About Veterinary Care in Orkney
This guide to veterinary clinics in Orkney helps pet owners compare county-wide options based on services, animal coverage, and availability. It summarises what’s available across Orkney, Scotland and highlights practical differences that can affect how quickly you can be seen and what care can be provided locally.
Top-rated veterinary clinics in Orkney
- •Flett & Carmichael Veterinary Surgeons
- •Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd
- •Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd
There are 4 veterinary clinics in Orkney, with an average Google rating of 4.8★. All 4 treat dogs and cats. All 4 offer farm or large-animal services. 3 offer emergency or out-of-hours care. 24-hour cover is explicitly stated by some providers, so 24-hour vets in Orkney do exist.
Orkney has 2 towns covered by this directory. Sample town list: Kirkwall, Orkney. Availability and the service mix can vary by town within the county, so it’s worth checking whether your nearest branch offers the specific appointment type you need (routine consults vs urgent care).
Services available across the county (based on listed services and reviews)
Across the county, provision is strongly mixed-practice: all 4 clinics are listed as covering small animals (dogs and cats), farm animals, and equine work, and all 4 are also listed under specialist/exotic provision. Emergency treatment is available county-wide through 3 clinics, and at least some local practices explicitly state 24-hour emergency cover. Based on the clinic summaries provided, in-county services that are evidenced include surgical treatment for urgent cases, dental procedures (including cleaning and extractions), and diagnostic workups such as biopsies, alongside routine consultation-based care.
Two additional county-wide indicators support how established the local provision is: there are 201 total Google reviews across the 4 clinics, and all 4 clinics have websites listed. Veterinary nurse training is available at 2 clinics, which can matter for owners looking for practices involved in structured nurse-led support and in-practice training environments.
Emergency/out-of-hours clinics vs routine-only access
Three clinics advertise emergency or out-of-hours care, while 1 clinic does not. For pet owners, this difference affects what happens when problems occur outside normal opening hours, including whether the same practice can triage and treat urgently overnight or at weekends. It can also influence continuity of care, because clinics that provide emergency cover may be set up to manage urgent cases through to inpatient monitoring, whereas routine-only sites may need to direct emergencies elsewhere.
Veterinary nurse training clinics vs non-training clinics
Two clinics in the county are listed as veterinary nurse training facilities, and 2 are not. For owners, training status can be relevant when a practice offers structured nurse clinics or follow-up support (for example, monitoring and care plans that sit alongside vet appointments), and when you want predictable access to nurse-led services. It can also indicate that the clinic maintains a larger clinical team structure to support supervised training and day-to-day caseload.
The role of mid-ranked and routine-focused clinics locally
Not every clinic in a small county will provide the same level of urgent access, and routine-focused sites still play a practical role. These clinics typically help absorb everyday demand such as non-urgent appointments and ongoing care, which can reduce pressure on emergency-providing sites and help owners access timely routine services. In Orkney, where there are 4 clinics in total, key availability (especially urgent and round-the-clock cover) is more concentrated among the providers that explicitly offer emergency services than spread evenly across all sites.
Animal focus
Based on the service distribution (4/4 listed for dogs and cats, farm animals, and equine), clinics in the county are primarily mixed practice rather than companion-animal-only or farm-only.
Orkney has a small number of clinics with broad mixed-animal coverage and some explicitly stated 24-hour emergency provision—use the ranked clinic list above to choose the best fit for your animal type and the level of availability you need.
Freshness: January 2026 using publicly available review and service data.
Top Vets in Orkney
Highly rated veterinary clinics across Orkney, ranked by service quality and reviews
Flett & Carmichael Veterinary Surgeons describes itself as an independent mixed practice, set up to see a wide range of animals (small animals, exotics/wildlife, farm and equine) and to provide a 24-hour emergency service. The website also lists veterinary nurse clinics, behaviour and weight clinics, puppy socialisation, visiting specialists, and end-of-life care.
From the latest reviews available, owners most often point to practical access and communication: same-day appointments when phoning first thing, the ability to buy medication for a dog with an upset stomach, and out-of-hours emergency support (including updates during an inpatient stay described as a “kitty hospital”). Several reviews name staff who talked through options and costs before the first visit, and then phoned results through promptly and sensitively.
Flett & Carmichael Veterinary Surgeons describes itself as an independent mixed practice, set up to see a wide range of animals (small animals, exotics/wildlife, farm and equine) and to provide a 24-hour emergency service. The website also lists veterinary nurse clinics, behaviour and weight clinics, puppy socialisation, visiting specialists, and end-of-life care.
From the latest reviews available, owners most often point to practical access and communication: same-day appointments when phoning first thing, the ability to buy medication for a dog with an upset stomach, and out-of-hours emergency support (including updates during an inpatient stay described as a “kitty hospital”). Several reviews name staff who talked through options and costs before the first visit, and then phoned results through promptly and sensitively.
Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd is a long-established veterinary practice (serving animals since 1861) that treats pets as well as farm animals and equines. The practice states it provides a 24-hour emergency service 365 days a year, and reviews describe rapid response for urgent cases (one dog was seen immediately and taken to surgery within around 15 minutes, then kept in for several nights). Owners also mention detailed communication and good handover of records (e.g., medical notes sent on to a follow-up vet after a biopsy), and dental work is specifically referenced (teeth cleaning with 10 extractions, plus diabetes diagnosed and insulin-injection guidance provided).
Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd is a long-established veterinary practice (serving animals since 1861) that treats pets as well as farm animals and equines. The practice states it provides a 24-hour emergency service 365 days a year, and reviews describe rapid response for urgent cases (one dog was seen immediately and taken to surgery within around 15 minutes, then kept in for several nights). Owners also mention detailed communication and good handover of records (e.g., medical notes sent on to a follow-up vet after a biopsy), and dental work is specifically referenced (teeth cleaning with 10 extractions, plus diabetes diagnosed and insulin-injection guidance provided).
Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd is an independent veterinary group (no corporate parent mentioned) that treats pets, farm animals and equine, and has been operating since 1861. The website states it runs a 24-hour emergency service 365 days a year with a dedicated emergency team for out-of-hours calls. In the latest reviews available to us, owners repeatedly describe visits as “quick” and “efficient,” and mention friendly, professional interactions when bringing dogs in.
Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd is an independent veterinary group (no corporate parent mentioned) that treats pets, farm animals and equine, and has been operating since 1861. The website states it runs a 24-hour emergency service 365 days a year with a dedicated emergency team for out-of-hours calls. In the latest reviews available to us, owners repeatedly describe visits as “quick” and “efficient,” and mention friendly, professional interactions when bringing dogs in.
Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd is a long-established veterinary practice (founded in 1861) that works across multiple branches. Based on the information available from its website and clinic data, it’s set up to support a broad mix of cases: routine and urgent care for pets, as well as farm animal and equine work. Distinctive practical features mentioned include a 24-hour emergency service available 365 days a year and online ordering of food or medication.
Northvet Veterinary Group Ltd is a long-established veterinary practice (founded in 1861) that works across multiple branches. Based on the information available from its website and clinic data, it’s set up to support a broad mix of cases: routine and urgent care for pets, as well as farm animal and equine work. Distinctive practical features mentioned include a 24-hour emergency service available 365 days a year and online ordering of food or medication.
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Welcome to Our Veterinary Directory
Our comprehensive directory connects pet owners with trusted local veterinary practices across Orkney, Scotland.
Our geo-targeted network makes it easy to find quality veterinary care in your area, whether you're looking for routine check-ups, emergency services, or specialist treatment.
