Overnight pet stays: is human supervision a legal requirement?

Hi, There is no legal obligation for a vet or a veterinary nurse (RVN) to remain on-site during overnight hospitalisation. However, a vet will not leave an animal alone until their condition has stabilised. If the case is critical or life-threatening, the vet will provide constant supervision until the animal is stable or may refer you to another facility. Furthermore, please be aware that the vast majority of clinics have alarm systems and webcams to monitor patients when staff aren't physically there. At the slightest concern or alert, the out-of-hours vet will head straight to the surgery. In 24-hour veterinary practices or large specialist referral hospitals, however, there is normally always someone on-site. I hope this answers your question, Agathe. Thank you so much for your reply. To give you some context, here is the detailed story of what happened: My cat had a thromboembolism at 11:30 pm one night. I called my usual clinic, which is supposed to be a 24-hour surgery (it’s clearly stated on their answerphone, their website, Google, and the sign outside the clinic). It turns out that since this summer, they haven’t been able to stay open 24/7 because a lot of staff left, leaving them shorthanded. However, they didn’t think to update this vital information. When I called, I ended up being put through to an emergency vet located about 75 miles away (a 1 hour 30 minute drive)! There was no way I could make that round trip in the middle of the night with a cat in absolute agony. Eventually, I managed to get hold of another emergency vet at a different clinic in my town, who confirmed the situation was indeed an emergency. At first, he didn't want to see me because I wasn't a regular client. In the end, I had to beg him, and he agreed to take my cat in. He hospitalised him, and my cat survived. He made a full recovery within a week. Afterwards, I went back to my usual clinic for further tests (blood tests, cardiac biomarkers, and an ultrasound). I wasn't allowed to stay in the room for the blood test or the scan, which I didn't quite understand. It turned out my cat was suffering from very advanced hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). It was a total shock because he had shown no symptoms before the thromboembolism. He was prescribed daily medication (Clopidogrel, Benefortin). Sadly, six weeks later, he had another thromboembolism. I took him to my usual clinic at 12 pm, and he was kept in overnight. Since there is no one there during the night, they administered his medication via an IV drip. The next evening, I went to pick him up, but he was struggling to breathe and was exhausted. I took him straight back in, and the vet told me he had developed pulmonary oedema because of the drip (since his heart was weak, the IV fluids caused fluid on the lungs). So, they kept him for one more night (again, unsupervised between 11 pm and 8 am) on oxygen. They didn't charge me for that night (I wonder if it was because it was caused by their drip the night before?). The next day, his breathing was better, and I brought him home. He hadn't eaten a thing for three days (from Thursday lunchtime to Saturday evening). I tried everything to get his appetite back (first-stage kitten mousse, a sort of liquid rehydration soup, etc.). He wouldn't eat, not even a lick. It was the same with water; he refused to drink on his own. I had to use a syringe to give him food and water. After three days in that state, or even worse (he started vomiting), I had to make the heart-breaking decision to have him put to sleep; he was suffering too much. I’ve been so sad ever since because I was incredibly attached to him. He was the best cat—so cuddly, gentle, and calm. He followed me everywhere. He never had any behaviour issues. We had such a wonderful bond. Even though his heart condition meant his life expectancy was very limited, I can't help wondering if he lost his chance because of the lack of night-time supervision. It's what led the vets to put him on a drip for his meds, which led to the pulmonary oedema, which led to his condition becoming irreversible... Maybe it wouldn't have changed the final outcome, but I'm just left with so many questions during this difficult time. :(

Hi there, There is no requirement for a vet or a vet nurse to remain on-site during an overnight stay. However, a vet will not leave an animal alone until their condition has stabilised. If an animal is in a critical condition and it’s life-threatening, the vet will stay to monitor them until they are stable or may refer you to another practice. Also, keep in mind that the vast majority of clinics have alarm systems and webcams to check on the animals when staff aren’t there. At the slightest concern or if an alert goes off, the on-call vet will head straight to the surgery. In 24-hour veterinary practices or large veterinary hospitals, however, there is normally always someone on-site. I hope this answers your question, Agathe.

I don’t think vets are under any obligation to provide overnight monitoring. In Canada, we have 24-hour vet hospitals, but they’re triple the price of a standard practice.

Good evening, I'm so sorry for your loss... Sending you lots of strength, I know it can't be easy. As for your question, leaving my cats in overnight has always been a major worry for me; I've always had my doubts about the level of care they actually get once the surgery has closed for the day. I’ve dealt with several different practices and when I voiced my concerns about leaving my cat hospitalised all night without supervision, I was politely told that if I wanted 24-hour monitoring, I’d need to go to a veterinary hospital (which is over an hour away from me). They said that if the drip came out, an alarm would go off and the out-of-hours vet would come in immediately (in theory, at least). As for keeping them on a drip at home, that was also a no-go. I at least expected the vet on duty to pop in once or twice during the night to check everything was okay, but not even that! Regardless of what it costs, I think for the animal's wellbeing and for the sake of professionalism, a minimum level of care really ought to be mandatory. So, is it a legal requirement? I’ve never actually checked, but all the vets I’ve been to seem to have the same 'rules' regarding the care of pets staying overnight. We'll have to see if anyone else knows more... Thank you for sharing your view. If anyone else knows more, please don't hesitate to post.

Good evening, I’m so sorry for your loss... I’m wishing you lots of strength, I know it can’t be easy. As for your question, leaving my cats in for the night has always been a huge worry and a real source of anxiety for me, as I’ve always had my doubts about the level of care they actually get once the surgery is closed. I’ve dealt with several different practices and when I’ve shared my concerns about leaving my cat hospitalised all night without any supervision, I was politely told that if I wanted 24-hour monitoring, I’d have to go to a veterinary hospital (which is over an hour away from me). I was told that if the drip came loose, an alarm would go off and the out-of-hours vet would come straight away (in theory). As for keeping them on a drip at home, that was a no-go as well. I at least thought the vet would pop in once or twice during the night to check on things, but they don't even do that!! Aside from how much it costs, I think for the animal's welfare and just for the sake of professionalism, a minimum level of care should be mandatory. So, is there an obligation? I’ve never actually checked, but the vets I’ve used all seem to have the same 'rules' regarding the attention given to pets staying overnight. I'll be interested to see if anyone knows more about it...

I see, yeah, it’s not easy. Losing a pet is so hard :( Thanks for sharing your experience, and you’re right, definitely don’t hesitate to ask!

They told me on Sunday morning when I rushed over to the clinic. (And I could see for myself that there weren't any other animals when I went into the room where my Gaspadinn was). I don't know if I'd really realised before that there was no one there overnight; I think they actually told me they didn't get back until 9 am on Sunday, but I'm not entirely sure. (A Coton is a small, long-haired white dog. He was 5 years old). As for your cat, I suppose it would have been easier if he'd passed away straight away. It’s true, for them just as much as for us, some ways of going are harder than others, and you always find yourself wondering about impossible "what if" scenarios. At the vet practice I’ve been using since 2019, I think there are about five vets, plus all the nurses; I don’t get the impression that there’s any overnight monitoring, but I know I’m going to ask that serious question during my next visit.

Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss, that’s absolutely heartbreaking :(

I’m asking because my cat was hospitalised for two nights after his thromboembolism came back, and I know for a fact that there’s no one on-site at the vet’s overnight.

He didn’t pass away during those two nights, but I have a lot of questions because he developed pulmonary oedema which was apparently linked to his first night on an IV drip.

Since his heart was very fragile, it seems the drip might have triggered the pulmonary oedema (I’m not a vet, but that’s what they told me themselves).

So, he spent the second night in oxygen (without any human supervision).

When he came home, he literally just gave up; he refused to eat or drink anything. He stopped purring (and he used to be a real purr machine) and his back legs were still paralysed. I had to syringe-feed him water and food myself, but he spat out half of it and sometimes vomited.

After three days of this ordeal, I had to make the heart-breaking decision to let him go and stop putting him through it :(

He was only 6 years old and I was so incredibly attached to him. He was a wonderful ginger cat, so cuddly and sweet, and he brought so much affection and happiness to my life every day.

I feel like he didn’t get a fair chance: because the animals are left alone at night, they had to give him his medication via a drip rather than by injection. But it seems it was that very drip that caused the pulmonary oedema, which led to him not eating for three days and becoming too weak, eventually leading to his death :(

Just to clarify: during his first crisis, the symptoms were the same and he survived. The medication was given by injection then, and even though he lost his appetite, he managed to recover after a week.

How did you find out in the end that your cat had been left all alone all night?

Oh, I’d never even thought about that. (Mind you, I was already miserable enough as it was). My Coton, Gaspadinn, slipped into a coma one Saturday lunchtime. The vet got him back on his feet, and as all his test results were finally looking good (regarding his pancreatitis), he booked an appointment in another town for a brain scan on the Monday. I didn’t question it at the time, and I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. By 4pm on the Saturday, he was doing well; I explained to him that he had to stay at the vets for the weekend. Then just after 9am on Sunday, I got a call: "I don’t understand it, he passed away even though he’d recovered..." The worst part is that he died completely alone—not even another animal for company in that empty clinic all night.