These terms and conditions outline the services offered by Doorstep Vet and the expectations for both you and our practice. Please take a moment to review them. If you have any questions, please get in touch at hello@doorstep.vet.
Services:
- Appointments and Consultations: We are open Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) from 8:00am-6:00pm with consultations available between 8:30am-5:00pm. Our standard consultations/appointments allow upto 30 minutes at your address. Please note that any time exceeding this will be charged at an additional rate per up to every 15 minutes.
- Scope of Service: We offer most ‘GP’ style veterinary care, including health checks, vaccinations, chronic disease management, nursing appointments/clinics, quality of life consultations and end-of-life-care. For specialised procedures or advanced diagnostics, we can refer you to our trusted network of local practices.
- What We Don’t Offer: Anything we feel would be better done at a static practice. We are unable to handle whelpings, anaesthesia or surgery. We strongly advise these are performed at a fully equipped hospital facility.
Accessibility:
- Mobile Van: Our examinations take place in our well-equipped van, minimising the stress for your pet by not entering their ‘safe space’. Our equipped van allows our staff to perform their job effectively, safely and efficiently, and to ultimately provide the best care for your pet.
- Parking: We require space to park our large van. Please inform us of any parking limitations during your booking.
Emergencies and Out-of-Hours Care:
- Due to our mobile nature, we cannot guarantee we will be able to attend emergencies, or that emergencies will fall within the scope of services we offer.
- For this reason and to ensure 24/7 emergency care, we partner with Westway Vets, who offer a 24/7 hospital service (no mobile service). They can also provide urgent care during our closures (e.g. bank holidays and weekends).
- Emergency Contact: Westway Vets, West Road Hospital, 426 West Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 2ER. Tel: 0191 2747910.
Fees:
- Our current prices are available on our website here. We charge appointments based on services provided.
- We strive for transparent pricing and provide written or verbal estimates upon request.
- Payment is due in full at the time of consultation. We are a small business and cannot offer credit.
- We accept major credit and debit cards including American Express.
- New clients are asked to pay for their consultation in advance via a payment link.
Cancellation Policy:
- To avoid impacting our schedule, we require a minimum of 24 hours’ notice for appointment changes or cancellations. Failure to do so will result in a full consultation fee charge.
Clinical records:
- Clinical records remain the property of Doorstep Vet. Copies are available upon request.
- You consent to us obtaining and sharing clinical records with other veterinary professionals as needed (e.g. referrals, updates to other practices).
Prescription policy
- We can only prescribe medications (POM-V) to animals under our care who have undergone a physical examination.
- Typically, pets require examinations every 3 months to qualify as ‘under our care’, though frequency may vary based on individual needs.
- Parasite prevention medications can be dispensed if the pet has been examined within the past year and the product is the same as previously used.
- You have the option to receive medications from us or request a written prescription (fee applies) to use at another veterinary practice or an online pharmacy. We will send digital prescriptions to VMD (Veterinary Medicines Directorate) accredited pharmacies and accept no responsibility for issues arising from using external pharmacies. Hard copies of prescriptions will not be given due to the risk of prescription fraud. We require a minimum of 72 hours to process medication requests, including written prescriptions.
Patient behaviour and safety
- For the safety of our staff and yourself, you must inform us of any reactive, aggressive or territorial behaviour your pet displays at the time of booking.
- It is your responsibility to be able to safely muzzle and restrain your pet. Any pet with an aggressive tendency must be muzzled prior to entry into our van.
- We reserve the right to refuse treatment if an animal cannot be safely restrained. In such cases, a hospital setting with more staff may be better suited. A consultation will still apply for any visit made, regardless of whether we are able to physically examine your pet.
Client behaviour
- Harassment, aggressive, or abusive behaviour towards our staff will not be tolerated.
- We reserve the right to withdraw services from any owner who behaves inappropriately, or in a way that undermines the service we provide.
Personal Data:
- We use your personal data for various purposes, including appointment booking, communication (clinical matters, invoices, marketing) and navigation.
- For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.
Complaints:
- We strive to provide excellent service. However, if you wish to complain, please contact Jessica Perkins, Practice Manager, in writing at jessica@doorstep.vet
Last updated: September 2026