The worst time to look for a night vet is at night, with your dog on the floor in front of you. So have a look now, find the one nearest you, and save its number.

Of the 97 vets we list in Mumbai, 10 publish round-the-clock hours. Some keep a vet on the premises all night, others have a nurse or attendant who calls one in, so ask on the phone whether a vet is there. Always ring before you set off, and think about the route as much as the distance, because at night a clinic further away on a clear road can be quicker than a nearer one across a jammed junction.

4 of these clinics also state 24/7 opening on their own websites: Crown Vet Worli, Tata Trust Small Animal Hospital, Mumbai, Vetic Pet Clinic Andheri and Vetic Pet Clinic Chembur. The other entries use their published business hours, which can change. Call before you travel.

Where they are

Grouped by the part of Mumbai they sit in. Tap to call, or open the listing for the address and map.

Open late, if not all night

If it is 9 pm rather than 3 am, these stay open past ten:

Where the list is thin

Mahim, Parel, Dadar, Malad East have vetswe list, but none that publishes round-the-clock hours. That may be our gap rather than the city’s, so if you know a clinic there that really does take emergencies through the night, tell us and we will check it and add it.

Things that shouldn’t wait until morning

  • trouble breathing, or blue or very pale gums
  • collapse, or a seizure that lasts more than a few minutes or keeps coming back
  • a swollen, tight belly with retching that brings nothing up, especially in big, deep-chested dogs
  • rat poison, chocolate, grapes or raisins, human medicines, or anything else toxic
  • a road accident, even if your dog seems fine afterwards
  • bleeding that doesn’t slow with firm pressure
  • straining to pee with nothing coming out
  • heatstroke: heavy panting, drooling and weakness after heat or exercise

For heatstroke, start cooling your dog on the way with room-temperature water, not ice, and keep the car’s air conditioning running.

What to take with you

Your charged phone and the vaccination card, or a photo of it. If your dog ate something, bring the packet or wrapper. A towel or blanket helps if you have to carry them, and take a leash even if they cannot walk. Bring a second person if there is one at home, so one of you can drive while the other holds the dog, and take a muzzle or a soft strip of cloth: dogs in pain sometimes bite the people they love most, and it is nobody’s fault.

The Mumbai health and emergencies page puts the emergency clinics first, then every vet we list in the city, on a map.