Ready-to-use scripts
Evening / Standard Closure
Thanks for calling [Clinic Name]. We're closed for the evening and will reopen tomorrow at [time]. Please leave your name, phone number, your pet's name, and the reason for your call, and we'll get back to you first thing in the morning. If your pet needs emergency care tonight, please contact [Emergency Animal Hospital] at [number]. They're open 24 hours.
Weekend Message
You've reached [Clinic Name]. We're closed for the weekend and will be back Monday at [time]. Leave your name, number, pet's name, and a brief description of what's going on. We'll return your call Monday morning. For urgent or emergency situations, [Emergency Vet Hospital] at [number] is open around the clock, including weekends and holidays.
Emergency Vet Referral
Hi, you've reached [Clinic Name] after hours. If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency, including difficulty breathing, seizures, severe bleeding, suspected poisoning, or inability to stand, please go directly to [Emergency Animal Hospital] at [address] or call them at [number]. They have veterinary staff on site at all times. For non-urgent matters, please leave a message with your name, number, and pet details, and we'll call you back when we open.
Holiday Closure
Thanks for calling [Clinic Name]. We're closed for [holiday] from [start date] through [end date] and will reopen on [return date] at [time]. Please leave your name, phone number, pet's name, and what you need. We'll return all messages on [return date]. For emergencies during the holiday, contact [Emergency Vet Hospital] at [number]. For poison control, you can also call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.
Saturday Half-Day
You've reached [Clinic Name]. Our Saturday hours are [hours], and we're now closed for the rest of the weekend. We reopen Monday at [time]. Leave a message with your name, number, and your pet's information, and we'll call you back on Monday. If your pet needs care before then, [Emergency Animal Hospital] at [number] can help. They're open nights and weekends.
Customization tips
Always include at least one emergency veterinary referral with a phone number and address. Pet emergencies at night are common, and your message may be the only guidance the caller gets. If your area has a dedicated animal poison control line, include that too. Update holiday messages with exact dates before every closure.
Pets Don’t Get Sick on a Schedule
A puppy swallows a chew toy at 9 PM. A senior cat stops breathing normally on a Sunday morning. A dog gets into the trash and eats something toxic on Christmas Day. These are the calls that come in after your clinic has locked the doors.
What the caller hears next matters more than almost any other interaction with your practice. A clear after-hours message that directs them to emergency care could save their pet’s life. A generic “we’re closed, call back tomorrow” leaves them panicking with nowhere to turn.
Veterinary after-hours messages carry more weight than those of most other businesses. You’re not just telling someone you’ll return their call about a routine appointment. You might be the only link between a scared pet owner and the emergency hospital that can help their animal right now.
When to Use Each Script
Evening / Standard Closure is your default for weeknights. State your hours, ask for message details, and direct emergencies to the nearest 24-hour animal hospital. Keep it clean and fast.
Weekend Message covers Saturday afternoon through Monday morning (or Sunday through Monday if you have Saturday hours). Pet incidents spike on weekends when owners are home and notice things they missed during the work week. Make the emergency referral prominent.
Emergency Vet Referral leads with the emergency information. Use this version if your practice gets frequent urgent after-hours calls, or if the nearest emergency hospital is far away and callers need the address, not just the phone number. List common emergency symptoms so the caller can quickly decide if their situation is urgent.
Holiday Closure should go up before every holiday with exact dates. “We’re closed for the holidays” helps nobody. “We’re closed December 23 through January 2, reopening January 3 at 8 AM” helps everyone. Include both the emergency vet number and the ASPCA Poison Control line, since holiday-related poisoning cases (chocolate, plants, tinsel) are common.
Saturday Half-Day works for clinics that close at noon or 2 PM on Saturdays. The caller at 3 PM on Saturday needs to know they won’t hear back until Monday, and they need the emergency option for the gap in between.
The After-Hours Caller Is Often the Most Worried Caller
Think about who’s calling a vet clinic at 8 PM. It’s not someone looking to schedule a dental cleaning next month. It’s someone whose pet just did something alarming, or someone who came home from work and found their animal acting strange.
These callers are emotionally charged. They want reassurance, direction, or both. Your after-hours message should give them a clear path:
- If it’s an emergency, go here or call this number
- If it can wait, leave a message with these details
- We’ll call you back at this specific time
That three-part structure covers every scenario. The caller with a true emergency gets directed to help immediately. The caller with a non-urgent concern knows exactly when to expect your response. Nobody is left wondering what to do.
Emergency Referral Best Practices
Not all emergency animal hospitals are equal, and not all areas have one nearby. Before setting up your after-hours message, verify:
- The referral hospital’s hours and capabilities. Some are 24/7, others only cover nights and weekends. Know the difference.
- The phone number is current. Emergency vet hospitals change ownership, merge, or close. Check the number at least every few months.
- The address is correct. A caller driving a bleeding dog to the wrong location loses time that might matter.
- Poison control is included. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) handles calls about toxic ingestion 24/7 for a consultation fee. Many pet owners don’t know this resource exists.
One more thing: if your area has multiple emergency options, pick one primary referral and mention it by name. Giving three options creates decision paralysis for a caller who’s already stressed.
Turning After-Hours Calls Into Morning Appointments
A recorded message captures whoever bothers to leave one, but many callers hang up. They wanted to talk to someone, not a machine. By morning, they may have forgotten to call back, or they’ve already booked elsewhere.
Safina replaces the recording with a real conversation. After hours, Safina answers your phone, asks for the pet’s name and details, finds out what’s going on, and directs true emergencies to your referral hospital. For everything else, it captures the information and sends you a summary ready for the morning. Plans start at $11.99/month for 30 minutes.
For daytime call handling, see our greeting scripts for vet clinics. For missed calls during business hours, check the voicemail templates. Browse the full script library or explore industry solutions to see how other practices handle their phones. You can also compare AI phone assistants to find the right solution for your clinic.
