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

Vets in Tyneside and North-Durham can sign up to the A&E department, which offers care through the night, and at weekends, for household pets.

The service has already been such a success that its managers are considering expansion plans.

It was established by vets in the area, who wished to specialise in emergency treatment.

They were helped by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), and provides out-of-hours trauma care for household pets.

Vets Night or Weekend (Vets Now) opened its doors in Gateshead last month.

Until it started, vets in the area worked during the day then were expected to be on call at night.

Based in the PDSA PetAid hospital, the emergency clinic is staffed from 6pm until 9am, seven days a week.

Its staff are being specially trained in trauma management and critical care methods.

Pet owners whose normal daytime practice subscribes to the clinic, or who are eligible for treatment from the PDSA, can take advantage of the new service.

The clinic has specialist equipment used for emergencies, some of which is not used in daytime practices.

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

If the scheme proves a success, Vets Now is looking at opening another emergency clinic.

The preferred location would be Middlesbrough, and it would serve everywhere within half-an-hour's drive.