INJURED or seriously-ill dogs and cats can now be treated at a special pet accident and emergency department in the region.

Vets can sign up to the new A&E department, which offers care through the night and at weekends for household pets.

Vets wanting to specialise in emergency treatment set up the practice with the help of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals to provide out-of-hours trauma care for any sick household pets.

Vets Night or Weekend (Vets Now) is now open in Gateshead and is already providing relief for tired vets called out to emergencies in the middle of the night.

Based in the PDSA PetAid hospital, the emergency clinic is staffed from 6pm until 9am the following day, seven days a week, by highly qualified vets who specialise entirely in emergency small animal pet care.

Until the emergency clinic started, vets worked during the day and then had to be on call at night as well.

Staff at the Vets Now clinic are being trained for trauma management and critical care.

Pet owners whose normal daytime practice subscribes to the clinic can receive the specialised care, or if they are eligible and registered for treatment from the PDSA.

The clinic has specialised equipment used for emergencies which is often not available in daytime practices.

Joanne Leathers, the senior veterinary surgeon at the new clinic, said: "It is a huge step forward no longer having to work all day and then be on call at night as well.

"I now feel that the care I can give by only working overnight has improved and since I can sleep during the daytime I am always fresh and ready for work no matter what time of the night the phone rings."

She said the vets and nurses working in the clinic have found that their work is highly rewarding, with the opportunity routinely to save lives and deal with emergency cases.

If the scheme proves a success, Vets Now is considering opening another clinic in Middlesbrough.