Ask your potential vet which procedure is used at his hospital. Emergency Services There may be times when you will need medical assistance in the evening, on weekends, or on holidays. There are a variety of ways that vets can provide that assistance. In rare cases, some practices have a staff clinician physically in the building and on call 24 hours a day. This, of course, is the best possible option, but it is a costly service for a hospital, so only the larger group practices or university teaching hospitals are likely to offer this.
Some practices refer all after hours calls to an emergency clinic in the area.
In this case, the clinic will fax or shuttle the paperwork regarding treatment of your pet to your vet's office. This will be placed in your pet's file for reference. Others have an answering machine that activates a pager when you leave a message. It will take some time for the doctor to return your call. They aren't going to be sitting at home waiting for a call to come in.