***Covid-19 update*** January 2021
REVISED OFFICE HOURS: (From 5th Jan2021 until further notice)
Rothesay: 9am – 1pm, 2pm – 5.30pm Monday to Friday, TEL 01700 503017
Dunoon: 8.30am – 12.30pm, 2pm – 5pm Monday to Friday, TEL 01369 702532
24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE IN OPERATION AS ALWAYS
Bute & Cowal Vets feel a strong responsibility, not just to our patients, but also to our clients and staff, many of whom will be in the higher risk category. Veterinary Surgeries are permitted to remain open under current COVID-19 regulations. It is NOT business as usual, and we would like to thank you for your patience and understanding.
Please observe the following measures:
1. We are aiming to continue to see "routine" consultations and health checks as "normal". The majority of appointments are now 20 minutes (previously 10 minutes) and so we cannot physically manage as many appointments per day as we did prior to COVID-19. Whilst urgent cases will continue to be triaged and prioritised according to need, bear in mind that we might not be able to fit in routine appointments and elective operations at short notice, so please plan ahead.
In some cases, we may advise a telephone or email consult with a vet (£18) and will book one for you. If you are not going to use your appointment, please let us know so that the slot can be offered to someone else. We regret that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, we are currently unable to offer house visits for companion animals.
2. Please DO NOT ATTEND EITHER SURGERY without telephoning first, and ABSOLUTELY not if you are ill, in contact with someone who is ill, or are self isolating.
3. If you are ill or self-isolating, and you need veterinary treatments for your animal, please let us know by telephone. We will do our best to treat your animal without the need for you to be present. This may require enlisting the help of friends or neighbours to bring your pet to the surgery.
4. When attending the surgery:
a. On arrival, please let us know you have arrived and remain outside the surgery, or in your car, until you are called. Depending on circumstances, we may ask you to remain in your car whilst your animal is being examined. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE SURGERY UNLESS SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO DO SO.
b. Please wear a mask or face covering unless you are exempt from doing so. Hand sanitizer is available at both surgeries, but it is advisable to bring your own supply
c. Please respect social distancing guidelines. If a member of staff contracts COVID-19, it is likely that the surgery will have to close completely for at least 14 days. It also reduces the risk of the virus passing in the opposite direction! Keep everyone as safe as we can!
c. CARD PAYMENTS preferable. This reduces the risks involved in handling cash. Card payments can also be taken over the phone, or for established clients, BACS can be arranged.
5. Repeat prescriptions and pet food:
a. Please telephone or email to order. Do not arrive to collect medicines without having ordered them first. We have disabled the Messenger button on this page because we are unable to check messages during the working day.
b. Please allow at least 2 working days notice for repeat prescriptions. We can post most prescriptions - £4 post and packaging
c. We will advise on when prescriptions should be collected. For the protection of both clients and staff, please help us keep the surgery as quiet as possible
d. At the moment, there are no supply problems with our usual wholesalers. Prescriptions will be dispensed in normal amounts. Please be sensible and do not take more than you need.
6. Surgeries will close at lunchtimes to ensure that our staff get a proper break, and extra cleaning can take place. It is essential that we look after our team well in order to continue to be there for you and your animals!
On a personal note, the Directors Duncan, Linda and Catriona would like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to our amazing Bute & Cowal Vets team: Beth, Arwyn, Evan (our locum), Hugh, Gwen, Lesley, Emma, Amie, Bryan, Nicola, Mary Jayne and Shuna.
There is no way we could continue to provide a local veterinary service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without these individuals, who have worked unbelievably hard and made huge sacrifices to keep the show on the road through these difficult times.
The whole team would like to thank everyone who has supported us with offers of help, kind words and cards, and thoughtful gifts (including breakfast a few times!) These "small things" really make a tremendous difference to a small team working under pressure, and more than once have sustained us on days when there was just no time for a break of any kind.
Welcome to Bute & Cowal Vets
Bute & Cowal Vets is a mixed veterinary practice, committed to improving the health & welfare of companion and farm animals across the Island of Bute & Cowal Peninsula. We are a family run practice with 5 full time vets with practices in the towns of Rothesay, Isle of Bute and Dunoon, Argyll. We run our own emergency service 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, tending a wide range of species, including wildlife.
Bute & Cowal Vets were Petplan Vet Practice of the Year 2015