Peaches

That is very good to know. Thankyou.

Don't know what I did wrong - my reply didn't appear - just the post was replying to! So I will try again. Thanks for that Bullmastiffmum. At least they are available until 10pm. The ones I have been using have only been available until 5.30 pm weekdays (and 12pm sat) before referring to the Newcastle Emergency Centre. That also means that if a dog has to stay overnight there is no one to supervise between about 6pm and 8am. Sat and sunday are worse.

Thanks very much. I think he is who I will try next time.

Thanks very much for your replies, I appreciate you taking the time to help. Fordogs & Nevafollo, Martin is very good and I have used and recommended him for a long time but unfortunately for a while now he has not been available sat, sun, monday and sometimes other days as well. I always seem to need a good vet during those times (seem to be the times when something more worrying crops up)and need an alternative that I can have confidence in. I have used the NAEC too (4 times) since they opened and they are excellent but animals can't stay during normal hours (mon to fri, after 7am from memory). So if there is an ongoing problem the dog has to be taken back to their normal vet during the day but then the normal vet has no one there overnight. They are also very expensive and you have to pay the estimated bill before treatment is started. That is not the major consideration though and would certainly not stop me using them. Not being able to stay there is quite a problem though. Being an hour from there if I wanted supervision of a night I would have to collect the dog early in the morning, take it back to my usual vet and then collect it of an evening and take it back to them and so on every day while being hospitalised. So there would be hours of travelling a sick dog which is not ideal. I realise that may be the only solution though if there are not any hospitals that at least are able to check on them during the night. Perigrine, Adamstown was one of the ones I was wondering about. Years ago I heard that it was very good but then I also heard that it had changed hands and so I wondered whether it still had the same standard of vets there. So your recommendation helps. I will phone them to find out what there hours are. Asley B. Hadn't heard anything about Wallsend before so will wait to see if any one else tells me more about them.

Thanks very much for the responses so far. I used to go to the East Maitland practice many years ago (about 18 yrs) and had a very bad experience and speaking to others afterwards found quite a few who had also. It may very well have changed hands since then and be completely different but I would not be game enough to go there again unless I knew that it had no association with the vet that owned it then. Bullmastiffmum is there any particular vet that you like in the Kurri/Cessnock practice? Do you know how available they are in an after hours emergency? Do you know how up to date their hospital equipment is?

I would be very grateful for recommendations of excellent vets in the Newcastle or general Hunter area. I am an hour from Newcastle but because there are more there than in the smaller towns, I think that is where I am more likely to find one that I am happy with. I would prefer them to be in practice that is available after hours for emergencies and has good hospital facilities and overnight care available. I am a breeder of a large breed and have quite a few dogs and have been very frustrated by the fact that the vet that I have been using is now only available 4 days a week and is not available at all even to answer questions by phone at any time other than his normal hours. I desperately want a vet that I can have full confidence in as well as confidence in his facilities.

I would be very grateful for recommendations of excellent vets in the Newcastle or general Hunter area. I am an hour from Newcastle but because there are more there than in the smaller towns, I think that is where I am more likely to find one that I am happy with. I would prefer them to be in practice that is available after hours for emergencies and has good hospital facilities and overnight care available. I am a breeder of a large breed and have quite a few dogs and have been very frustrated by the fact that the vet that I have been using is now only available 4 days a week and is not available at all even to answer questions by phone at any time other than his normal hours. I desperately want a vet that I can have full confidence in as well as confidence in his facilities.

I'd like to find out about the weekend's entries too but don't know where on facebook to find it. Can someone help? Tom Couchman posted the breakdowns. Thanks Poocow. Took me a while to find it. I evidently had the wrong Tom Couchman at first (one that didn't have a photo or an information on wall and you had to be a friend to get any) but then realised it was not him and have happily found the info I was after!

I'd like to find out about the weekend's entries too but don't know where on facebook to find it. Can someone help?

I second exactly what Sky said - couldn't say it better myself.

Cost me $4100 to have part of a rope toy removed from my Lab at Newcastle Emergency Vets which had to be paid for straight away. I suspected a blockage and told them that. He spent one night there. On top of that was the cost of initial consultation plus a day of aftercare at local vets!

Thanks for the thyroid tip! I will get them checked for that.

Hi Steve, no they haven't been housed together and they don't come in at the same time. Their cycles have been as follows :- First bitch (the one I just got scanned not pregnant) Sept 4 2009 (13mths old) Feb 14 2010 June 19 2010 - Oct 22 2010 - served, last 2 times 1 day and 3 days after pg test-32 March 8 2011 - last served April 3 (pg tests etc in previous posts) The second one is coming in again now (not bleeding but being mounted by her female kennel mate). May 19 2009 (9 mths old) Nov 16 2009 Jan 18 2010 - a week of flagging etc to kennelmate but didn't check for blood. May 16 2010 - served Aug 16 to Sept 8 2010 with 8 days in between that time not showing - served Dec 28 2010 - served, last service 11pm after pg test taken 9am and result 45nm. Coming in again now. Not bleeding but interest from both male and female. Thanks for your help.

Thanks, I'll look up th one at Hunter's Hill. I tried to contact John Newell at Frozen Puppies over a year ago but found out he was no longer there. Hunterhound, he was at Belmont before Frozen Puppies and his name has not been listed in the phone book at Belmont since he went to Frozen Puppies. Thanks anyway.