How long to wait for a routine vets appointment

[Toddlerteaplease]

The toddler girls are due their health check and vaccinations. I can't get an appointment till the 11th July. And they might not get their vaccines anyway as there is a shortage. The practice used to be drop in, which is why I chose them. Is this a normal wait?

I can normally get one the next day or in a couple of days if not. 11 July is a long wait.

We get a text about a month before jabs are due, then ring to book. I think there is a “grace period” with vaccines anyway - we were late in lockdown last year (their call not ours) and were told something like two months.

It's annoying waiting for the vaccine but can't be helped. Im shocked that the next appointment is that far away. I could see my Gp quicker. I wonder if it's time to change vets.

But there's no desperate urgency for a vaccine? It sounds like they're managing their diary so that they can offer same day/short notice appointments to sick pets. No point in filling the diary with vaccination appointments and then not being able to see the sick ones

There is a shortage of vets in the UK and a huge rise in pet ownership. This is why you'll have a wait. Some are busier than others. My small village vet is pretty easy to get into for a same day appointment, but in the nearby town or city its a longer wait

I'm not that desperate for it, now I know the cattery will still take them. It's the health check I wanted to get done

Our vets have had to temporarily close one of their smaller branches because of the vet shortage

Not jabs, but I had to wait about 2 months for one of my male cats to be snipped. I phoned round a few vets as well, I was quite surprised as I've never had to wait more than about a fortnight. The reasons PPs have given make sense, it's just seems crazy the change in the last couple of years.

I'm sure Fred didn't mind the wait though, I think he was hoping I'd forgotten 😂

My vets are much quicker than that. Same day if urgent. Day after/day after that if not. It is a big practice with vet hospital attached.

We can always get seen within a couple of hours.

They may be being “lax” with timeframes due to it being annual boosters. They are usually ok to have a 2 month leeway with regards to getting the annual dose done again. So, they may be prioritising their diary on that basis.

I would maybe call them back to see if they can do it sooner, given you have concerns re them going into a cattery.

It’s less than 2 weeks, not long at all. At our vet you can get an appointment the same day if your pet is ill but checkups can be 1-3 weeks as there’s no actual concern for their health. If they’re not ill, I don’t see the need to be seen sooner.

I had to wait 2 weeks for an appointment for the cats vaccinations a couple of months ago. In the past I would have had an appointment the same week.

As others have said it's national shortage of vets one of a long list of jobs we have a shortage of now

can usually get same day cat appointments here. They don't insist on telephoning you back. Refreshing compared to difficulty seeing a GP.

In my area a lot of the vets are European.
If they leave/retire/go on maternity then there's no way for them to be replaced thanks to Brexit

It's more the prospect of having to spend money. I want to know asap how much they are going to cost me. Cheddar might need a dental.

I've had same day appointments, but before covid you could drop in at any time between 8-8. It was really convenient!

Yes, most of them were Spanish I think.

There is a nationwide shortage of vets, although it's more noticeable in some areas than others. Our clinic has been trying to work with 25 per cent of the vets we need, for at least 18 months now. It means we can't do the much of the rescue work we need to do, and it means that animals are suffering as there are no vets to see them. It's mainly down to Brexit. It's a disaster for animal welfare. The best thing we could do would be to rejoin the EU pronto, but that obviously isn't happening.

Some clinics in London have had to close completely due to lack of staff. The waiting list for neutering in all London clinics seems to be around 3 months (meaning a hell of a lot more unwanted kittens than ever before are being born). All the clinics around my area are taking on no new clients and waiting lists for everything are very long indeed.

Our rescue has faced constant problems in the 25 years or so it's been open, but this vet shortage is the problem to dwarf all others. Our main aim is to neuter, neuter, neuter, but at the moment we just can't. Our neuter/return rescue work has practically ground to a halt and our waiting list for neutering is 500 animals long.

So the short answer to your question is - yes - that is the new normal, in fact you are lucky to have an appointment at all for vaccines - as vaccine boosters is another service we are no longer able to offer at all.

I don't think we'll get the vaccines on the 11th. I just wasn't the health check! Not so worried about it now as my car cost less than I was expecting! Phew!