that your pet is seriously unwell, please don’t delay seeking urgent veterinary care while waiting to see whether things improve.
What happens after I contact VidiVet?
What happens next depends entirely on your pet and the problem you’ve contacted them about.
You may be advised to monitor your pet at home, perhaps with some specific things to watch for.
You may be advised that your pet should see us when Roundwood Vets reopens.
Or you may be advised that your pet needs to attend an emergency veterinary hospital without waiting.
And because VidiVet sends us a report afterwards, we’ll be able to see what the concern was, what advice you received and what follow-up was recommended.
This communication is really useful because it helps connect the advice you received while we were closed with the care we provide when we reopen.
You can still book a Roundwood Vets appointment while we’re closed
Although Roundwood Vets is closed today for Bank Holiday Monday, our online booking system doesn’t take the day off!
You can continue to book appointments online even while the practice is closed.
So, if VidiVet advises that your pet doesn’t need emergency treatment but should be checked when we reopen, you don’t need to wait for our phone lines to open to arrange an appointment.
You can simply book online.
And, of course, you can also use our online booking system today if you suddenly remember your pet is due a routine appointment, vaccination or check-up.
It’s worth having VidiVet ready before you need it
If you haven’t already downloaded the VidiVet app, it’s worth getting yourself set up.
Hopefully, you won’t need it!
But if something worries you while Roundwood Vets is closed, having the app ready means you know exactly where to turn rather than spending your evening or Bank Holiday trying to decide what your pet needs.
And remember, VidiVet isn’t just for Bank Holidays.
It’s available to our clients outside Roundwood Vets’ normal opening hours, so it can be useful in the evenings, overnight, at weekends and whenever our practice is closed.
VidiVet cannot access your pet’s Roundwood Vets medical records, so make sure you give them any relevant medical information when you contact them.
They will, however, send us a report afterwards, telling us who contacted them, which pet was involved, what the problem was, what advice was given and what the recommended next steps were.
With response times under 15 minutes, you shouldn’t be left worrying for hours about what to do.
Sometimes the advice may be to monitor your pet at home.
Sometimes it may be to book an appointment with us when we reopen.
And sometimes it may be to seek emergency veterinary treatment straight away.
Whichever it is, the important thing is that you have veterinary guidance to help you make that decision.
Have a lovely Bank Holiday from all of us at Roundwood Vets
Although Roundwood Vets is closed today, you’re not without veterinary support if something worries you.
A simple way to remember your options is:
🐾 Worried but unsure how urgent it is?Use VidiVet for bespoke veterinary advice, with response times under 15 minutes.
🚨 Your pet has an emergency that cannot wait?Call our normal Roundwood Vets telephone number and follow the prompts to be transferred to our emergency provider, Medivet 24 Hour Hospital in Hendon.
📅 Your pet can comfortably wait until we reopen?You can book your Roundwood Vets appointment online today, even though the practice is closed.
And just to avoid any confusion, Roundwood Vets is a small, privately owned, independent veterinary practice. We are not part of the Medivet group. Medivet 24 Hour Hospital in Hendon is the external emergency provider we use when our practice is closed.
Hopefully, you won’t need any of these services today and can simply enjoy the Bank Holiday with your pets.
From all of us at Roundwood Vets, have a lovely Bank Holiday Monday. 🐶🐱❤️
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