Vets Now Barton-Le-Clay - Bedfordshire

Sharon J.

I have never has to use an out of hours vet before, so this is on my 1st experience of it. The service that I got I can't fault it the vet was caring and understanding. The only issue I have is that it is so expensive just yo see the vet as a consultation, not many people would be able to afford that, and then on top any treatment needed for your pet. So not happy with that, next it was a card only service which yes to a degree I agree with, but I wasn't happy bring charged to use my credit card to pay the bill, that to me is a double whammy. So over all the service was very good just payment side wasn't good for me on this occasion.

Puppy F.

I had to take my cat here on 29th Dec 2024, as she was showing signs of a urinary blockage.
We arrived & we were taken into a treatment room & dealt with initially by a very nice vet nurse (I'm guessing this is triage?). She took my cat Josie out the back & allowed me to wait in the treatment room, as I had told her that I'm autistic, suffer from agoraphobia & being away from home under stressful circumstances was quite a lot for me to cope with.
After a while, the vet came in & said that Josie did indeed have a blockage. I started to get very upset as she reeled off my options. I apologised for getting upset, explained that I'm autistic & that Josie is my whole world - I live quite an insular/reclusive existence with very few friends & family live away. She didn't seem to care one iota. She quoted £3,000 to insert a catheter to try to unblock Josie's bladder & drain the urine to prevent a rupture. My insurance max is £3,000. She then explained that the procedure may go wrong & Josie might need an emergency operation costing £6,000!!!! So that's £9,000 total or I could put my beloved Josie to sleep. She said those were the options available. No mention of other options. She gave me their phone, as my signal wasn't strong enough to call anyone & left the room. The interaction with this woman & the trauma of the situation caused me to have an autistic meltdown. I called my mum who lives 3 hrs drive away & she tried to console me over the phone. The woman returned to the room & asked me what my decision was. I explained the gravity of the situation - I am physically disabled & chronically ill. The only reason I get up in the morning is because of Josie. She is the only reason I will leave my home. There was no sense of sympathy or caring from this woman. I asked her how she could sleep at night demanding prices like that & leaving people with no option but to put otherwise healthy animals to sleep. She said she doesn't set the prices. She may not set the prices, but by working at a place that sets such astronomical prices, you're agreeing that this is ok!
She left me alone in the room again for a while before coming back with a magical 3rd option that she could've suggested at the start & not sent me into an exhausting autistic meltdown - to drain Josie's bladder via a needle through her belly, issue pain relief for overnight & Josie would need to see her regular vets the next day as a matter of urgency. They didn't provide any sedation for this option, so my poor Josie had to endure a needle through her belly whilst wide awake.
I had to pay 2x my insurance excess (£75 x 2) plus a £35 admin fee for them to process my insurance claim. I was not told until after I'd left the premises that I could handle the claim myself & forgo the £35 admin fee.
The following day, Josie was operated on by her regular vets, which cost £1475.80 - £4,524.20 LESS than these robbers tried to charge me for the exact same operation (a cystotomy to remove a stone from the bladder). The quality of care was 100x better, I was assisted by multiple staff members to make sure my insurance claim was submitted correctly. They also carried out their side of the claim promptly & have been paid by my insurance.
Meanwhile, it's a week & 2 days later & I'm still chasing these useless people to process my claim. What did I pay £35 admin for when I'm doing all the admin?! My insurance company sent the initial email to notify Vets Now of the claim submission. I filled in the necessary forms promptly my end. They just need to do the form their end, but they have so far ignored the initial email, the at least 4 reminders I sent from my online dashboard & a direct email from myself. My insurance company has also sent them a reminder as they're taking so long to respond to the claim.
In my email, I explained that their faffing around is adding to the trauma of my dealings with them & they don't seem that bothered. I have given them until Wednesday 8th January 2025 to process the claim, otherwise I will inform my insurance company to close my claim. AVOID!

Daniella R.

We used Vets now in Barton Le Clay in the early hours of March 22nd. Our cat was incredibly poorly and the kind lady who answered the phone did not hesitate to get us booked in, despite it not being our usual out of hours vet. The small team that were there that night were kind, caring and compassionate. Sadly our cat had to be put to sleep, but the team were supportive throughout the process. They did a very sweet nose and paw print for us when we collected his ashes. Would recommend their services.

Heather

From our initial phone call to the out-of-hours call handler, to Reception staff on arrival, then two Vets, everyone was professional, efficient, kind and compassionate. The practice was easy to find, had convenient free parking and was immaculate. Yes, it was expensive (no Pet Insurance) but our rabbit received excellent and speedy medical attention, the after care was explained clearly and our rabbit is now well again - which is the most important thing. Thank you to everyone.

Lucy G.

Avoid at all cost. This place are quick to put your pet down. They wanted to put my 1 year old dog down who has made a full recovery within 6 weeks, then charged us over £400 for the honor.
I went here as emergency on a Sunday but luckily I chose to get a second opinion from my own vet. Since are visit I have spoken to multiple people who have all had the same complaints about this place. Please chose a different vet because I would hate another family to go through what we went through. My children were devastated and saying there goodbyes as we were told they was no hope.

Chris P.

We're pet sitting for our friends border collie and she was very ill (vomiting) several times overnight. I called Vets Now (at 3:30am) for advice and I was all prepared to jump in the car and take her in. But, they took me through a very thorough set of questions over the phone, put my mind at ease and also told me what to do if her condition changed / worsened.

Thankfully she's back to her normal, wonderful self today. After reading several reviews about excessive charges etc. they could easily have just said 'bring her in' and then charged me a few hundred quid for the privilege. But they didn't. So I only have high praise for these guys.

Polly J.

Absolutely amazing, helpful team. We had to visit the emergency out of hours on Sunday with our dog. Receptionist was lovely as was the nurse/vet we saw. Put our mind at rest, and for that we thank you so much.

Cosmin P.

We have been sent over to vetsnow Barton Le Clay by our cat’s vet as an emergency , we had our beloved cat admitted for one night in a poor health state and took her home the next day in a worse condition after a 1540£ bill , the following night our poor cat didn’t make it and broke our children’s and our hearts as well , I have been promised on admission that we shall be informed all the way with the treatment she will be getting, didn’t happen, I called late in the evening to request an update and been promised a call back , that didn’t happen either, unfortunately this so called animal hospital is ran by different vets working on an emergency
call out basis so every 12 hrs your pet is being seen and cared for by someone new who might not come there again or not in the near future at least, we have requested copies of all investigations carried out and copies of X-rays and blood results and still awaiting for them . Very disappointed and frustrated. Stay away.