Reviews of VCA Canada Western Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Centre (Veterinarian)

Caitlyn Ducasse

My dog was hit by a car and brought immediately to VCA. They rushed her in and started right away with a full exam. Our little girl was degloved and her foot didn't look like a foot. Dr. Hoang created a treatment plan that was fairly cost effective (no skin graphing) and after 3 months, my girl is back to normal. The staff are great and my dog was super excited to see the team every time she walked in the door. Thank you! PS GET TRUPANION PET INSURANCE FOR YOUR PET!!

Kathy Griffin

I found everyone compassionate, capable and trustworthy.

Heather Ashley

We can't thank Dr Ramey for taking care of our babies eyes!

Genevieve Kavanagh

For those complaining about the cost of services and wait times: you are at an emergency hospital. That costs money. Vet staff deserve a wage, for example. We dont do it for fun. (I don't work at western btw) I'm quite certain we make half what you do, and work twice as hard. It's also a hospital so there is triage happening. Theres obviously something more urgent than you realize. There is a reason why this industry is second highest in suicides. This is part of it.

Genevieve Kavanagh

We were planning to have our dog operated on at this center. We were told we would be given 1hr for a consult. The cost was to be $200. The 1 hr seemed excessive, as an annual checkup for my dog is usually 15-20 minutes. We were informed that even if the consult was 15 minutes we would be charged the $200 fee. Feels like a money grab. Decided to cancel all and go elsewhere.

Jim parker

I will never return here. I have been involved with animal brededing and care for many years. I have dealth with vets of all kinds, and usually find them to be caring and reasonable people. I have had animals brought in for routine procedures who died as a result, have had failed treatments, and have never failed to pay my bill promptly - one can only do so much. However, we brought our dog in for an ultrasound because of a mass in the abdomen. We needed a diagnosis so as to begin treatment. They kept the dog, and did repeated tests without any resolution. They promised a biopsy for a week without doing one, racking up huge costs. We knew nothing a week later that we did not know at the outset, and the dog was getting weaker. FINALLY we got a biopsy - more delay to get it looked at. Finally: cancer. The oncologist was a jerk, we took out dog home to die rather than stay in that place. People at the front desk were nice, but did not know anything and could not help. Bill came (unexpectedly) to over $8000. We got no real chance to evaluate it, since we needed to get the animal home and the implicit threat was to delay that. I can't imagine any reason I would take an animal there again. I'd build my own catscanner first.

Ariel Triantafillidis

Great prompt service even at night for the dog we brought in who got hit by a car. Only complaint is the parking stop for the drop off is honestly so odd it was hard to find. Totally understand things are weird with restrictions and covid but proper signage that makes sense still is appreciated

Kevin S

I trust this place with my cats and dogs.

Carlos Warwarick

Thank You! I traveled from Vancouver in the middle of a pandemic, is worth it! Thank you for thanking care of Lily Warwarick , she got radiation at VCA and they are truly professionals, Thanks Emily, and Thank you ALL our baby Lilly is doing better now. <3

aunty

We went to this veterinary clinic under the worst possible circumstances. Our 9 year old dog fell, broke his leg and was in terrible pain. The staff at the clinic were exceptional. Our Harry was cared for, given pain medication, diagnosed with advanced cancer and we said goodbye to him all within a matter of 2 hours. All the decisions were ours. The support of Dr Maloney was beyond anything I could have hoped for. She was kind, direct, gave us the information we needed to make our decision and I won’t forget her poise in the face of our pain. Thank you.

Eyeoyibo .o.Tosan

Great customer service. Lots of experience for pets. Thanks Dr.

Kelly McLean

I had brought my dog to our regular vet in Strathmore because he was sneezing excessively and likely had a foreign body stuck in his nose. I would like to mention he was bleeding because of the repeated sneezing. He was quickly assessed and I was told he needed an endoscopy and they didn’t have one. I was not charged. I called around to several vets and there weren’t any available on the weekend. VCA Western said they had one so I brought him there. They took him inside and after waiting 45 minutes they reported his stable health to me and said he needed an endoscopy but they didn’t have one on the weekend and charged me 265 dollars for the check up and said that someone would call me during the week to book an appointment. I told them that the reason I brought him there was because I was told that they would be able to perform an endoscopy. The gentleman apologized for the miscommunication. I didn’t get a call from them until Wednesday - 4 days later. I felt completely scammed by them and will not be using their services ever again.

Aarav Sibbal

Good time pass nice place

Diana H

Their services are wonderful but honestly if you have an exotic pet (guinea pig, bunny, etc.) and it's not an emergency you should wait until an exotic animal clinic is open. It's more affordable and the care is much better. This clinic is transparent and says they don't have an exotic animal vet and I appreciate it. I just wish they told me to wait to see a specialist rather than take my pet in anyways especially when they knew it wasn't an emergency. The low review is because they do not have a specialist for the exotic animal vet. My guinea pig had an abscess. They said he would need surgery and I was told by the staff that it would cost $3000. I cried. It was so stressful. However they did refer me to an exotic animal clinic but I had to start from scratch with them because the referral I was provided did not help reduce costs at all. The exotic animal clinic did not mention surgery at all. It was flushes to the wound and some oral antibiotics. Not very invasive at all and it was maybe $350 max for the treatment. When I brought up possible surgery they said it was unlikely but if needed it would be at most $1000. This location has lovely staff and all are very kind. Just unfortunate that I they can't help exotic animals but still take them in. I hope anyone that has any exotic animal sees this review so they can save $100-$3000

Shawn Palmer

Sadly they won’t take my cat in and help him out because I’m also dealing with a work emergency and can’t be on the phone from 9/10am. So because of that my cat, is being refused help. Thanks a lot! Won’t ever be using your services again

Monica Culic

Don't bother taking your pet to this "emergency" clinic. We waited for TWO HOURS for care in the middle of the night on a weeknight and NO Vet came to attend to us so I left. There were no other patients in the facility at the time. The place was empty. Their attractive emergency receptionist was lacking in professionalism and provided terrible service. When we did finally see a Vet two days later, he was run off his feet. He was knowledgeable and kind but clearly overworked. They need to hire more Vets and more qualified front end staff who know what they're doing. If at all possible, take your pet to your regular Vet during business hours.

S Houston

This clinic was excellent in curing my dog's cancer!! Miracle workers. Very caring and compassionate and the specialists are extremely intelligent in their field. One of the best clinics in North America. I am sorry people have had bad experiences here but ours was top notch, follow up was excellent as well as return visits and we were from Stony Plain.

Thor Wisman

Always a great experience, friendly staff and informative drs.

Larissa Riemann

be very wary here! we experienced generally nice staff, a very thorough history taking by dr kevin and a quick diagnosis of our dog's condition. we did not feel forced into any of the many more diagnostic testing that could have been done to really pin down the diagnosis. these things are all good. our confidence was lost, however, with the extremely high dose of prednisone our dog was prescribed to treat the immune type arthritis he was diagnosed with. we think it actually killed our four year old duck tolling retriever! he was a strong and healthy dog before becoming disabled by his autoimmune arthritis. prednisone was prescribed in such high doses that he actually died one day simply chasing a ball at the park. when we confronted our vet about the possible side effects, contraindications to such high doses of such a powerful medication, we were repeatedly told that the dose really wasn't that high and that it couldn't have caused the sudden passing of our pet. further research, however, clearly indicate thromboembolis and hypertension as very possible side effects of this drug. either one of these side effects could very easily have been the cause of such a sudden passing in a dog with no other medical conditions other than arthritis. high doseages of very powerful drugs with no monitoring at all. we would never do this to a human! we believe this vet actually did in our (other than arthritis) otherwise healthy dog...

Roxi E.E.

My cat was admitted with hepatic lipidosis, a condition that results when fat cats lose too much weight too quickly, overwhelming their livers. The best treatment for this illness is aggressive refeeding. If the focus at V.C.A. clinics were to do what's best for patients, they would have put in a large-bore PEG tube, right away, and released her home, as soon as possible. The primary consideration of V.C.A. hospitals is profits, however, so they dilly-dallyed with a tiny nasal tube for six days before finally putting in an espophageal tube. Luckily, thanks to the excellent Drs. Stillion and Fung, who truly care for their patients, my cat was given a blood transfusion and the long-awaited esophagostamy, and began to recover. Shifts changed, however, and the next vet refused to release my cat, even though the window for her discharge had closed, and all the check boxes for discharge had been ticked. My cat was obviously stressed and fed up with her prolonged hospitalization (of 10 days, an eternity for a cat), but they kept making excuses to keep her, trying to milk as much money as they could out of me by extending her stay and doing unauthorized x-rays and an unauthorized ultrasound. I later discovered that their excuses were contradicted by the written notes. Her last night, I could tell my cat was going insane, in hospital. Her heart was beating up to 200 bpm, except when my husband held her (when it went down to 146-60 bpm). I begged to take her home. I was told I had to wait until the doctor showed me how to care for her, upon discharge the next day. A nurse/tech (who was great, BTW; his name was Justin) did that, so saying that particular doctor had to do it was another lie. I later learned that stress exacerbates her illness. A vet should have known this and considered it, instead of keeping her hospitalized just to increase profits. My cat was paralysed, by the time I was allowed to take her. No one told me why; she was simply handed to me, in that state. A doctor never saw me, upon discharge. The records for which I'd asked were never sent me. No one ever rang, afterwards, to ask how she was doing. She died just over two hours after I got her home. I know she would have lived, had she been spared those last, stressful days in hospital. Even if she hadn't lived, she deserved to have her last days at home, but there was no respect for my wishes or for my cat's mental state and right to live or die in peace. I have to live with the guilt and regret of leaving my cat in such uncaring hands, for the rest of my life. Don't trust Mars, Incorporated with the life of an animal you love; do your research and find a good, locally owned hospital (Fish Creek comes highly recommended). My cat deserved better. Your pets do, too.

Rick O'Shea

Horrible, these clowns killed my cat by not watching her close enough, the american vet then phoned downstairs and told the staff to set up a fake attempt to save her life because I demanded to see what was happening......I touched her and she was stone cold, obviously dead for some time. All involved in this charade should be horribly ashamed of themselves. These idiots were even doing chest compressions to try to impress me. Pathetic, run don't walk from this place. May you all rot in the place you fear most!

Neil Robertson

Unbelievable staff

Eva Suanez

helped birdina would visit again

M E

We've taken are dogs here 3 times but I've only been here once and the service was amazing the doctors and vets did an amazing job taking care of are dogs. The place was very clean and the girls at the front desk were very nice.

Syrene Corleigh

Experienced orthapedic surgeon, nurses and staff who sincerily care about your dog and you.

Victoria Galbraith

I never expected psychological help after I put Fergie down. Ugh, sounds cold, wasn't . They were awesome, a psychologist called me a month later to check in on my being. I broke down, she understood and suggested great advice, it helped me move on. Parents tried to no avail, she helped. Don't knock what they do for us. If it's hard on us, imagine they're pain. Don't be a spoiled Calgarian .

Laurie H

Absolutely disgusted. They care about money first and foremost.... remember that. As a vet who is supposed to help animals and save them, cares more about the obscene amount of money they want

James Mahalek

Highly skilled analysis of my pet's ultrasound by Dr. Forde and her staff. Thanks team! Next steps and the handoff of my pet's analysis were top-notch. Some issues with continuity of care that I attempted to avert unsuccessfully, but it's COVID–bit of a perfect storm. We're all learning!

Svea DorranBLKH2O

(Translated) Suggestion: NEVER GO TO THIS CLINIC I was there on Thursday, October 15, 2020 and had the worst experience of my life. Because of Covid-19, I had to hand my little girl over to an attendant and I couldn't get into the clinic, so far so good. After that, the veterinarian called my cell phone and started asking several questions, which I tried to answer in the best way, because English is not my first language. He asked what medicine I had given and I didn't know it in English, so I tried to say the substance. He said that I would have intoxicated her and that it could cause some kind of internal bleeding. I said that he should have misunderstood the name, since her veterinarian from Brazil had already given this same medication a few times. Instead of trying to understand what, in fact, the remedy was, he began to denigrate the professional. He also suggested that as a result of this I had to hospitalize her for 48 hours and start a treatment, visibly misdiagnosed, as it disregarded all the other information that I had passed on. I went into despair and called the vet who had indicated this medication. She said it was the right medicine and that the pain was due to the change in diet. Result, I panicked and asked for my dog back urgently and I didn't want that med. vet touched her more. I insisted a few times and they kept treating me like crazy. The attendant said she would only give me my little one after I paid. Yeah, he does absolutely nothing, almost killed me from the heart and still had the courage to charge me over $ 180.00 for the consultation. A few long minutes after I insisted a few times saying that I would call the police, they brought me the card machine and only after I paid, my little girl came. Returning home, I had a crying fit and lack of stress. I almost passed out in the middle of the street. Two hours after I got home my puppy ate and drank water normally. It was too traumatic. (Original) Sugestão: NUNCA VÁ NESSA CLÍNICA Estive lá na quinta-feira, dia 15 de outubro de 2020 e tive a pior experiência da minha vida. Por causa do Covid-19, tive que entregar minha pequena a uma atendente e não podia entrar na clínica, até aí tudo bem. Depois disso o médico veterinário ligou para o meu celular e começou a fazer várias perguntas, as quais tentava responder da melhor forma, pois inglês não é minha primeira língua. Ele perguntou qual o medicamento que eu tinha dado e eu não sabia em inglês, então tentei dizer a substância. Ele disse que eu teria intoxicado ela e que aquilo poderia provocar algum tipo de sangramento interno. Falei que ele deveria ter entendido o nome errado, já que a veterinária dela do Brasil já tinha dado esse mesmo medicamento algumas vezes. Ao invés de tentar entender qual, de fato, era o remédio, ele começou a denegrir a profissional. Ele ainda sugeriu que em virtude disso eu tinha que internar ela por 48 horas e iniciar um tratamento, visivelmente diagnosticado equivocadamente, pois desconsiderou todas as outras informações que eu havia passado. Entrei em desespero e liguei para a veterinária que tinha indicado esse medicamento. Ela garantiu que era o remédio certo e que a dor era por causa da mudança da dieta. Resultado, entrei em pânico e pedi meu cachorro de volta urgente e que não queria que aquele med. veterinário tocasse mais nela. Insisti algumas vezes e ficaram me tratando como louca. A atendente disse que só me entregaria minha pequena depois que eu pagasse. Pois é, ele não faz absolutamente nada, quase me matou do coração e ainda teve a coragem de me cobrar mais de $180.00 pela consulta. Alguns longos minutos depois de eu insistir algumas vezes dizendo que chamaria a polícia, me trouxeram a maquina do cartão e só depois que eu paguei, veio minha pequena. Voltando para casa, tive uma crise de choro e falta de por causa do estresse. Quase desmaiei no meio da rua. Duas horas depois que eu cheguei em casa minha cachorrinha comeu e bebeu água normalmente. Foi traumático demais.

colbey mcfayden

Great service, they made me feel comfortable leaving my puppy there.

C Kane

If you want to pay twice as much for them to tell you, "this is a very sick dog" this is your place! Waited for hours and all I was told was that my dog was dehydrated and needed tests. Quote between 2k and 3k for a battery of tests with no explanation of what we were looking for. Wanted to keep my dog overnight but were not going to do anything but the tests...and charge me for the hospital stay. Took her to Southern Alberta Veterinary Emergency the next morning where they were awesome. I will put my review of them up.

Brett Smith

Excellent service and care.

Lisa Wells

We recently had our dog in for a TPLO surgery which seemed to have went well. We payed a lot of money for this and as such we had hoped that my dog would have received the best care possible. I am very disappointed in how the follow up was handled. We were suppose to bring her in two weeks post surgery for a follow up appointment, which was stated by the Vet tech and the Orthopedic surgeon. When the time came to book the follow up visit there were no appointments available at the time they had asked us to come in for the follow up visit. The next available appointment would be a month post surgery. UNACCEPTABLE!!!! The follow up appointment should have been booked at the time after surgery before leaving the clinic, but that option was not given to us. Reception was very unhelpful the first time we called stating they would call back. They never did! So I called them back to see if anything was available or came up so we could get our dog in. When I called the second time no one knew what I was talking about. So obviously no one did anything and we were disregarded. It should be part of their job to follow up with their patients and to make sure they are getting the appropriate care required. I do not feel this clinic actually cared about my dog. They just took our money and sent us on our way. I am very disapointed. It would have been nice if someone had actually shown that they had cared.

Jeff Farrar

Our dog Pearl a female rottweiler was admitted to the clinic earlier in the week because she was extremely sick. Surgery was required to fix her stomach problems. From admitting Pearl to picking her up was a very professional and friendly experience. They did a great job and she is home recovering now. I would recommend this clinic to my friends and family.

DJ Sumara

I have been breeding companion and show dogs for over 40 years—and as a consequence have had to visit emergency clinics many times. Without doubt VCA Canada Western Veterinary Services has been the gold medal winner. Recently one of our younger Standard Wire Dachshunds (Lucy) had to have emergency surgery. Dr Germaine Hung and her staff responded to a very critical situation with confidence, compassion and high competence. During the two days that Lucy as at the VCA Emergency Care Centre Dr Germaine called me four times to offer information and updates and twice after Lucy came home. That level of communication is rare! Within a week of her surgery to treat pyometra Lucy was back to her usual happy and playful self. If I could give Dr Germaine and her staff 6 stars I would. Instead I will post a 5 star rating with two pics of Lucy — one the day she came home from her surgery wearing the post-surgery “onesie” provided by VCA and a second picture of her one week later. Very Highly recommended!

Glen Ramsden

Kinda expensive, but they saved Mindy's life. Staff is very friendly and competent.

Kaje Annihilatrix

The staff were so helpful and friendly in an emergency situation.

Joshua Voskoboinikov

Very great staff, helpful and friendly, they promptly get your pet in. Free coffee and tea is nice while waiting for your pet. Staff let us call for any questions day or night while our pet was admitted.

Olivia Schamehorn

They were good at laying out costs and what would be done but not good at laying out all of our options/pointing out which parts of the plan were critical. They suggested a hospital stay which would have been and extra $1000 which we did not accept and was not nessecary.They discharged my cat and after getting home and reading the report they sent I realized he had an infection. I was surprised that his condition had not been explained to me better and that he had not been released with a prescription. We had to take him back to get checked again to receive the prescription. All around it was hard to get answers and information from people. There were times where we would call and get put on hold for 20 minutes and then we would hang up and try again and they would answer like nothing happened. I spoke to one vet who was helpful in going through my invoice with me. The day after he had been brought home I noticed that his back paws were a little pink. I've since realized that the majority of his back nails have been ripped/broken with just the quick remaining. He hadnt been left alone for more than an hour so I am highly suspicious that it happened at the clinic. We also found out that we paid 5 times more for the same list of services than what other clinics charge. In the end we got the prescriptions we needed. 2 stars.

Jim Watts

Very caring staff and friendly service

M.Chun Man

Dr Bentley has no compassion or empathy for animals.

Suzan McEvoy

We had to bring our 9-year-old dog in for TPLO surgery with Dr. Hung in December. Although I find the COVID restrictions frustrating (not being allowed in with your dog - having to pick him up in the parking lot, sit in your car and wait for the phone in consultation) - they handled everything professionally and personally from the on-the-phone bookings and consultations to the surgery itself and the follow-up care. Even though his two week checkup landed on the day of the mega snowstorm and I canceled, they did a phone consult after I sent in photos and addressed a couple of minor concerns we had. He's fully healed at 8 weeks and we're working on the strengthening exercises now. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for the care and compassion we received.

Lesly Ayala

A fantastic experience, very helpful and kind. I highly recommend.

Arlo Jay

the staff were so thorough and professional, I felt confident in their skills and their chosen treatments for my pup. Would definitely recommend this 24 hour emergency service. So thankful for everything they did for us.

Michelle Alliston

I brought my aunts cat in for a declawing and they seized the cat until my aunt came to get it with proof that it was her feline. It took a week since she was in Vancouver for work. The cat is traumatized. They just kept screaming at me that it's not my cat and it's against procedure.

Stephani Clements

I brought my Boston Terrier in with facial swelling and breathing issues. The vet tech immediately brought him to the back. When the vet (intern) made it out to see me, we talked about giving him Benedryl right away. We also discussed steroids if needed and the need for x-rays. She went into the back. After a while she returned with an estimate. $900-$1350. This would include the possibility of overnight care and an IV. So fine, sure, I'll sign. Just go take care of him. About 20 minutes later, she came and got me to show the x-rays. They seemed ok. I asked if the benedryl seemed to be stopping the swelling. They hadn't given it to him yet! By this point, it's been 45 minutes. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have taken him to Fish Creek and saved hundreds of dollars. There seems to be too much focus on the payment. And providing me my invoice in a file folder suitable for a marriage certificate seemed the cherry on top. Save money on the posh additions/decor... In the end, I'm happy my boy is ok but I feel a bit like I've been taken for a ride.

Martin Dalziel

We have had to take several of our bunnies who have been in extreme crisis to them after hours. The service has inconsistent. But some are argumentative and heartless. I almost missed the passing of my little boy because the receptionist insisted I provide payment details first. Even though we are on record with them and have been in numerous times over 13 years. My recommendation is that if you have a pet in major distress call them 1st if you can to let them know it is in emergency condition. I only use these people if I have to as they are the closest after hours care available.

Sandi B

Excellent care - I cannot thank them enough ????

Dozer Tucker

Horrible experience. Money hungry threaten to take your pet. Took . pet to his vet strait after he was in . I was robbed to say the least! Treated horribly.

Michelle Desnoyers

Wonderful knowledgeable and thoughtful staff. Thanks for taking such good care of our little pup.

Alex Brown

I took my dog here yesterday on an urgent basis, and not only did they not look at the main issue we brought him in for, they also prescribed us something that did not provide my dog any kind of relief. I brought him to another vet today and he was shocked when i told him what meds were originally prescribed to my dog. $205 for an exam and one prescription is absolutely ridiculous, and they didnt even solve or address the problem. If you love your animals, please take them somewhere else. It's just not worth your time.

Shannon Fann

Crooks. That’s the best way I can describe them. I was referred here for a heart ultrasound for my cat. My vet said it would be $700. They called to book the appointment and informed me it would be $1100. Due to a $400 CONSULTATION. I already had a consultation, I told them, that’s why I have a referral for a heart ultrasound. When I asked why the receptionist literally said “it’s just because you have to” seriously?! This cat is my life. Im already having to fork out 3-5k for surgery and you want to charge me $400 just because?! I’m actually so incredibly upset over this. I called Fish Creek 24hour emergency clinic and they confirmed that their price is $675. I waited until my vet could send over a different referral, booked the appointment with fish creek and confirmed with them that there is no “consultation” which they confirmed. It’s just the $675…. Then I went to write this review. I make $19 an hour. I’ve been selling my belongings for months in order to get my cat the help he needs. Any penny I can save ANYWHERE is huge to me. this place has made me feel more taken advantage of and robbed than anywhere else before. Shame on you. These are essentially peoples children you are dealing with. Shame on you.

Abigail Rae

I recommend western to every pet owner I know. They have to such good care of my animals and always give them the best most thorough possible care if I could rate them 100 stars I would.

L C C R Lethbridge (The Last Chance Cat Ranch)

We have had the best care for our rescue cats at Western. Compassionate, thorough and efficient. They have also been gracious regarding our accoint payments as we are a rescue and have to fundraise for everything. Prissy, Fred, Robert, Little Ed all received the best care possible. Elizabeth, The Last Chance Cat Ranch in Lethbridge, AB

Lindsay

I recommend taking your pet here in an emergency.

Henry Bosklopper

I can't even begin to describe the horrific experience I lived and my dog Lucy did not may 19 that Lucy got into a tussle with a female sibling it was stopped right away but she suffered a severe eye injury we went to my vet in Ramsey who directed us to western pet hospital it says so on the building no when we arrived it's a process because of covid I' was freaking because a year before she had been blinded in her other eye long painful story short 2000$ I've quoted around 700 by 3 vets not this place she was removed physically removed from my arms and I was told that they would treat her .and I went to find money I didn't have everyone I know got to work that after noon after numerous calls I was told that keeping her would cost an further 1000 $ I told the doc I would find a clinic to house her for less fish creek when we went back the told me that they would confirm my arrival at fish creek and it would cost me almost 400 for care up till that point plus she asked about her other eye and the treatment she had received and if she was intact I said she had a appointment but because of covid the earliest was almost the end of summer it was my friends and my impression based on our possible appearance the just was that I was a puppy neglect ing dog fighting p.o.s I told the vet I resented her implication she was brought out after paying the extortion fee for Lucy s care I got my dog back my god..there's the horrible end to this story I picked the house my friends live in for the dogs my Lucy had a verifiable health record I love my Lucy she was and is my best friend I am far better than she for our friendship you see I wasnt a very good person as cps would gladly tell it I have become better as a person she taught me so much I wish our road had been longer for I loved her so much am my upset beyond anything rational you see Lucy saved me and I couldn't save her western did nothing beyond a cone and I.V. I didn't see a dressing or evidence of wound care I only did what many do I brought the pet that means everything to the ANIMAL Hospital................

Victoria Galbraith

As all of us pet parents know it is a traumatic experience whenever a pet is hurt, sick, etc. I have unfortunately had to bring my two cats in for seperate issues in the last year. One was for a specialist appointment with an Opthomologist and the other was an emergency with my youngest kitten. I can say that both visits where more pleasant then I expected, the staff are wonderful, the doctors are caring, the atmosphere is calming and clean. I'd recommend Western Veterinary to anyone.

Yasmin Hovakeemian

Visited this location with our dog for an emergency situation and the staff here were incredible! They triaged the situation and continually updated us of everything that was ongoing. Staff is extremely mindful of the owners and allowed us to visit our dog who was being held over night. They are really empathetic and go out of their way. I'd highly recommend coming here for your emergency vet needs. They also do follow up and schedule anything your pet may need like blood work, followups and more as needed keeping you in mind. Lastly, they had a small donation box where you can bring in food and pet supplies to donate to charity Overall great spot!

Gillian Edwards

Western Vet is a good spot for times when you can't see your regular vet, or in an emergency. I've had the "pleasure" of visiting twice with a sick dog and they are very kind and helpful. They also will take care of mailing in pet insurance claims from their location for you, taking one more thing out of your hassles!

Morag MacLellan

We had a nightmare experience with this practice and would not recommend it to anyone. We spent 7 hours with little treatment for our very sick dog. The inexperienced vet had no idea what was going on with the dog and did not refer to any senior colleagues. We were left in an empty room, with the dog elsewhere, for 5 hours. When we saw the dog again she was unrecognizable and failing badly. The vet recommended a $6,000 hysterectomy on our severely weakened 121/2 year old lab. We spent $1100 to no good effect and then we had to decide to put our poor dog out of her misery, still with no real vet guidance. They refused to let us have her body or her medical records. We did manage to retrieve her body the following day. We have complained and we were fobbed off. The only bad vet experience I ever had in 55 years of pet ownership.

Basil Cilantro

Nice people they really like animals

Basil Cilantro

Very caring staff and friendly service

Sean Lundy

Great vet clinic! My girlfriend has needed to bring her aging pooch here on a few occasions and they're always incredibly friendly and explain health concerns with your animal in a way you can easily understand. They also offer coffee while you wait. I've even brought a lost dog here in the middle of a cold winter night and they gladly received her here!

Alicia Skerry

They were very attentive and friendly! They just seemed like they actually cared about my pet!

Paul Lee (Chinamyte)

Extremely unhelpful reception, exceptionally rude. I have been there 3 times for late emergencies and there has only been a single time where one of hte younger reception was kind and helpful with information. The other older women were just absolute insensitive hags who cared about adding on more cash grab problems. My dog had epilepsy as a pup and now that he is older it started again. One night during an unusual seizure attack, I rushed him to their facility. Not only did they do nothing but let him sit in a cage the whole time "while they monitored" him, they alwso brought him back out after just injecting him with valium AFTER an hour of observing which was absolutely useless but expensive!! My dog was returned to me after about a 2 hour stint and I was slapped with a $980 bill claiming their observation and the cost of administering the valium was not only expensive but needed. I was then "given" a tiny vial, about 8ml vial of valium and a syringe and told to just give it to him if it occurs again, though "it wont help much but will calm him down at least." I said given in quatations as I was charged for this vial of useless medical waste they had. The staff are uncaring, unprofessional, and horribly insensitive during hte late hours when you are actually having an emergency and I had to leave my other dog there for an over night "observation" once that cost me another 1200 claining x-rays were mainly teh cause of the cost when I wasnt even shown one. I dont know about the day time shift attendants but hte evening attendants are completely useless and unhelpfull. They only keep saying "bring your dog here" even if i describe all symptoms they just want to "observe" them for themselves even when I tell them I can't afford it. Humanity is definately going to the $#!ts if this is any indication on how "medical professionals" are going to be in teh future, where the only help you recieve is opening your wallet so they can steal more from your.

Richelle Cochrane

Absolutely amazing service we've had with Dr. Kathyrn. I was so nervous and freaked out when we had a emergency with our cat, Yuki and Dr. Kathryn was very thorough and explained all her findings one by one. She is very knowledgeable and caring and definitely understands all the concern we have and is also very transparent. Hope we can see her all the time but I think she's only for emergency? Regardless I highly recommend this place! Thank you for all your care and support.

Gwen Haynes

I would avoid this clinic at all costs. More concerned about upping your bill and milking you for unnecessary things. It is their mandate to bill high. It took them an hour to contact me about me pet who was stable and vitals good when I brought it in as I was just being cautious. Then after I call and say what’s taking so long you said you would look at my pet right away I was told the vet is busy he will call. 10 mins later he calls. Vitals are stable but we would like to monitor overnight. No I said I can monitor my own pet pls discharge my pet. Well I think your pet could have a further issue. I said really a further issue but she’s stable??? An X-ray is needed. Okay fine xray. Then he wants a radiologist to read it I said no your a vet you can clearly read an X-ray. So no to the radiologist. I wait a further hour no call. I call back she’s not X-rayed yet. I said never mind pull my pet from the cue and discharge her please. Oh we can’t do that only the vet can. Great get him to do that then pls. Oh he’s too busy. I said get me my pet and your bill pls now. 10 mins later vet calls. Says he’s X-rayed her. I said why I said pull her from the cue. He says nothing. I feel she has this further condition. I said of course you do. I said what’s the treatment. Monitoring and oxygen. I said great both things I have at home so pls discharge her. I said out of curiosity what would you charge me for 12 hours of monitoring - $2000 I said no discharge my pet to me. Then he stated are you refusing medical care? I said I’m refusing further medical care here and will go elsewhere should my pet need it. Had quite the ordeal trying to get my pet back when they knew I was on to their extortion attempts. AVOID THIS PLACE !!! The vet also had his nose out of joint since I knew more than he thought I should ????‍♀️????‍♀️????‍♀️ This isn’t my first rodeo knowing animal health and well being. How dare they extort people on jacking up ridiculous tests and costs. The vet reported me to the police for not providing further medical care against his advice. So imagine the ordeal this character put me through. At no time was my pet in grave danger clearly since it took him three hours to even look at my pet. He was just upset that I didn’t want to pay them a further $2000 which we all know would have been more than that by the time I got there. They make you sign a waiver that your taking your pet away against medical advice. It’s extortion and fleecing and completely unacceptable. My pet is perfectly fine and was perfectly fine when I brought her in I just wanted a once over since my vets office was closed. They got $750 out of me but that will be the last $750 they ever see from me ever. Stay away from this extorting clinic. Especially if you wish to stand up for yourself and your rights. They clearly don’t like that. End result after they had me investigated, the individuals who came to my house could not believe it as clearly I take pristine care of my pets. Case closed. Funny how the ER vet was so busy but not too busy to report me for not wanting their stupid further monitoring and oxygen which I clearly said I can do from home. If they were so concerned why didn’t they call my house to check up on my pet. Nope. They only care that I refused their nonsense and I had the sense to tell them so. They don’t like it so stay away or else they will have you investigated. Absolute nonsense !!!

Tyra Erskine

I called them to ask them how long it would take for the condition that I came in for to clear up. They would not tell me. They said that I would have to come in again for another appointment. If I already came in and paid for the treatment, they should be able to then answer any questions that I later have about the treatment. Ridiculous.

Elton Liu

They took care of my cat whom we love, but is it worth $1700 for a night? At least we have a peace of mind. Good service, but pricey!

Elton Liu

Fingers crossed that our dog pulls through. The vets and techs are all amazing. We feel that our dogs are in good hands with them.

M M

They patiently waited for me to pick up my dog's ashes and footprints. Thank you for allowing me to grieve

Dan Jorgensen

Didn't listen to word I said in person or over the phone. If I treated my patients like that I would be in alot of trouble. Covid-19 seems to give alot of people and facilities an easy out on very poor practice.

Theresa Kuipers

Caring group of professionals

Ceilidh Miller

While the team was great and got my animal in very quickly, I feel they gouged me for every penny I was worth. Wasn't expecting it to cost $500 bucks for some charcoal to make my dog throw up. Be wary if you go here as they don't give any indication of how much things cost and will just tack on tests and treatments you don't really need. And the initial consultation fee is an automatic $168 just to get your animal admitted. Won't be returning here if I don't have to. Unfortunate because the staff were all super nice.

Christie Page

Vet tech's were very kind and helpful. Does not get 5 stars because the lay out and signage is hard to understand. Hard to tell where the main entrance is and what the protocol is for pet drop off. Big signs with arrows that don't point the wrong way would be very beneficial.

John Danylewich

These guys are worth every penny!

Jeannette McCoy

Quick and helped our pooch.. vets are not cheap though. Luckily we didn't need the big money tests

Nimji Real Estate Advisors

We had the worst experience here with my GSD. The careless treatment of my senior dog was in- excusable. I was there with many of my family and friends who witnessed this treatment first hand. We immediately picked up my boy, and took him to Fish Creek where he was treated so well, and released the same day.

Norman W. Clark

Unfortunately we have had to make use of the services of this emergency hospital for the same dog. This facility is a first class veterinary hospital staffed with competent and caring staff and veterinarians. The treatment of our large dog in the VCA was wonderful both in the range of services and the care that they provide. My only negative comment is that it is Very Expensive! Plan on $2,000 to $3,000 per day for your pet. Our last visit ended with the painful decision to keep our end of the bargain and allow our older dog to cross the rainbow bridge. This act was handled with the upmost respect and understanding from everyone involved. Thank you for that.

Mandeep Padda

Professionals

Bev Lee

I've already reviewed it once but since my greyhound has been there for the last 10 days (again) I don't think it hurts to say once again just how great ALL STAFF at Western are. From the receptionists, technicians and Vet Specialists. You will never find more dedicated people to care for your beloved fur family members.

Daisy Amann

Dr Laura Osborne saw my super senior cat in emergency and she and all the staff so incredibly kind and patient with us. She went over his history, everything that could cause his issue and other conditions that may be linked to it. After he was sedated for testing she spent 20 minutes on the phone explaining in detail what the results were and what our options are. With such a senior cat we’ve often felt in the past (at other clinics) that we’ve had to fight for him to get comprehensive care and understand what was going on rather than the diagnosis of “old cat”. Dr Osborne was very clear and compassionate in explaining how we can treat our cats issue and keep him comfortable. I’ve never felt so confident in his care.

Meghan Wolfe

Are the best vets in all of Alberta. My family and goofy Cash love you all so much. Thank you!!

Meghan Gardiner

Admin staff needs better training and needs to communicate correct information. We had our dog scheduled in for a fluoroscopy for February 14, 2019 back in January and I called in the day before to confirm that our dog being on antibiotics for Kennel cough wouldn't have any impact on the flouroscopy examination. I was told by their admin staff that it wouldn't have an impact but *surprise* - we don't have an appointment for February 14, 2019. The radiation team wasn't in that week and they thought someone had already called me to reschedule. Had I not called in advance to check, would have wasted a day off work. Rescheduled for Tuesday Feb 19, 2019 and we bring her in for 8am since that was the time they told us to bring her in for. Radiation team tells us that since she is on antibiotics, they can't do the procedure. This is the exact reason why I had called a week ahead to confirm and somehow was told the absolute incorrect information. Also was informed that she didn't need to be dropped off at 8am since her procedure was scheduled for 3:30pm. I'm sure the docs are great (yet to know since we have had to reschedule yet again) but their admin staff really needs to get their information correct before relaying to patients.

Kim Brochu

Our second visit on an emergency basis. Very professional, knowledgeable and compassionate team. The veterinarian explained what needed to be done thoroughly and updated me when the procedure was finished. An estimate was presented with a low and high amount. The cost was appropriate for the work done. The waiting area was clean and well set up to spend a few hours. The front end staff checked regularly if I needed anything. I know my dog was well taken care of and treated with compassion and care. I recommend this hospital for any emergency care.

AMIR-REZA SHARIFZADEH-NAJAFI

Great place to go if you need to see a specialist of you have an emergency on your hand.

Devon Macleod

Don't go here unless you wanna pay double what other non vca 's 24hr clinics charge. Like what a joke this place is, you shouldn't be profiting this much over people trying to help their pets in a dire situation. Will tell everybody I know with a pet to not go here for anything.

Jared M

Great staff, great service. Direct bill to insurance. Our puppy had a secondary infection after getting surgery and this clinic not only kept our puppy another night to treat her but they waived the extra cost. Top notch institution, 5 stars!!!

Zeanna Janmohamed

Our little dog leo received the best care here from multiple vets. The techs were so good with him to get his vitals and with us when it came to listening to our concerns/history of the issue. We first came in at about 12:30am today and despite them being so busy they were able to get Leo looked after with some diagnostic tests. We were able to identify the problem and talked with the vet about further options. Dr. Ackert was very honest about treatments that were necessary (eg. Getting him fluids overnight) but was willing to let us take him home for the night so long we brought him back for his repeat x Ray's this morning. She also clearly laid out the costs and what would be done to him in the back. This morning we also received amazing care from two lovely girls at the front and the tech getting his vitals again. The vet that came to let us know about the results of the second x Ray's was absolutely amazing (I unfortunately had such a sleep ridden brain that i didn't catch his name). He answered all my questions and concerns and made sure to let me know what to look for in terms of Leo's health going forward, both good and bad Yes the place is costly but you are paying for what I have no doubt in my mind is the gold standard of care. Thank you so much everyone!! - love leo and his doggy parents.

Carol Peck

For pet emergencies it was great, a little pricey. They took great care of my girl Missy.

Peter Friess

The staff was very sympathetic with the lose of a family member like a cat. They went above and beyond to answer all the questions that were asked. Even if it was getting a little late.

Diana Saraiva

(Translated) Suggestion: NEVER GO TO THIS CLINIC I was there on Thursday, October 15, 2020 and had the worst experience of my life. Because of Covid-19, I had to hand my little girl over to an attendant and I couldn't get into the clinic, so far so good. After that, the veterinarian called my cell phone and started asking several questions, which I tried to answer in the best way, because English is not my first language. He asked what medicine I had given and I didn't know it in English, so I tried to say the substance. He said that I would have intoxicated her and that it could cause some kind of internal bleeding. I said that he should have misunderstood the name, since her veterinarian from Brazil had already given this same medication a few times. Instead of trying to understand what, in fact, the remedy was, he began to denigrate the professional. He also suggested that as a result of this I had to hospitalize her for 48 hours and start a treatment, visibly misdiagnosed, as it disregarded all the other information that I had passed on. I went into despair and called the vet who had indicated this medication. She said it was the right medicine and that the pain was due to the change in diet. Result, I panicked and asked for my dog back urgently and I didn't want that med. vet touched her more. I insisted a few times and they kept treating me like crazy. The attendant said she would only give me my little one after I paid. Yeah, he does absolutely nothing, almost killed me from the heart and still had the courage to charge me over $ 180.00 for the consultation. A few long minutes after I insisted a few times saying that I would call the police, they brought me the card machine and only after I paid, my little girl came. Returning home, I had a crying fit and lack of stress. I almost passed out in the middle of the street. Two hours after I got home my puppy ate and drank water normally. It was too traumatic. (Original) Sugestão: NUNCA VÁ NESSA CLÍNICA Estive lá na quinta-feira, dia 15 de outubro de 2020 e tive a pior experiência da minha vida. Por causa do Covid-19, tive que entregar minha pequena a uma atendente e não podia entrar na clínica, até aí tudo bem. Depois disso o médico veterinário ligou para o meu celular e começou a fazer várias perguntas, as quais tentava responder da melhor forma, pois inglês não é minha primeira língua. Ele perguntou qual o medicamento que eu tinha dado e eu não sabia em inglês, então tentei dizer a substância. Ele disse que eu teria intoxicado ela e que aquilo poderia provocar algum tipo de sangramento interno. Falei que ele deveria ter entendido o nome errado, já que a veterinária dela do Brasil já tinha dado esse mesmo medicamento algumas vezes. Ao invés de tentar entender qual, de fato, era o remédio, ele começou a denegrir a profissional. Ele ainda sugeriu que em virtude disso eu tinha que internar ela por 48 horas e iniciar um tratamento, visivelmente diagnosticado equivocadamente, pois desconsiderou todas as outras informações que eu havia passado. Entrei em desespero e liguei para a veterinária que tinha indicado esse medicamento. Ela garantiu que era o remédio certo e que a dor era por causa da mudança da dieta. Resultado, entrei em pânico e pedi meu cachorro de volta urgente e que não queria que aquele med. veterinário tocasse mais nela. Insisti algumas vezes e ficaram me tratando como louca. A atendente disse que só me entregaria minha pequena depois que eu pagasse. Pois é, ele não faz absolutamente nada, quase me matou do coração e ainda teve a coragem de me cobrar mais de $180.00 pela consulta. Alguns longos minutos depois de eu insistir algumas vezes dizendo que chamaria a polícia, me trouxeram a maquina do cartão e só depois que eu paguei, veio minha pequena. Voltando para casa, tive uma crise de choro e falta de por causa do estresse. Quase desmaiei no meio da rua. Duas horas depois que eu cheguei em casa minha cachorrinha comeu e bebeu água normalmente. Foi traumático demais.

Crystal D

Very nice, pricey but they were open late and got us in right away. Worth the money.

Lisa MacLennan

We took our dog Tucker to Western Vet Hospital after seeing a large mass that developed on Tuckers right side over his ribs. This wasn't there in the morning. The vet called us back and said what he think was wrong with the mass. We had mentioned that he had a spider bit. The vet said where is it? My jaw hit the ground. The hair on the bite was shaved and literally two inches to the right of the huge mass. If you actually did an exam you wouldn't be able to miss it. I can look at Tucker from across the room and see that area shaved. I feel like he didn't even look at him and went by what the tech said (that is just my opinon from his responces he gave us). The bite is about the size of a nickle/quarter. How can you miss that. See pic. We paid about $300. If we did an x-ray it would be over $600 and lab work would be over $300. We didnt even get to ask about the biopsy and how much that would cost. Then the vet started talking about surgery. I felt the visit was usless but we did get antibiotics and drops for his eyes.. Very disappointing and wont go back. We descide to go to Fish Creek Vet Hospital 1.5 days later. They looked at him and said that it looks like cancer. The vet has seen it before. They took a biopsy and we will know more next week. The vet said taking an x-ray would only show that the mass was there, so she didnt feel it necessary and that the mass was probably inoperable. This visit was about $300. That included the biopsy and the visit. They were awesome.

M Litt

Shocking experience. If you have no background knowledge on animal medicine, please do not pick this place as your DVM. They overcharge and over drug your pet. My dog got into a porcupine mishap. He had about 8 quills. A very minimal case. Of course, naturally, I was impressed by the aesthetics of the location and initially thought I was in good hands. The doctor was thorough in obtaining a medical history and very professional with nice charisma. However, when the nurse came in, she simply handed me the estimate and asked me to sign it with no explanation of any of the items. The bill was 3-4x what it should have been. A quill removal, especially as minimal as this one, should have cost around $200 at the most. (A past 200+ quill removal cost me under $150. I was expecting sedation, anti-inflammatory and maybe a take home drug for bad cases, but this was not one of them). This bill was estimated $700-$934 with 8-10 unnecessary drugs. I told her what drugs are necessary in this case, and asked her to explain this bill and the medical reasoning behind this, because it was ridiculous and that she knew it. She blushed and didn't say anything. I asked her for my dog back (luckily, they had not sedated him yet) and when she gave me the leash I apologized for the inconvenience, and that I simply couldn't afford nor agree with their medicine. Instead of acting professional, she just shrugged and turned around. I later called several other locations all of which gave me an estimate of $200. I ended up going to my regular clinic (Fish Creek). Beware. They are either overcharging and simply listing extra drugs on their bill or they are doing things to pets that are not medically necessary. It breaks my heart to of had this experience. Animals are all good souls. Their lives should not be messed around with, nor should their owners, as pet care is already expensive and this is further pushing owners to not get regular care for their animals.

Rob Maver

I would recommend avoiding this clinic if possible. Your animal's wellbeing takes a backseat to their billings. I was told that if I declined a $3,000 image (which two nurses said was ineffective for our scenario) they could "slit my dog's neck artery by mistake and he would bleed out on the table and die". This was then followed by them looking up my then current vet who they said "was not qualified to do the procedure" (this vet owned their own practice) and that taking his care elsewhere would be dangerous. They maintained that their surgeons were the only safe option. This was for an abscess, which is by all accounts the most basic of emergency procedures. After this I was quoted upwards of $15,000 plus roughly $1,200 in daily monitoring charges (they prescribed two days). We took our dog's care elsewhere the following day and paid roughly 11% of what we were quoted after paying ~$2,000 to have our dog monitored for less than 36 hours at the VCA. They put him on fluids and did not administer requested painkillers (as confirmed by his records). Again, this was for a basic procedure, and we were told if we discharged him he would lose his priority in the surgery queue. We only kept him there in case we could not secure another option. I will credit the surgeon who called the next morning. She was great with questions, and followed up with me personally after I requested the discharge. When I told her why we took our dog's care elsewhere, she sighed and said she understood. There were other disappointing items within this experience, but in the interest of time I think I've made my point. We will not be returning to this clinic.

Alex Jack

Amazing service and a very compassionate and friendly team. They were very gentle and thorough with our boy. The reception staff were very warm and welcoming, the practicum students did a great job, and the doctor was very kind and knowledgeable. We couldn't be any happier with our experience. Wheek wheek! (which means thank you very much in guinea pig language :) )

Peter Herrel (Meandmybikes)

Always sad having to rush to the vet at 22:00 on a Friday, good thing their doors are always open.

Ryan Hofos

Awesome service on short notice for a distressed pet. The staff were genuinely concerned and knowledgeable, and the vet was exceptional. Quality care with excellent support and followup.

Haley Teresa

The staff here was amazing for being night-shift staff. Very informative and checked in on me waiting to update me on the process of checking my beautiful baby Chini out. For a 2AM shift they were sharp and so kind. From the moment I called and the line was busy I had a staff reach out and text me to make sure my animal was ok. Phenomenal. If you’re in an emergency I highly recommend. Big thank you!

Jody Sennett

July 29. Saying goodbye to a loved one is never easy. It was Dr. Jessica Artinger (and team) that helped us through our difficult day. My young adult kids and I wanted to express how grateful we were for your compassion and support. Sincere thank you.

D

They were very good

Lucy Wright

They were so friendly and helpful! We just walked right in, signed papers, and then right away they helped our dog.

Adonica Salter

This is the best hospital in the city for complex animal care. They have the most advanced hospital equipment available and thats not just my personal opinion, but a matter of fact. Our dog was in an emergency situation and was sent from McKnight to WesternVCA by ambulance. He stayed in critical care for 5 days and the doctors were so wonderful to deal with. I truly believe that if it can't be done at Western VCA then it can't be done at all. The team communicated thorough, factual, and realistic expectations to make sure that we understood all aspects of his treatment. We have Trupanion pet insurance which made billing easier as they can direct bill. The only negative reviews that I have read on here are all related to dollar amounts, which is essentially a moving target at any clinic because they do not know the specifics of what work needs to be done until they get in there. Estimates are just that- an educated guess as to the approximate cost. In all of my experience at Western VCA the estimated costs have been accurate and without any surprises. If you think pet insurance is too expensive then you certainly cant afford 100% of the true dollar amount of a vet bill that gives the comprehensive care that your animal needs. Veterinary care is an expensive endeavour in general, but can be especially so when your animal needs emergency or life-saving treatment. This is not to the fault of this hospital.

Bojana Aguilar

I recently had to visit VCA as my cat was not eating much for a few days. When I got to VCA, the vet (Dr. Longmore) wasn't trying to push any unnecessary treatments on us, or trying to make me worry more than I should. Since my cat would need to be sedated for tests, and since he was still acting very bright and alert, he suggested that we first try some medication, and if that didn't help within 24 hrs, then we would come back to sedate him and perform the tests. I am so glad that he offered this option as it scares me to have to sedate my cat if not completely necessary and he is already VERY stressed by most things outside of the home. They answered all of my questions while I was there and got him in to see the vet quite quickly. The medication ended up working, and within 24 hrs he was visibly improving. I really appreciate the fact that I felt that they wanted to do what was best for my cat just as much as I did, and they did not try to push any unnecessary treatments or tests right away. Thank you!

Michael K

Very good doctors here

Shajila Joseph

Took our dog (Maltese breed - White Color) on July 20,2020, to VCA, SW Calgary, after we found he was struggling to breathe while playing in the lawn. As per the report, doctor identified him as labour in swallowing although we admitted him with breathing problem. With our permission he was sedated for IV and for oropharepharal exam. He was prescribed medications and we paid 618 CAD as bill. We gave as per prescription for three days and still he was struggling to breathe. Just out of curiosity my daughter checked his nose with a light and pulled out grass of 13 cm. Immediately he was completely alright. An emergency hospital not able to check a dog that is struggling to breathe. wrong diagnosis and big bill is not reliable for any.

Nicholas R

This place will rip you off. You might as well burn your money then expect this place to care for you pet. They will try to sell you on all their tests without telling you anything. Specifically Dr. Henderson wont bother helping you until you pay her over $2000. She will take your money and refuse to help your animal unless you comply. She will prey on your emotions and give you some professional responsibility BS to try to sell her diagnostics. She should be ashamed of herself. I wasted $700 and all I got was pain killers that didn't work. My other vet fixed my dog for $100. Avoid this place at all costs.

Chad “TheGruffalo” Bryant

We've used them several times. For surgery and emergencies and they were great. We recently had to put our oldest dog down and they helped us through the situation.

Marty Lastiwka

Very helpful when you need help!

Cyril Gascon

Very friendly staff. They really take care of your pets and make sure you get the best care possible. Saw an opthalmologist for our pup and she was great. Thanks Dr. Ramey! Would highly recommend. ????

Cyril Gascon

Great cardiology team and medical services at the hospital! Insurance recommended as prices for inpatient admission and services can run very high.

Elijah Adams

Quoted price was $400 less than what I was billed. They didn't explain how to use the inhaler we got and didn't give him any anti-inflammatories for his irritated lungs. The quoted price is already 3 times as much as the operation costs at any other vet. Go somewhere else if you have a choice.

Doug Voth

Expensive, but staff were knowledgeable,and very friendly. Facility was clean. The staff really look like they care about their patients.

Jacqueline L

Knowledgeable and dependable. Good bedside manners from all staff. Will definitely return if needed.

herooftime

Best vets in the entire city!

bell Grande

This is the first time I've had to visit this Veterinary Hospital. It was very easy and very accommodating well-organized. I wasn't sitting in the parking lot for hours everything was looked after in sufficient time very professional.

Brianna Taylor

Always friendly and helpful????

K Leo

Good 24 vet service, nice staff although prices are a bit high as is the same with any emergency vet visit. Vets seemed very competent.

Amish Patel

I read a lot of reviews before coming here. It was surprising to see so many mixed reviews. In the end, I came here because my pooch may have had an intestinal obstruction and this was the closest hospital. Add to this that it was a very busy night with many pet emergencies coming in. All of the staff were kind, courteous and understanding that I had questions and I was worried for my pup. Overall, it was an 8 hour process. The doc was very clear about my options, the info was emailed to us in real time to review and the doc even told us what items she believed were essential today. Yes it is expensive, but I get it. This is a business, there were two doctors (ER and Radiologist), staff up front and other professionals running an after hours per hospital. I slept in my car in the parking lot. In the lot were another 4 cars with people sleeping in them waiting for updates on their pets as well. Whenever I called for an update, there was a kind and compassionate human on the other side of the line. On this night it was Erin. Earlier in the night it was someone else and I cannot recall her name. Emergency pet services will never be cheap, it’s a lot to set up and have ready for our beloved pets. But if you find yourself needing help after hours or simply have a pet emergency, I recommend you put this clinic in your address book now and hope you never need it. My story ends well with my beauty coming home with us shortly. Edit: the doc was dr. Shandruk. She was just the best. I wish our human doctors had half her bedside manner!

Dan J

When you are panicked and don't know how to help your pet get back to normal - if at all possible these people are there for you. Thankfully they help us keep it together with the care they provide to our pets. Thank you all!

Phillip Goheen

Great

Kris Polsom

These folks take really good care of our animals. I'm very happy with them.

Amy Harper

They are so good to communicate with and they took excellent care of my pup. Everytime I have called to ask questions to follow up they have taken the time to speak with me and help ease my mind.

Richard Galambos

This is an amazing facility. The Vets are great, staff are cool. And our Diesel is made comfortable.

Jane Smith

Horribly rude staff. The make dr was very confrontational and I never got any treatment for my sick dog. FFF--- Me and my mother ended up going to another vet clinic. I do not recommend this clinic at all.

Antoine Cook

They are always so helpful and kind when my pup comes for a visit.

Herman Sidhu

They fixed my boy after he was hit by a car

Mariana Flynn

Dr Hung and her team took great care of our pug through her soft palate surgery. Very impressed with the level of care and communication especially considering the Covid situation. I would recommend them for any flat faced breeds

Mark Saroka

They have a well trained professional staff, great veterinarians. Unfortunately they are not cheap

Carrie Slater

Thank you for your compassionate support Twyla and Dr. Jess. Your kindness is appreciated more than words can express????

Janet Davies

My dog, a 14 year old Golden Retriever, was in distress and so I took her to this clinic to be euthanised. As soon as I entered the back door to explain that we did not need an examination the assistant yelled at me. The back room was filthy as was the front lobby. There was blood on the floor yet there was no attempt by the staff to clean it up. The room where I was waiting for the vet to come in was also filthy. There were dirty cups and other debris from the other clients. I had asked the staff to come in to euthanize my dog but they said I would have to wait for them even though she was in distress. To move her they put a leash around her neck and pulled her even though she had a large lump on her neck and was having trouble breathing. I left the clinic with my dog and went to Calgary North. The experience was like night and day. At Calgary North they were empathetic and kind. PLEASE...if you love your dog do not take her/him to the Western Veterinary Clinic.

Ted Brogan

Great service and very professional.

Connie Mclaughlan

Friendly, timely response to any questions I had. Caring, manageable pricing, good follow up. I first brought my cats here, rather than my regular vet,because of VCA has reasonable cost of spaying.

北村Zalán

Heartless people. Don’t really care about your pet just the business and the money.

Siman P

This clinic is amazing. I had to bring my puppy in twice for an emergency and the care and compassion they showed was amazing! Highly recommended!

Andrew Constantinescu

Would recommend in a heartbeat. We were in need of emergency vet care last night and they were very courteous, understood the need for expediency and got the puppy in, the second we arrived. Because we could not go into the building, constant updates were given in a timely manner, over the phone. Do not hesitate for one second if you need critical vet care for your companion. Everyone I met there cared deeply for the little runt I brought in.

Brandy Moffatt

Just terrible i advise you to go somewhere else !

Alliyah Hughes

Very kind people and took great care of my dog when he went in for swallowing a sock.

Tania S. Smith

We took our dog to Western with a broken leg. Xrays showed that it required a metal plate on the bone to fix it. With their board-certified specialist surgeon, the estimate was $3800 plus the xrays and meds. We found the same surgery for about 30% cheaper at another hospital in town. Our dog is now recovering.

Stella Lee

Poor service, takes forever to get back to you. Called and was told they will call me the next day (and I hear this each day I called when I don't actually hear back from them). Referral made over 10 days ago, specialist still "reviewing" the file. Makes you feel very confident, doesn't it?

Michael

Amazing service prices are steep but care is second to none.

David Fedor

Very friendly and professional services

Anastasia B

Amazing emergency vet care. I have had to use their services twice due to pet emergencies and every time they have been beyond amazing! They are financial understanding, kind and gentle with the pets, and are very patient dealing with pet owners. I am not sure why they get the bad reviews but I strongly suggest you give them a chance. I got to sit in the waiting room while my dog was getting fluids and I saw their interactions with many owners. They have a kind touch, patient tone, prioritize well and most importantly they work with you if you’re financially tight! Thank you for taking care of my Dasha doxie!

Melissa Babstock

Amazing staff and Vetrinarians- they did a great job keeping the price affordable by only doing totally necessary things! Thanks soo much!!

Jenna L

Some of the best emergency care I have ever received in the city has been through this clinic. I had a very sick puppy years ago and recently lost my cat and every time have been met with kindness and support for the decisions I needed to make. An absolutely wonderful group of caring people. Thank you for being so good to me and my furry family members ♥️

Thomas Lijnse

Great place to bring stray cats

Casian Marriott-Davey

Money hungry awful people who only care about money. Wanted to charge us $9000 to remove an obstruction from my dog's stomach. Taking her to Fish creek Animal Hospital immediately! They make you pay $1000 before they will even look at your dog. They are in it for the money and nothing else!! It's heartbreaking that people like this exist... KARMA will get you!!

rage mckay

I was not disappointed with their service. They actually cared about the animals

Richie Sambuca

Very friendly staff, extremely patient, never felt rushed. Our pet was well looked after

Gord Howe

Amazing staff. Thank you

Robert Hamilton

My poor little guy blew a knee ligament. VCA got him back walking. It's been just 2 weeks and a good recovery so far. But pro tip - buy some pet insurance! These guys do good work but nobody works for free. Surgery is expensive.

Robert Hamilton

My vet had warned me ahead of referring me to this place that they have first class medical service but to expect the worst from the customer service. Unfortunately he was right. My almost 1 year old puppy needed an expensive emergency surgery on a Saturday afternoon. After providing me with an estimate, the reception asked me for a deposit to cover 85% of the cost. She did not even bother to do a calculation and asked me for $4500 out right (keep in mind I have insurance). I had to pull my phone out to do the calculation and noted that it should have been $4000 Which I paid and they said I was okay to leave. An hour later they called and said the surgery estimate was now closer to. $10000 and they needed me to come in and pay an extra $4000 (later on the clinic they said it was $5000). Keep in mind I had insurance which was open at the time the initial deposit was asked for. Me being under stress and it being my first time dealing with pet insurance naively believed that the company was closed on Saturday (it was not) and they let me know they would not move forward with the surgery without the extra money. I go back to the clinic to play the second deposit and I have to put it on multiple cards to get around daily spending limits and maximum withdrawal limits. At $4000 simply wasn’t able to withdraw more money (I had the money but couldn’t withdraw it at the drop of a hat like they expected) and they went through with the surgery. Drs Longmore, Little (who performed the surgery) and Osborne did a wonderful job of keeping me informed and reassuring me throughout his 3 day hospital stay. When I reached out to my pet insurance on Monday, they said they had the ability to direct bill on emergency situations such as this and would be able to cover a large portion of the cost. When we went in for discharge, the medical reception again made numerous billing miscalculations and took 20 mins to figure out the total amount I was to get back. If I had not advocated for myself and questioned things in these moments they would have cleaned me out. I can’t imagine how much harder this process would have been without pet insurance or if I did not have the financial means to put down such a large deposit at the drop of a hat. The medical care and reassurance was 5 stars but unfortunately the stressful experience with front desk staff knocks off 2 stars for me.

Bruce Renton

Extraordinarily organized. Great medical and customer service. You get what you pay for, quality.

Jared “The Last Kiss” Velasquez

Brought my 2 yr old, intact, doberman here and everyone treated him wonderfully. They all were very informative, on top of everything, quick to serve, and treated Lennox with the best of care he has ever received at a vet! Highly recommend seeing Valerie Madden if her scope of practice falls under what you need!

Mohammadreza Shahsahebi

I kinda find $1200 for some normal examinations too expensive.

Aric Taylor

For a 24-hour emergency service company - horribly managed. Complete the online intake form and receive instructions to call when you arrive. An hour of waiting in the drop off lot, calling the number and no one answers. Sitting in car with a panicked animal, not knowing if they even know we’re waiting. You’d think for what an emergency vet charges, they’d be able to staff the phone lines.

Neil Mayhew

Very caring and professional

Carry W

I would not bring my cat anywhere else after my emergency experience a few months ago. He was brought in at 3am with seizures and they diagnosed him with hyperthyroidism that night and scheduled all his future treatments that night. Their care is UNMATCHED. Blew my regular care provider out of the water. My cat had to undergo radioactive iodine treatment and remain on site for a week without contact. They set up a camera I could log into from anywhere to check up on him and see how he was doing during his stay. Dani is the most amazing attendant I have ever met. Her attention to my kitty and daily emails went above and beyond to assure me he was well taken care of. Love you guys!!!

Chris Scrupa

Friendly and caring staff looking after your pets and taking care of strays.

April Yue

This clinic was amazing from the moment you walk in! Very compassionate and caring team! Keep up the fantastic work!

Courtney H

They were fabulous! When every other emerg vet turned us away, they welcomed us with open arms! They were calm and so easy to deal with in our stressed-out state.

Ross Lynem

Great staff.

Harneek Kapoor

Great cardiology team and medical services at the hospital! Insurance recommended as prices for inpatient admission and services can run very high.

Mark Moore

We have had nothing but good experiences with this clinic.

Vanessa “Sephirah” Mikus

Fantastic, helpful and always there in need. My dog traded me in for them!

Kate Dergousoff

Veterinary care is OK, surgeons are board certified and proficient. Office management is unresponsive, changes appointments without notice, and does not communicate those changes. Intake forms are late (or do not appear). I have been told this is due to training of staff etc. Your best bet is to actively call and confirm everything multiple times (3-4 times, separately) as the information you get will change, depending on who you get (and regardless of what email confirmations you receive). It is a pain to call 3-4 times each appointment due to the long wait times up to 45 minutes on hold; however the head ache of the hold music is better than the head ache of trying to figure out why your appointment was rescheduled without your knowledge.

Jeff Marsh

Great walk-in vet practice!

WesternBlocOfficial

I loathe having to give this place one star. DO NOT BRING YOUR PET HERE. Here's our story, our cat was limping, we took him to this 'business', they charged us about $700 for an X-Ray, told us it was cruciate ligament rupture with bone fragments around it. Then they said he needs surgery, it will be $4500 to do it, but we would have to speak to the surgeon first at a cost of $160 just to speak to them. So, after some web research due to a massive lack of trust, we found that we should be going to our vet for a 2nd opinion. Our vet told us, after these clowns finally sent the x-Rays, that he did not need surgery, that the images did not show bone fragments and that the quote was ridiculous. These greedy, so called, vets at the Western Veterinary emergency clinic would have put our beloved cat through unnecessary surgery, at great cost to us, for no reason other than to profit from vulnerable people. DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET TO THESE PEOPLE. My anger is beyond reasonable expression. Oh and if you phone them, don't accept being put on hold, they just ignore you, I saw it happen while we were in their reception and it happened to use too. They are a bunch of useless, uncaring fools.

Isaac Padron

Expensive. However great place.

Dylan Mobile

This vet took great care of my cat Kahlua during her rough patch with pancreatitis. While expensive rest assured there is no messing around, everything is explained thoroughly and results are fast and accurate. She is doing great now thanks to the experts here. Thank you for your help with my now happy and healthy kitty.

Jennifer D'aww

Amazing vet for emergency care

Jillian Kohut Falls

I appreciate any vet that doesn’t make me feel like they’re capitalizing on my love for my pets by guilting me into spending thousands on unnecessary procedures. I brought my cat in when she had stomach issues, and rather than going straight to imaging, the vet urged me to try a few new foods. Problem solved!

Tiffany Furey

When the time came to do the right thing for my terminally ill kitty, they treated us with such compassion and it really meant a lot during a very difficult time. Would recommend this clinic to anyone.

Lisa Reinhardt

This place was the worst!! I got a 6 month old kitten and signed up for pet insurance immediately, but within the 30 day waiting period, my kitten developed struvite crystals. He was clearly in agony, we all knew what it was, but they refused to even look at him unless I could commit $600+ (with no per-treatment approvals) for the first HOUR plus additional costs as things progressed. I couldn't believe the attitude they had as I tried to explain I'd need a day or so to get that kind of money, but I would definitely be able to produce it. They sent me, (and a crying kitten) away during one of the worst nights I've ever had. Their actual animal care may be fine, but I will never visit them again (even with active pet insurance) because their bedside manner leaves a hell of a lot to be desired. I took him to Calgary North Veterinary Hospital and they went above and beyond to make the experience as painless as possible for both of us and he's doing very well now.

Michelle Young

The staff are so amazing and helpful

Tarah M

While everybody was very friendly, I have yet to receive the medical report or receipt for my trip. I was told it would be emailed and they seemed reluctant to print a proper receipt for me at the time of payment. This seems pretty weird to me. I still have not heard back after emailing them to ask where my record and receipt was.

Shilyn Reimer

Took in a stray cat, they found his home and took great care of him in the meanwhile!

Jillian Desiatnyk

We had to take our 5 year old Pomeranian mix in on Saturday after he ingested some multivitamins. They promptly proceeded with the correct treatment to contact pet poison control and subsequently pump his stomach and start him on IV fluids. Our dog had to stay for 48 hours over to weekend to be monitored and run periodic blood panels to ensure his organs (kidney, liver) were functioning properly. Throughout his stay he was given top quality care and lots of affection. He did not want to leave when we picked him up! I was quite upset understandably when he initially had to leave him, and the staff were great. They brought my husband and I a 5 week old kitten to visit with while we waited for an update from the attending veterinarian. Bringing your pet in for emergency care is stressful, the staff here was incredibly helpful and understanding throughout our entire experience. Luckily, we have pet insurance but we hadn't had to use it before. The front end staff were able to submit our claim for us - taking an additional headache out of the equation. We are thankful for the care our dog received during his time at Western. - With the exception of their billing efficiency. We paid our claims upfront, and they failed to submit our claim even though I had called 3 times to ensure it had been submitted. A lesser charge of $100 was submitted for a follow up appointment, but not our bill for our pet's initial treatment which was in excess of $1000. Only upon calling the insurance company for an update on our claim did I learn this. This led to a delay in our claim being paid.

Jess Duquette

I had to say goodbye to my best friend unexpectedly due to a cancer that left him paralyzed. It went undiagnosed for years by my family vet. CWV delivered the news and gave the most realistic outcomes due to his situation. The compassion of the staff at CWV is immeasurable. They were gentle and made me feel as though they cared just as deeply for my friend as I did when it came to saying goodbye. The front desk staff was also very gentle and empathic. They couldn't of made the process more easier for me. As hard as it was, and hard for me to think of revisiting again due to thinking of my friend, I would recommend them to anyone who wants fair and compassionate veterinary care.

Julie George

They are incredible here

Kate Czentye

Avoid dealing with any VCA AT ANY COST. My cat had to be put down at the end of July, it was not planned. We had to wait outside, they took my cat inside, did the costly tests without my permission just to call and tell me that he can't be saved. My bill was $600. Later one of the receptionists calls me to ask if I want ashes, meanwhile she is laughing on the phone while talking to her colleagues. Really? I understand it's not your animal, but please finish your jokes and laughs and then call people about ashes. I tell all people that I know not to use VCA, it's more humane to shoot animal than to take to these so called professionals.

Shawn Veinot

Our dog Lincoln was diagnosed with cancer around his mouth and nose. The staff were very supportive to ensure that I could spend time with him in a family room after driving from Edmonton and requiring to take a flight back to work from Calgary with only a few hours of hang out time with Lincoln. His treatment was a success and everyone there loved him. Thank you for your dedication to our furry ones.

Dominique Slade

Recently my best buddy was diagnosed with diabetes. He developed cataracts and went quite blind pretty quick. Western Vet were so amazing. They were able to remove the cataracts letting my guy see again. I also seen an internal medicine specialist who helped get us on track to get him regulated. I traveled 10 hours (each way) to go to western vet in Calgary!and would ho again if I had to. Awesome service, wonderful friendly staff and an overall great outcome. Thank you so much. We are forever grateful.

Monique P

Wonderful caring vets.

Ella Grad

They were very gentle with our very anxious cat, and took our financial limitations under consideration. Front desk was experienced and very kind.

Carrie Elliott

Everyone here is wonderful. My Greyhound gets the most amazing care.

jose ulloa

Great location for a your Pet in-town

Samantha Knoop

We felt Dr. Lyndsay Kong and the rest of the staff at the hospital wanted only the best for my cat. They were able to get us in at short notice when our cat's health took a downturn, when another client cancelled their appointment. They gave us multiple options based on our budget and watched his progress closely. Thanks so much for everyone's hard work, including Brittney for always keeping us up to date.

Ken Blackmore

Good care and reasonable cost.

Cassandra Genereux

awesome

Justin Cook

Very very helpful and compassionate

angela widenmaier

The worst experience I have ever received at a pet hospital and I’ve used a few to compare. 5 days later and multiple calls I still haven’t received a call back about my dogs urine sample. This on top of a 3 hour wait in my car when I brought her in when I was told it would be 20 mins by the vet once she saw her.. Will not be bringing any of my pets back here in the future. If she has something more serious I’ve wasted days addressing it. I’d give this place 0 stars if I could

C P

Everyone was soo kind and so thorough when we brought our kitty in for an emergency check up.

Vanessa Polak

We're from Red Deer and had an emergency situation which unfortunately our beautiful boy didn't survive. It was a terrible situation and we were treated with dignity and respect. They were extremely patient and understanding throughout the whole ordeal. They made sure we understood all our options and we're willing to do whatever our wishes were. They had a very quiet and suitable area set up so that our boy could be put down with dignity with us by his side the whole time as he was too sick for us to take home and do it in the privacy of your own home. We went back the next day to claim the body and bring him home. They were very understanding and helpful throughout the whole process. If we lived in Calgary this would for sure be our vet. Sorry for the raw pictures but that was our reality and his end was as beautiful as we could make it

Steve Robinson

Our dog suffered a dislocated hip, surgery was required. We were referred to Western. The whole process was great from the initial zoom call with the surgeon, the surgery and recovery at Western and the follow up with the team was excelent. I would definitely recommend their services. Our dog is recovering quickly and we expect a full recovery. Thank you Western.

Aantyn Klein

My girlfriend's cat started to have some serious reactions to eating food and made a sound I can only describe as thoroughly haunting. This place is close to home so we went there ASAP and tried to figure out what was up. They recommend a couple tests but the vet seemed confident that he's okay to go home for the evening and see his family vet tomorrow. I expected that the bill would be bordering on a thousand plus so it wasn't really a surprise. The surprise was that they give you a low and a high, and don't push you for the most expensive options. They gave us just what was needed and made sure he has fluids. Naturally he was fine in the clinic and freaked back into oblivion and pain when we got home but fingers crossed.

Darlene Scott

Brought our dog here for an urgent matter. Staff were very kind, compassionate and treated our furry family member so timely and efficiently.

Fergita Pepita

I never expected psychological help after I put Fergie down. Ugh, sounds cold, wasn't . They were awesome, a psychologist called me a month later to check in on my being. I broke down, she understood and suggested great advice, it helped me move on. Parents tried to no avail, she helped. Don't knock what they do for us. If it's hard on us, imagine they're pain. Don't be a spoiled Calgarian .

Matthew Biggar

The specialists here were able to save our tiny dog Daisy which was attacked by a bigger dog. She had three broken ribs and needed special care, she's back on the mend now. Thanks to amazing vets like Dr. Madden and the entire staff we wouldn't have our Daisy right now. Thank you so much to your whole team! Even the front end staff were super friendly and expressed empathy, you can tell everyone who works here loves animals.

Matthew Biggar

I've brought my dog here for emergencies and diagnostics over the years and I have no complaints with the service. They recently guided me through what unexpectedly turned out to be end-of-life care for my dog and I'm grateful for their compassion and professionalism. They are expensive, but it's important to note that this is a specialist facility with resources beyond those of a general vet practice. In my experience with them, they give detailed and clear cost estimates and work with you to build a treatment plan that you're comfortable with.

Sean Morrison

We had to bring our dog in to see Dr Lyndsay Kong (cardio specialist). The service we received was extremely professional, accurate, and personal at the same time. We left feeling confident in the game plan for our dog, and that we can always get support when needed form Dr Kong. The facility is very nice, and all of the staff were extremely nice to us as well. They even have a side parking lot which is pretty handy given the location. Highly recommend!

Vivian Woods

First time here and was a bloody nightmare. I took my 10 year old dog into see the Eye doctor for a supposed cataract. Well took her and my dog acted up so much when they were trying to take her in, I should have taken this as a sign. After 35 minutes I get the call and the vet tells my she had a few things wrong in her eyes and quotes me a $2400 surgery that takes 30 minutes or less!!!!? Wow!! So to top it off, I was paying for my cost today and before I entered my payment details, I wanted to confirm their quoted price of $150 for a specialist appointment. But turns out they now want $250!!!! The arrogant guy in the phone said that clearly this wasn’t their mistake and I have two options 1) Pay your bill in full or 2). We will send you too collections. Great customer service ???? Horrible treatment! They lie, apparently steal from clients and threaten collections. Wow wow wow ???? In my opinion this vet should be shut down! LIARS!! Scammers! Not ok. They have lost my business for life. And my family.

Stephani Clements

We have had the best care for our rescue cats at Western. Compassionate, thorough and efficient. They have also been gracious regarding our accoint payments as we are a rescue and have to fundraise for everything. Prissy, Fred, Robert, Little Ed all received the best care possible. Elizabeth, The Last Chance Cat Ranch in Lethbridge, AB

Duane Wood

Be very careful if you take your pet to this facility. It is certainly more expensive than any other vet I’ve taken my dog to. Our dog was on a waitlist for a CT scan. We received a call asking us to bring him in right away as their CT scanner was being replaced at the end of the day and would be offline for perhaps a week or more. We left work and rushed right over. Although this was a referral from another vet on a non-emergency basis and no additional consult was requested, they tried to charge us numerous additional fees. For example, they said we need to see one of their vets — and that while his usual fee was $230, it would be an additional $409 (on top of the $230) because this was an emergency! I pointed out it wasn’t an emergency and we had left work to accommodate THEIR schedule. They had called us! Needless to say we left without any treatment. Go to this vet at your own peril. Get very clear on fees ahead of time. I would never recommend this facility or their parent organization, VCA, which owns many other vet clinics in the city. Do your homework. There are other far better options.

Justine Lecerf

Absolutely traumatic experience. My dog passed away last Friday. We came home and found her in her bed and I went into bargaining mode and wanted confirmation that she had indeed passed. Thankfully my friend drove me and they were the closest 24 hour vet in the area. We waited outside for an absurd amount of time while I held my dead dog not knowing if there was anything more I could do. The girl on the phone then started asking me basic information like my address and I lost it. I could not believe they were forcing us to stand outside instead of letting us in and triaging us immediately. That information could all be handled later. There was no care, no compassion. We sat in a room for another 15 minutes until we were told that the vet tech needed to take my dog to the vet to confirm and then bring her back. The vet didn't even come see us. She brought her back and confirmed she had passed. Who knows in all that time if she had been dying in my arms or not while we waited. I then had to leave my dead dog in the room and then waited ANOTHER 20 minutes at the front desk until someone clued in that we were waiting. I then had to follow up on the remains and found out they had been sitting there waiting for me and that they were "going to call". When? I would NEVER recommend this place. God forbid something urgent be needed for a pet and they have you risk losing your pet in their ridiculous waiting periods. They seemed completely clueless and tone deaf to the situation. Absolute garbage people.

Brent Goebel

The staff (who i believe have mastered the dark art of invisibility as only one staffer ever appears at a time and only for brief encounters) took excellent care of me and my injured pup. From helping me decide if ER services were needed to explaining the treatment and then patching up puppy my anxiety level was well managed and minimal. Thanks sorcerous vet team!

david

The staff here took great care of our dog and the lady over the phone (July 5th ~1:00AM) was extremely kind to us and our dog. They made sure to inform us about all what they were doing and asked for our permissions on everything. They even sent an emailed summary of their findings and what they did to our dog which is extremely helpful! Thank you!

Saga Anderson

We felt Dr. Lyndsay Kong and the rest of the staff at the hospital wanted only the best for my cat. They were able to get us in at short notice when our cat's health took a downturn, when another client cancelled their appointment. They gave us multiple options based on our budget and watched his progress closely. Thanks so much for everyone's hard work, including Brittney for always keeping us up to date.

Graham Vance

My wife booked a dog for an echocardiogram due to a heart murmur. She asked for no other services. When the bill came it was for $1008 of which around $600 was for the echo. The rest was for a 6 minute phone conversation with my wife and for the vet to do an auscultation. An auscultation is listening to the heart using a stethoscope. This is generally a part of an echo we have experienced with dogs in the past. A separate charge for this is not common from my previous experiences. Essentially $300 was for a "consultation" which involved 6 minutes on the phone with the specialist vet. My wife followed up on the charges by email and receives the reply that the consultation was because of a particular history and yet was never were mentioned by the vet and was not discussed in the 6 minute call. My wife felt like she was just receiving results during the call and not a $300 consultation "service". The manager has yet to reply to the most recent email. We do not plan on returning to this clinic if we can avoid it. If you do choose to go here, be very clear what service you are wanting and what you will be billed for. Edit: They did end up giving a refund for the consultation

Bianca Scott

Amazing staff. The cardiology team is phenomenal. Onyx loves them and we thank them for their exceptional love and care.

Nadine W

Amazing staff here, highly recommend whether you have an emergency situation or you’re referred. They took such amazing care of my dog, and everyone is so kind!

Darren Watalla

During Covid they are arranging zero contact transfer of pets into the facility while keeping the pets safe. Staff and Vet were amazing. Very thankful we have this clinic here in Calgary.

Ryan Hofos

Unbelievable long waits. Expect a thousand dollars or more in billing.

Alisha ALisha

I took my kitten there after hours with a trauma- the kitten was in rough shape. I requested to have the kitten euthanized, the girl at the front desk snapped at me and told me I didnt even know what was wrong with the cat. ( I am not a vet- but I watched the kitten get hit by a car and It didnt move after that- only shallow breathing and a lot of blood). The same rude girl came back with a form- and tried to get me to sign it stating they would do x-rays, lab work and IV to a maximum of $600. I again told her that I could not afford to have all this work done on the kitten and that I wanted it euthanized. She put me in a room and stomped away- approx 10mins have passed- and the vet comes into the room and told me the cat has a head injury and that he would give me a few minutes to rethink euthanizing the kitten becasue people can change their minds. Again I told him that I wanted him euthanized. So another 5 or so minutes pass and another vet tech comes in with creamation information and burial services etc. After speaking to here for a few mins I tell her I would like to pay for the kitten and leave. I told the other vet tech that I did not appreciate her being rude to me about wanted to put the kitten out of his misery and that if she wanted to fund the work on the kitten I would be more than happy to have everything in the world done to save it- she didnt even look at me and walked away. Soo about half hour has passed, the vet is seeing other animals and the kitten is still not euthanized( the tech told me he was still alive cause I asked). To make a long story short it was $350 to have the kitten euthanized by the most rude people- I wish I had never taken the kitten there- and I will never ever go there again it was a horrible experience- They made me feel horrible for not being able to afford all this work they wanted to perform on my kitty.

Kevin

Great staff. Professional and kind.

Christina Malycky

We've seen Dr. Fung twice for different emergencies with my cat (once for vomiting and once when he was having trouble breathing) and each time she has been wonderful. She takes the time to explain the next steps and spent time answering our questions. The front staff have also been friendly and courteous every time we've been in :)

Chad Erhardt

ER frequently recommends pricy stuff that even their vets have said they don't think is necessary. Only come for their specialists, not for emergencies.

Gordon Howe

What a beautiful hospital. Staff was amazingly compassionate for my doggies final hours.

Bruce Flokstra

We were planning to have our dog operated on at this center. We were told we would be given 1hr for a consult. The cost was to be $200. The 1 hr seemed excessive, as an annual checkup for my dog is usually 15-20 minutes. We were informed that even if the consult was 15 minutes we would be charged the $200 fee. Feels like a money grab. Decided to cancel all and go elsewhere.

Roger Grubb

Very kind and respectful I'd recommend them anyway of the week that is 100% sure ill definitely be using them again.

Happy Travels

Fast and helpful!!????????????

Pamela Henker

What else can i say but excellent care, from front line staff to specialists. They appreciate how much i love my fur baby and listened, as I know him best. Best emergency care

Dawn Dittmann

I contacted the Western Veterinary Specialist through their website and they COULDN'T EVEN BE BOTHERED TO REPLY. My dog has leukemia and I couldn't get any help from these 'vets' they call themselves. NO HELP at all. Even if I'd contacted them by an incorrect method (through their website ) the least they could have done would be to contact me to advise. Terrible service; would never bring my dog to these heartless people.

Yvette DuBois

Dedicated doctors and staff caring for our pets.

thebracko

Charged me $168 to stick a thermometer in my dogs butt and quote me up to $700 to put one maybe two stitches in my dogs small 5mm laceration. Went on about blood work and sedation. What??? Went to Fish Creek and paid significantly less for better service. Would have been nice to have been told up front I would be charged so much just to make me sit in an exam room for 20mins. Insane.

J. G.

Always take really good care of my dogs when we go. Friendly staff.

Emily Jeong

They were so quick to take in my puppy and took such good care of him!! Our pets don't choose when to have an emergency situation and I'm super grateful they were there to help us out. Thank you Amber for helping me over the phone prior to coming in and being so supportive and thank you Dr. Shandruk for your care! I hope we don't ever have an emergency but if we do I'd definitely bring my dog back here.

Curtis Nixon

Not a great experience, slow and expensive. Would avoid if you can. Cons: Both at the time of drop off and pick up we waited upwards of 30 minutes on hold on the phone. After reading numerous reviews about outrageous pricing I should have known better. An hour after drop off, we received a quote of around 700 dollars for xrays ($400-500 more than other veterinary clinics), not to mention the other $1200 for iv fluid (between $100-200 at other sites). I agree with previous reviews that this place costs significantly more than others. Pros: the vet seemed friendly on the phone.

Vivian Nickel

Staff are totally proffesional and top in their field.

Nicole Frechette

A more caring hospital and Doctor who is presently taking care of my daughter's cat Ali who has been affected by heat exhaustion ☺

Elizabeth Sawyer

Excellent staff

Tyler

This is the worst place take your pet most idiotic people work there they have zero actual care for pets it's more about money then the actual care of the animals

Emily Diaczun

I have had to seek emergency care for my dogs at this hospital several times. I’ve always received such compassionate care. When my beloved doggy was hit by a car they immediately triaged and were incredibly responsive. So many things were happening at once as their professionalism and expertise kicked in immediately. I also so value the wisdom and heart of the doctor who supported me in deciding not to try extreme measures on my fur baby. Not only that but a staff member on her way out the door (undoubtedly after a long shift when she deserved to just go home), consoled my distraught friend. The counsellor there left me the most thoughtful and gentle voicemail message later that week. These folks are incredible, and I’m so grateful for their care. Thank you.

Lola

Amazing is not even good enough. The staff helps me through emergencies calmly and supportively. Western veterinarian is the best!

Chris Davies

Took care of my cat when she was sick and kept me well informed on her progress.

White Hatters Camping

Our dog was referred here for bone cancer surgery. I called for an appointment and I indicated a referral was on its way, and was told the surgeon was not available, and that the process was when the referral arrived, it was reviewed by the referral coordinator and appropriate vets and they would call back. They never did. When I finally called them, a week later, they said they thought I was going to go to another vet hospital since their surgeon was not available - I said no such thing. The bottom line is, I have a dog with a very serious illness, time is of the essence and, once they received the referral, they did not bother to follow up in any way or call me, and used a lame excuse to justify doing nothing. I would never take a pet to this place.

Marta Czezyk

Good vets terrible helping staff. Made my insurance refund delay 3 weeks.

Nick Evans

My dog was severely injured in a hit and run and after I called for an animal ambulance the only thing the driver said was to Bring my pup here. I honestly did not think she would make it considering the injuries she sustained but the expertise of the staff combined with the speed of the Calgary vet service saved my dogs life.I understand people are concerned about the price but I personally can't put a price on my pups life and cannot thank the staff of this vet enough. Im forever thankful for the support this vet offered and would recommend them to anyone. My mother in law recommended this place as she has four Boston terriers and I will deffinetly be bringing my bull mastiff back if she has any issues. - a satisfied and happy pet owner

Karen Rushmer

Great experience at Western Vet today!

Alice Betrovsky

To begin, I am not questioning the legitimacy of the medical diagnosis provided by this clinic. We took our cat into this clinic within the past month, out of a situation that arose at our usual veterinarian. Our 4-year-old cat had been having some irregular health issues that were most likely chronic and had been an ongoing issue throughout her life. Dr. Laura Osborne explained that our cat was very sick (without giving any new details-or for that matter, any possible cause/ explanation other than "she must have swallowed a plant or antifreeze"- neither of which we have any of in our apartment.) A course of treatment that would cost between $5500-$7000, on the conservative end was recommended. This treatment was also not guaranteed in any way to actually work, and we were told it was most likely a "50/50 chance at 1-4 more years at best." When I asked if there were any other courses of treatment, her only response was "humane euthanasia." The thought, possibility or option of taking her home was never once considered or offered as an option until we specifically asked for it. And had we not, I am very unsure it would have ever been offered. Only after we chose to not go ahead with this expensive treatment plan, did Dr. Osborne say there were other options at other affiliate hospitals. We were given an ultimatum on what turned out to be one of the most difficult days of our lives, in a manner that was extremely judgmental and with little regard to our feelings as pet owners and people. Fundamentally, we felt as if we had to immediately put or cat down or pay $7,000 to this clinic on the hope she might improve. Fast forward to today, we have had our sweet little girl home and she has shown nothing but signs of improvement. She is playing like she used to, she is eating and drinking normally again, and showing none of the symptoms that we were told to expect. Again, the validity of the diagnosis is not in question, but rather the fact that we would not have had all this current time, and hopefully future time, to spend with our beloved family member if we had heeded the callous advice of Dr. Osborne. This entire experience felt purely transnational, forceful, and with ulterior motives. Furthermore, due to this experience we both faced undue emotional trauma that was otherwise completely unnecessary. After being told that all examination fees were waived by Dr. Osborne, she told us that she expected us to return within 1-3 days to put our cat down. Not 90 seconds after we left the clinic in significant, visual emotional distress, we received a phone call demanding payment. That is all you need to know about this clinic. We understand that our cat has significant health issues and will eventually need to put down, and we will be choosing a different clinic that has no affiliation with VCA Canada.

Mitch Bardsley

We had to take our little boy for a tplo big surgery. Fantastic service Dr S and her staff were amazing looked after our little guy. Thank you so much for everything you guys did.

e caron

I've brought my dog here for emergencies and diagnostics over the years and I have no complaints with the service. They recently guided me through what unexpectedly turned out to be end-of-life care for my dog and I'm grateful for their compassion and professionalism. They are expensive, but it's important to note that this is a specialist facility with resources beyond those of a general vet practice. In my experience with them, they give detailed and clear cost estimates and work with you to build a treatment plan that you're comfortable with.

Marisa R

At 10PM on the evening of Sept 13/21 I had to bring my 21 year old cat to this clinic for a UTI as the regular Hospital on 4th Street NW in Calgary was closed. I would have thought the first order of checking in a cat with a UTI would have been to immediately take a urine sample. These unprofessional and uncaring people, made him wait in a kennel for over 3 hours before finally deciding to take a sample. Well unfortunately he had an empty bladder by then, having urinated beforehand. However they had already doused his lower body in alcohol, but of course were not able to obtain a sample. He was given an antibiotic injection as well as an injection of pain reliever. He was finally brought out to me in the parking lot well past 1:30AM soaking wet and shivering in his carrier. These uncaring "medical" people could not even dry my cat off or even attempt to make him comfortable. Worst of all who makes a 21 year old cat wait over 3 hours to administer an antibiotic and pain reliever? This place does not even merit 1 star, they should be ashamed of themselves and please do not tell me "they had other patients", that's a given. But the disrespectful attitude and lack of compassion, caring and the unprofessionalism that my poor cat experienced was beyond disgraceful for an animal medical facility. I would never recommend this facility to anyone. Save your money, save your pet and go elsewhere. M. Zarusky, Calgary AB

Megan Schulte

I took my cat in early this morning and they helped us right away. I didn’t wait long once in the exam room. Everyone was very friendly there and reassuring. I definitely recommend going there if your pet needs help.

Nathan Jones

Staff were so kind and caring when we had to put our pet to sleep. The vet was very helpful and knowledgeable about our pet and helped us make the toughest decisions in the best interest of our beloved hedgehog. The follow up phone call a month later was a pleasant surprise.

Krista Murray

The worst vet experience I've ever had. Arrived with my pup and the girl was pleasant and showed me into the exam room. About 10 min later, the vet tech came in and did a cursory exam and told me I was next and the Dr. would be about 30 min. Over an hour later, I was still waiting and went to the front desk to check on how much longer it would be to see the Dr. They looked surprised to see me and I wonder if they forgot. At the very least, three of them sitting talking and checking their phones - they could have checked in and kept their customers up to date on the status. I understand that emergencies take priority - but we are all there because we feel our animal is experiencing an emergency so an update would have gone a long way. Finally after over 1.5 hours, we get to see the vet. More waiting and she comes back to provide options for treatment (including $1,400 for hospital stay and screening or $168 for the exam and $100 for medication). I opt for the "low" end and decide to keep an eye on any further issues. I wait some more (I was at the clinic for over 3 hours) and go to pay - imagine my surprise when they tell me its $450! That's pretty far from the $270 I was expecting. I find out that they were issuing 9 sachets of probiotics that amounted to $190. I refused the probiotics and found them online direct from the manufacturer for $100 for 30 packets. That's a 600% mark up. Bottom line - no thank you. Shame on Western Vet for exploiting our concerns about our beloved pets.

latrice lehman

My dog was ill, I was referred to VCA Canada Western Veterinary hospital. Very good service to help out my dog. Thanks to all the staff.

Grant Gordon

I have waited over thirty minutes on hold on the phone both times I have gone there. There is absolutely no excuse for that. I own a medical office and know all about triage, holds and wait times in a healthcare facility. This is simply shoddy management or ownership refusing to appropriately staff the phone lines. If you need to pick your pet up plan for close to an hour on hold while they fumble through the process.

justin steinhilber

Unethical practices used to scare us into our treatment. They used the death of another dog, a week prior at their facility, as an example of what COULD happen in a similar scenario. Continued threats of signing a waiver of release when asked to take our dog back after 12 hours of monitoring with no issues or irregularities. Had to wait 3 hours for an update on dogs condition. Shouldn't have to feel scammed or threatened when asked hard questions about validity of their diagnoses.

Allison Vollmerhaus

Great resource for after hours emergencies. They know much more about dogs and cats than other animals, but will do their best to help with any scenario. Everyone I've encountered there has been very friendly. Their parking lot is a bit of a pain to get into right now as there is construction, the driveway is narrow and they seem to always park their van quite close.

Caitlin Vance

I booked my dog for a cardiac ultrasound for OFA, and was charged $300 to get her results from the cardiologist. The service was fine but be aware that they will tack on extra costs without your full and informed consent. Updated to add: the amount was credited back to me after complaining to the manager

Schamcy

Service was great, but it did take a while for them to get to us;even after being seated into a room. However, the Doctor made it worth the wait ( I forgot his name but may have been middle eastern)

Kolby Hoare

Pretty brutal experience honestly. Took my puppy here for a consult on potential hip dysplasia and it was less than ideal the whole way through. Its partially my fault, since I booked the appointment in a concerned state then realized the prices here were astronomically high in comparison to other clinics. However, it was too late to not have to pay the cancellation fee so I took my dog. The assessment was the same as every other veterinarian clinic (without a specialist) I took him to. Except worse. VCA's assessment literally said they "couldn't get a good assessment for clinical signs of hip dysplasia because the puppy was reluctant to walk." He's a 3 month old puppy trained to come on command for a treat. For a $250 consult they couldn't even get him to walk by getting someone to call him on the far side of the room with a treat, and observe his gate for clinical signs (which my vet did before this clinic for $50). They did do the other typical test such as extensions and an ortolani, but said they weren't sure how accurate it was as he may have been "tense." They offered x-rays which was what I wanted until they sent me the estimate of $750 for them, and the surgery juvenile pubic symphysiodesis was quoted between "3500-3700." For reference, I was set to have the consult and potential surgery in Billings Montana a week earlier before I got denied at the border. The estimate there I believe was around if not under $1000 (all in) vs $4450 here. I've looked at estimates all over the world and they're significantly cheaper than here. An x-ray in Montana was $70 (maybe more for the PennHip not sure? but not much), instead of $750. Many clinics choose to wave the x-ray fee if you go ahead with the procedure but here they charge you $250 for an x-ray "interpretation." To be fair, prices here in Alberta are astronomical in comparison to other places. But, for the price I pay here I got put on a phone for 20 minute waits every time I called (or voicemail), I dropped my dog off at 7:00am to get home at noon and have him run to use washroom frantically because it seems he wasn't let out. I paid $250 for them to not even watch his clinical signs because they "couldn't get him to walk." I had to wait 20 minutes for them to bring him out after I got there and they said he'd be right out. And the cost of an x-ray here is more than surgery elsewhere. If you have an emergency and a ton of expendable cash, I bet they do bang-up work by the book and good quality. However, expect the bill to start in the 4 digits, and in my personal experience it will be with much worse customer service. Or care for your animal (I swear my puppy didn't get out to poop once in 5 hours, or maybe he just REALLY needed to go when we got home? I could be wrong.) If you have the time I recommend going somewhere else. Even out of the province or even country. When I was set to see the Animal Clinic of Billings (Montana), I had the surgeon personally call me back about my inquiry as soon as he was out of surgery. He was compassionate, he listened actively, he showed genuine concern, and he understood that proper care for your animal should be attainable. Like I said before, if you're in an emergency, I'm sure this clinic would take great care of your animal for the right price.

J R

Great dog physiotherapist!

Matthew Weiss

We first met Dr. Katherine Sweet one year ago.We came as a referral for radiation therapy for our cat in her 16th year. Our goals of quality and comfort were by far exceeded. Morgan and the Radiation Oncology team carefully answered our questions and were available for in person appointments whenever it was necessary (during COVID this particularly stood out). The video attached was filmed hours before our companion's journey came to an end. We cannot thank you enough!!!!!

Christa Young

Love this vet. From the front desk staff to the surgeons !! Everyone is so great, we've been in a few times in the past 6 months for different things and the service has been impeccable.

SK Li

I went here October 1 night with my cat. We waited for about 20 minutes and the veterinarian thoroughly checked her and provided advice. He told me there’s nothing to worry about and didn’t charge the full check-up fee!

Dan Smith

Fantastic Cardiologist and very friendly staff. Everything was done on time and the follow up was great!

Josie Colborne

I took my bunny here last night, super worried something was wrong with him and unsure what to do. They were so friendly toward me and my bunny. We were there for maybe an hour and got sent home with papers on how to monitor my bunny properly when sick, and a full exam was done on him. I would recommend this vet hospital to anyone!

Maria Safakas

Thank you! Dr Alison Williams for being with me during the hard times when I was sick and for making me feel better.

Joshua Miller

Very friendly staff. Little pricey but really not that bad as they are specialists. Made my puppy and I feel comfortable and gave a detailed and understandable diagnosis. Dr. Ramey was the doctor I believe. They treated my anxious deaf dog very well. Definitely recommend.

Jack Pastuszko

Open 24/7, full suite of diagnostic capability on tap and friendly, knowledgeable empathetic staff

Jenson Wang

I came in with my brother's budgie because it wasn't feeling well and was referred by an avian clinic because they couldn't get us in right away. The time I went the doctor I spoke with told us that they didn't have the proper diagnostic tools which is fine because the receptionist who picked up my call said the doctor has had previous experience with birds. By the end of the first visit the doctor tried to administer medicine for the budgie but said that it was refusing to take it so they left it as is. It wasn't even a question regarding the medicine. The doctor ended up not giving me the medicine for the pet and only charged me only the consultation fee which is fair considering that it is an emergency clinic. The next day I called the avian specialists again and explained how the bird wasn't given any medicine, their response was that they were surprised that the emergency centre couldn't do anything and had suggested us to call them back because they should have been able to something. So I call the the emergency clinic again and the receptionist puts me on hold a couple times and then apologizes for what had happened an offered me to go back to have the budgie re-evaluated. Great. I come back my second time and wait an hour and a half to get the doctor but that is fine because we didn't have an appointment but was asked to come back because something may have been overlooked for the pet. The doctor said they would just go weigh the bird then give it the appropriate dose of medicine. There was once again NO mention of any costs (same as the previous day). We wait half an hour for that to happen and then a technician comes in and asks for us to go to the front desk to check out. So they ended up charging us for the medicine even though there was no mention of it, if you are giving us the medicine today then why did you not just give us the medicine to go yesterday? We had to make the second trip back because of something being overlooked. It was a whole wild goose chase having the avian specialist clinic recommend us to your clinic, having to follow up with the specialist clinic once more only to be told that something may have been overlooked and that we should call back. This led to the second trip back to WVS. I am not sure what happened but there was a lack in communication and organization between the staff and us. Your clinic seemed like they took every possible chance to gouge your wallet whenever they wanted to. I will not be coming back, if you promise me one thing over the phone and it leads to a whole mess like I experienced then I will go elsewhere for help.

Abby Yang

Our dog came here for ophthalmology surgery and we noticed the sutures from the surgery was still present. Won’t take appointments to see our dog so had to do a walk in. Ended up waiting almost 3 hours in the parking lot. Understand that staff are busy, but need a better system of informing owners wait times or a way to drop off dogs and come back.

Cassie Stewart

I brought my cat here because it was the closest 24-hour emergency vet clinic to me. It was a mistake. The staff were very unsympathetic to me the entire time I was there. The vet who came to assess my cat did not explain anything to me outside of the fact that he thought my cat would likely need surgery. Then he printed a bill and said they would have to hold my cat for two days. The bill was a large amount and he did not break down what any of it meant or if I had any options. Luckily, I decided to go to a different clinic where they treated me kindly and the vet was willing to actually talk to me about what was happening with my cat. My cat didn't end up needing surgery and the costs were less than half what this place wanted to charge me.

Tracy Pallister

Never ever have I been blown away with such well mannered and caring people. They truly treat your pet like their own and give the most optimal care. I truly believe my little Zeus would not be with me today had I not brought him here. Yes it maybe expensive at times, but you can't put a price on life. Thank you everyone for being such great surgeons, therapists, admis, nurses etc. honestly the best of the best.

Madison O'Krane

Our dog contracted kennel cough from here. I called to let them know the times we were there, for safety of any other animals that were there the same day/time. The lady on the phone (I wish I caught her name) truly did not care and didn't ask any questions or voice concerns. She then hung up on me after I was spoken to extremely rude. I understand these things happen but in no way was I angry or faulting anyone, I was simply trying to help.

Arlene Hillaby

Very caring and helpful. Kept my costs down. Travelled a long distance for my dog's cataract surgery. Definitely would recommend them.

Sonny Roscoe

Very knowledgeable and have confidence in helping your pet

Jeremy Oviatt

We brought in a pet to be euthanized, the Vet was rushed and cold. Tried making jokes at an obviously inappropriate time, completely lacking empathy and then hurried to push us out the door after while still very obviously in a compromised emotional state.

Aaron K

Took great care of our dog in an emergency situation. Really cared about helping her get well!

Jess Wotske

They are professional, and they are very knowledgeable. My dog is in remission now, so thanks to them!

Bev Stevenson

Unfortunately, my elder dog deteriorated rapidly - late on Good Friday. The clinic wasn't busy, and staff met me at the door. They were ALL very VERY kind, understanding, and made my sad situation as easy as possible. Me AND my dog were treated with the utmost care & respect. Dr Longmore was gentle, efficient & caring. My dog's last moments were peaceful. Thank you.

Thomas Finn

My cat was seen by specialists in the Western Vet clinic as he had developed kidney injury secondary to kidney stone during the Easter long weekend. They did an incredible job and I am extremely grateful for the excellent service I received there. My cat was assessed by an Internal Medicine Specialist, Surgeon, radiologist and critical care specialist and they all worked collaboratively to determine the best course of action. I was continually updated as the situation progressed; the vet techs were wonderful to speak to on the phone and they sent me photos of my cat throughout the weekend. I was worried that because this issue arose during a long weekend, this would delay treatment and diagnostics. However, the exact opposite was true, as multiple vets and vet techs came in after hours specifically to ensure my cat was taken care of. I have no doubt in my mind that my cat received the highest standard of care during his stay there, and am so thankful to everyone involved for being so thorough and thoughtful throughout the entire process. We are so grateful to have him home again. It is very comforting to know that there is such an excellent service available in Calgary and the place is a real testament to the everyone that works there. I will be recommending Western Veterinary Clinic to everyone I know.

Lh B

We took our labrador retriever Oliver here last week when he had stopped eating and was vomiting, as our regular veterinarian wasn't open on Sundays. First impression of the place was that it was very clean! Turns out Oliver needed surgery, as he had an intestinal blockage. The veterinarians, surgeon, and technicians that looked after him were all phenomenal. They were kind, took the time to explain the different options available to us, and called us regularly with updates, even late into the night, and were very patient and accommodating with any questions we had. We were also very impressed when we went to visit - they have a room especially for visiting with comfortable chairs, lots of space, and brought water and a blanket for Oliver to lay down on while he visited with us. We really got the impression that they genuinely cared about the wellbeing of the animals that were there. It was expensive, but top quality care, and 90% of the costs were covered through our insurance. If we ever had another emergency and couldn't see our regular vet, we would definitely come back.

Alfredo Arellano

worst calgary pet hospital experience we have ever had, they abuse and the charges are really steep, I don't recommended this place

Michael Corey

We've been two WVS twice, once when our boy cat was in kidney failure and the other when our girl cat ate a plastic button sized object. All the people that rate this place low is because of the cost, GET REAL... This place is a last resort for pet owners that need the best care for acute conditions. Surgery and complex procedures are not cheap but they do it NOW. No vets that say they can't fit you in today when your cat has a chunk of plastic lodged in her stomach. WVS will call surgeons to come in. The staff have always been friendly, surgeons and ER doctors exceptional given how busy they are. Our girl cat is still alive because of these people...

Karly Pauls

Our 11 year old pug Sadie went into respiratory distress 2 weeks ago. We had to rush her to Western Vet Specialist on a Sunday evening. Lindsay at the front desk was very informative and reassuring (we were not allowed to go into the vets office because of COVID). We waited in the parking lot for a call from the Vet. Dr. Alex called and let us know that Sadie was stable but not in good shape, she went through some options but we decided to let her go. Dr. Alex was very informative, and explained everything very clearly, it felt like she had been Sadie's vet all along. Seeing as there were 5 of us (my kids, my husband and I ) and only 2 people were allowed in the vet office to be with her when she went, Lindsay brought Sadie outside for all of us to say goodbye. We got as much time as we needed with her and then went in to let her go. They took the upmost safety when it came to the COVID situation. My son and I had to wear a mask a gloves while in the office. Dr. Alex came in and let us have as much time with her before and after she was gone. It was one of the hardest days for my family and Dr. Alex and Lindsay were the most caring, kind and compassionate during such a hard time. Thank you to you both.

Jenn C

We took our 4.5 year old Havanese to this clinic due to severe upset of his GI tract and bleeding. The lady on the phone was friendly and took our dog in to be looked at advising we would receive a call in half hour. This was not the case. We had Koda there for over 4 hours without a full assessment. The vet sounded extremely inexperienced and apathetic over the phone. She proceeded to advise us we would receive a quote in the next 5-10 minutes. I had to call them after an hour advising I hadn’t received anything yet. Needless to say their communication is very poor. We requested to take our dog back and take him somewhere else. Please do not put your fur baby or yourself through such a negative experience. This was my second time there and it reminded me why I stopped going after the first time. If you have an emergency please do yourself a favour and take your beloved pet to VCA Calgary North! We took our dog there after our terrible experience and it was night and day. They admitted our dog, analyzed the stool sample and the vet called me right away. She was experienced, empathetic and knowledgeable. She provided us with timelines, communicated to us what we could expect and provided us updates. Vet care is expensive but if you are having to pay, take your dog to a clinic who treats you like a concerned animal owner, not a dollar sign.

Brenna Toblan

Top-notch emergency care, and great staff.

Alisha Millard

Best place to take your littles. ❤️❤️❤️ They care. And they are so heartfelt.

Noelle Brown

I was referred to Western Vet by my primary vet for a hip consultation. I have nothing but good things to say about Western Vet through the consult, x-rays and 2 hip replacement surgeries for my puppy. I think the diagnoses and plan was correct and just what he needed. I have seen amazing improvements after the surgeries already. He is no longer in pain and is dying to fully test out his new hips (can’t just yet because of activity restrictions post-op). Everyone who works there is super friendly and helpful. Dr. MacDonald is very knowledgeable and personable. She took her time and answered all of my questions. She made sure to call me daily to check up on my dog during the 1st week post-op after both surgeries. Bernadette is amazing and you can tell she is great at her job. My dog still absolutely loves to go here even after the many needles, having to stay for several days, and 2 big surgeries. That is a huge testament to how compassionate and loving they are towards all the animals that come to the clinic. Yes the cost of coming to this vet is high, but it is a specialty clinic and for emergency services. You get what you pay for, and what you get is high quality, specialized care. I would highly recommend Western Vet and the hip surgery team to anyone whose dog has hip dysplasia.

Gordon Owen

Awesome service on short notice for a distressed pet. The staff were genuinely concerned and knowledgeable, and the vet was exceptional. Quality care with excellent support and followup.

ryley bauer

Great virtual consult. They have a the Covid system perfected with their patient loading area and phone consults.

terry winch

Wanted money before anything was done the vet seemed not know anything about sezur s will not come back ever

Kristina Olito

Glenna Mauldin is amazing at what she does. I have gone through cancer twice with my Maltese and we were at 3 other vets prior to coming to western, all the other vets told us there was nothing they could do with my puppy's tumors, they couldn't be removed, basically it was just a matter of days for the cancer to take over her body. Coming to western veterinary was the best choice for us. Glenna made it possible to get the tumors removed and my Maltese seems back to healthy little self, this wouldn't have been possible without the amazing staff of western veterinary.

Mary A

So impressed with everyone I dealt with at the 10th AV SW VCA location. Special thanks to Drs. Artinger and Longmore for their caring and professional approach, but I know there were lots of other staff involved in the care of my older dog Pelé who was admitted with frequent vomiting. Thanks everyone!

Alexis B

They took such great care of our fur baby and our family during our crisis with our beloved departed Col.

Brittany Nolais

***AVOID THIS PLACE*** DO NOT TAKE ANY ANIMAL YOU LOVE HERE unhelpful. Horrible communication. Only did anything once money was threatened, and once called out for there lack of communication and the money was threatened suddenly my dog is 100% better and we can come pick him up? We call at 530 asking for an update cause NO ONE has been in contact with us since noon. “Someone will call you soon with an update” 3 hours later we call back and STILL no one had any update for us??? Never again. HORRIBLE PLACE STAY AWAY.

Shelley Moore

Great staff and specialists. Don't hesitate to bring pet with serious illness or emergency here for care.

Tim Daigle

Friendly Staff

Paul Olsen

They took very good care of our sweet Beagle. They now have a heart specialist!

uruceres kim

The internal medicine specialist I saw - Dr Pare was very nice, she was able to explain to me clearly and easily about the status of my dog's liver disease, what she was concerned about and what to watch out for. Visit was on time, professional, and all staff members were really nice in making sure me and my anxious dog were comfy. She definitely helped me with a plan going ahead and made me feel very much better and reassured we can get my dog's condition well managed.

Elizabeth Russell

Amazing service! I brought in my indoor cat after she escaped and got into a scrap with another animal. Both the Vet and Nurse were so kind and wonderful with her, I would recommend them to anyone!

Lindsey Luimes

Dr. Adam Bentley was great to us when I brought in my pitbull/boxer puppy with a minor concern. Staff were friendly and accommodating. I didn’t find the prices too outlandish for an emergency clinic that’s open all hours either. I would definitely recommend this clinic for emergencies and specialty care!

Hoang My

It is a worst place forever. Not professional, not responsive. Not recommend this place.

Mary W

Stay away from this place as it is ridiculously expensive and almost cost me my cat. My cat had a blocked urethra and my vet told me to go there as it was an emergency. 3 days later and $4k later, the cat was unblocked and blocked again so they recommended a surgery for another $4-$5k. I considered putting my cat down as the costs were too high without any pet insurance but I found a vet in Red Deer that performed the same surgery for $1.4k. If it's not an emergency I recommend Cedarwood Vet in Red Deer. They also charged me $100 in meds for my cat they put in his carrier that they didn't tell me about and my new vet had already prescribed new meds. Poor customer service. Negative stars if I could.

Murray Kobe

They are very caring with our doggies

Emme Seminoff

Overcharged and slow. They got her name wrong, her name is kaia and they called her rachel, and misspelled both of our names and her age. We transferred immediately out after we were given a form to sign consenting to pay anything they wanted to charge. We got it done at paramount for a third of the price. And to top it off we waited 30 minutes on hold while she was urgently awaiting surgery at paramount but they took their sweet time, even taking a lunch break (we saw ubereats pull up)

J S

Had a surprisingly good experience. Brought in my cat (it was the weekend, my regular vet was closed). She had something wrong with her ear and was in a lot of pain. The front staff, technicians, & veterinarian were all professional and caring. They all know its stressful when someone in your family is sick, and I felt the best care was done. The Emerg Vet suggested a way where I can do a follow up with my family vet which would be cheaper. At the end I was preparing myself to live on Kraft dinner for a month but was pleasantly surprised when it was a fair amount of around $200. Thank you to those who looked after us!

Patricia Berukoff

I cannot say enough positive things about this urgent care. I brought my six month old puppy in today with nasal discharge, lethargy, lack of appetite, and reserve sneezing. Although he was not considered an emergency, the wait for care was reasonable and they were transparent about his examination needs. Unfortunately he had to be sedated for further tests and X-rays. The estimate was high but what one could expect from urgent care. They kept him for close to four hours and only charged me for the actual cost of care. I got a refund on my deposit and paid half of the estimate. They were clear and helpful with a stressed and worried dog owner and he is already feeling better after one round of his medication. Although I hope urgent care is not a regular need for my little one, I would not hesitate to bring him back should a reason occur.

Heath Kenyon

Excellent service as always

Natasha Pitt

Great survice. They have payment plans which helps.

Kitchen Hackers

This place is absolutely disgusting. I took my dog here because she consumed raisins and I did not have any hydrogen peroxide and it was 2 am. When calling the staff and doctor they took the situation as if it was a joke. After asking for a quote I was quoted 300 dollars for induced vomiting, which I okayed. I then received a call from the vet saying my dog will have to be kept there for 4 days in intensive care and the cost will be 3000 dollars. When I questioned this he said I should have received the quote (I did not). This whole time they were more concerned with money than caring for my dog. When I questioned the bill the vet was extremely condescending and tried to use fear to get their way. Absolutely disgraceful. Stay away from this place if possible. On a side note the owner who had their husky there over night, I heard the poor pup screaming as he was on the ground a worker was yanking on his collar repeatedly to make him get up. Just absolutely disgraceful.

Cassandra Law

After a very negative experience at the 17th avenue location, we were (luckily) re-directed to this location for our matter and the front desk staff were very welcoming and friendly! Thank you to the lovely ladies for making us feel more at ease.

Roger Zhang

We would like to thank Dr. Alexandra Soengkono, Dr. Amelie Pare and their team for their brilliant work on our pet Fuku!!!

Kayla MacKinnon

We were referred to VCA Western by our vet office in Medicine Hat and we were hesitant as the first couple of reviews didn't sound promising...THOSE REVIEWS ARE WRONG. Everyone was very friendly and beyond helpful when it came to helping our boxer. He ended up having to stay overnight for some monitoring, but they let us give Bruce some hugs and kisses goodnight with no questions asked! They were very thorough with their work and answered any and all questions we had, big or small. Upon coming home, Dr. Lindsey S has reached out via text multiple times to check in on Bruce and how his meds are responding. I had a couple of concerns about his eating habits and she addressed them in a very professional manner. They saved our dog's life and we are forever thankful for the hard work they put in every day!!

Jonathan MacDonald

Dr. Soengkono and the rest of the team helped us through an incredibly painful experience with poise, grace, and consideration. I don't want to back anytime soon but I highly recommend VCA Canada Western Veterinary

Pack Mentality

After a whopping $8600 bill for our 10 week old puppy, our girl was discharged with none of the medication we paid for. We realized 20-30 minutes after we left the clinic. So we drove back, and to our surprise they had the audacity to tell us they gave it to us and that we would have to pay for i again. And when I tell you they didn’t give us our meds I mean it, we checked the car through and through for their sake and I’m 10000000% absolutely CERTAIN they only passed us our pup. The Asian receptionist began to gang up on us, and deny our reality. After a 8600 bill I’m sorry, but I have no reason to lie. I spent an additional 2 hours in the parking lot waiting for them to fix their own mess. I’m sorry guys, but it should be common sense that a home that just got your clinic paid 8600 isn’t going to cheap out on the $30 meds. I asked them to check their cameras instead of forcing their he said she said stories on me - because none of them passed me my dog and I’m not lying. I have no reason to. Check the cameras??!!! They ended up giving us our meds that we PAID for - calling it ‘complimentary’ in the end. The Asian receptionist was very rude and disrespectful, which I never understood because she is not the women who discharged my puppy. I found their staff unprofessional and verrrrrryyyy rude and stuck up. I do not recommend this clinic, as it seems like the culture of this clinic is to blame its costumers - and not take accountability for their own faults. It’s not worth the money, nor the experience to pay so much to be treated as so little. If they can’t trust their clients, or accept responsibility for their own errors.. I simply don’t trust them. There are plenty of other clinics in the city that run their clinic with much more passion and integrity than this place. Stay away.

Kelly Tong

McKnight referred us here because Western has the tools to scope a bone out of my dog's esophagus. However, they don't staff specialist regularly, instead on-call basis. Since they didn't have anyone until next morning, they tried to persuade us to perform the procedure next morning and have the bone stuck in her esophagus overnight. We were warned of all scary things that could happen and the extra $700 emergency fee if we call the specialist to come right now. They said C.A.R.E operates the same and do not have anyone in house. Eventually, the specialist can't even make it the next day, so we took our dog down to C.A.R.E, Turns out CARE has specialist staffed and completed the procedure immediately! Western had have friendly staff, but we didn't appreciate their approach of operating their business. If they can't scope right now, they shouldn't have promised McKnight over the phone and brought us down.

Egor Sinko

Went to this ER clinic on Wednesday do to my spouse and I issue with our hamster. Now firstly, I completely understand that not every single vet is specialized in hamster care. In this case, he wasn't and pretty much told us what we already knew. This is not the reason why I'm giving one star however. They took away the hamster for approximately 10 minutes and stuck a bunch of needles in her, which made her symptoms worse. And on top of that we overheard the nurses and the vet laughing about the fact that they now have a sick hamster to deal with. On top of that we got charged 235 dollars for pretty much giving us food to feed her. Don't come here for little pets because they're completely useless for it but they will be more than happy to take your money and laugh at you. Thank you.

june hughes

va is always professional but they almost demonstrate an innate caring for my do nova

Winnie Moreira

The best Vet Clinic in Alberta all the Dr's are the best in thier field and I wouldn't take my pet anywhere else in an emergency.

S Apte

My vet had warned me ahead of referring me to this place that they have first class medical service but to expect the worst from the customer service. Unfortunately he was right. My almost 1 year old puppy needed an expensive emergency surgery on a Saturday afternoon. After providing me with an estimate, the reception asked me for a deposit to cover 85% of the cost. She did not even bother to do a calculation and asked me for $4500 out right (keep in mind I have insurance). I had to pull my phone out to do the calculation and noted that it should have been $4000 Which I paid and they said I was okay to leave. An hour later they called and said the surgery estimate was now closer to. $10000 and they needed me to come in and pay an extra $4000 (later on the clinic they said it was $5000). Keep in mind I had insurance which was open at the time the initial deposit was asked for. Me being under stress and it being my first time dealing with pet insurance naively believed that the company was closed on Saturday (it was not) and they let me know they would not move forward with the surgery without the extra money. I go back to the clinic to play the second deposit and I have to put it on multiple cards to get around daily spending limits and maximum withdrawal limits. At $4000 simply wasn’t able to withdraw more money (I had the money but couldn’t withdraw it at the drop of a hat like they expected) and they went through with the surgery. Drs Longmore, Little (who performed the surgery) and Osborne did a wonderful job of keeping me informed and reassuring me throughout his 3 day hospital stay. When I reached out to my pet insurance on Monday, they said they had the ability to direct bill on emergency situations such as this and would be able to cover a large portion of the cost. When we went in for discharge, the medical reception again made numerous billing miscalculations and took 20 mins to figure out the total amount I was to get back. If I had not advocated for myself and questioned things in these moments they would have cleaned me out. I can’t imagine how much harder this process would have been without pet insurance or if I did not have the financial means to put down such a large deposit at the drop of a hat. The medical care and reassurance was 5 stars but unfortunately the stressful experience with front desk staff knocks off 2 stars for me.

Cassandra Matvenko

Great with our dog. Very helpful, caring, and not pushy.

Vida Moayedi

We took our cat to this location and it was after 12 am... we received a very good service from the Dr and staff there... we had to wait a little bit cause there was another pet under surgery, but emergency is always like that... Dr. Mirescu is a great vet.

Andrea Denise

We first met Dr. Katherine Sweet one year ago.We came as a referral for radiation therapy for our cat in her 16th year. Our goals of quality and comfort were by far exceeded. Morgan and the Radiation Oncology team carefully answered our questions and were available for in person appointments whenever it was necessary (during COVID this particularly stood out). The video attached was filmed hours before our companion's journey came to an end. We cannot thank you enough!!!!!

Steven Ross

Very friendly and took good care of my pets!

M Rampersad

We have visited the Western Veterinary Specialist clinic 4 times between our two dogs over the last 2 yrs. The level of care and service has always been exceptional. The staff are professional and very caring given that most visits involve both pets and owners who are anxious due to a sickness/illness or accident. The clinic is an emergency clinic and as such they prioritize cases based on severity. This means you sometimes have to wait but it is for good reason as they have assessed that other pets are sicker than yours. We have met several of the doctors at this clinic over the last two years and have nothing but praise for all of them! An emergency clinic is not a place you want to ever have to visit but it is comforting to know that such a competent and professional clinic exists in Calgary for those unfortunate times when you need to take your pet to them.

Oken Marsh

Amazing. We went here to treat our canary, and they were sympathetic and communicated clearly. When it became clear that the best option was to put him down they were supportive and caring through the process, and followed up several times after to make sure we were doing ok. The little touches took this from good to great, I am sincerely impressed.

Sol Herdoiza

Terrible experiences with these VCA clinics in general. All they want is the money, no interest at all was put to take care of our dog.

Jamie Lemmex

They were fantastic, compassionate and driven when my pup was sick. I can not recommend them enough.

Anya Pekinasova

These vets just want your money, they do not care about the animals. Heartless thieves! They can suggest all the expensive procedures they can do in the centre and even give you the advice about the bank loan, but do not guarantee anything! Pathetic! No ethical professional responsibility! Why other professionals have to follow professional code of practice, but not vets?

Ken Andres

My dog had knee surgery. First time was great, very caring and will to take the time with each and everyone. And affordable, slightly high though. Second knee, prices went up, service went down. VCA took over. VCA 's management style seems to be get them in and get them out, money money money. They don't care about the animals. I'm sure they did once, but not anymore. My local vet got taken over by VCA, prices went up considerably. Know they charge for absolutely everything. AVOID ANY VET OR VET HOSPITAL WITH A VCA AFFILIATION.

Erin Stromquist

I do appreciate the care and thorough exam of my dog; however, I would highly recommended getting a second opinion. I was told I need a CT Scan, blood work, etc. which would have cost over $3000. I took my dog for a second opinion - turns out all he need was his ear flushed; which cost me less then $200.

Aurora Allison

Dr. Hung corrected a botched CCL surgery for my dog, and when the other knee went (as it often does) she repaired that as well. She is beyond amazing. She answered my 5000 questions, was so attentive, provided every possible option and did the surgery to my dogs physiological specifications. VCA in general has been amazing. The vet techs are all so helpful and kind and compassionate. I did rehab with the rehab specialist and she is amazing as well. There isn't a bad word I have to say. I was referred by my trusted vet in Edmonton and the fact VCA western in Calgary was their recommendation is proof they are amazing, reputable, and a vet to trust. As a student without pet insurance, cost matters. But the quality of service you get at VCA western is worth the higher cost than most vets.

mike nesbitt

Just terrible. Would not explain their diagnostic (or lack thereof) other than to say they didn't know why the dog was sick, which is fine and understandable, but they would not put a vet in touch with us to explain why they couldn't diagnose anything, and more importantly why the absentee vet was recommending over a thousand dollars worth of tests because a dog threw up twice, etc. Basically, it felt as they figured it could be anything and if you're insured, they will test for seemingly everything under the sun. Made sure to confirm our insurance amounts and company before recommending all that expensive testing of course. The visit was also almost twice the cost of other vets and they begin with a test that probably isn't necessary but costs $84 (on top of that consult fee) despite the dog never seeing a vet to see if it's necessary. (OK, maybe it's necessary, but no vet saw the dog, and nobody explained it, so how would we know?!) They won't take the time with you, vet won't necessarily talk with you or obviously explain anything to you, but they will be sure to recommend thousands in diagnostic tests if they think it can be covered. Seems it is about the money, not your pet. Save yourself the money, get real answers, talk to a real vet (not the administrator) and go elsewhere. Nobody should take advantage of pet owners worried about their loved ones.

Colleen Lea

They are excellent at providing emergency and referral services. If you are ever in the unfortunate situation where you need their services, have confidence that your animal will be in excellent, highly skilled hands and deeply cared for.

Cliff Wooden

Fingers crossed that our dog pulls through. The vets and techs are all amazing. We feel that our dogs are in good hands with them.

Brandon C

Expensive, but they saw my dog quickly in an emergency and were able to accurately diagnose my dog. Everyone we interacted with here were also very nice.

Ross Lauber

I was in a situation where my beloved family member (Murphy) was in a life/death situation. I was an hour a half away and when I arrived the staff tool Murphy right in and thanks to the staff at VCA I am taking my best friend home tomorrow

Chandra leach

Dr Cote was so gentle, sincere, and extremely knowledgeable. He was very sweet to our Tyson, and clear in his details explaining medical terms to us. I wish my doctor was like him !!! I highly recommend him if your animal needs help. The ladies at the Western Veterinarian were very kind. The place was calm, and extremely clean. ☺️

Kin Chan

It's quite expensive.

Rebecca The Sally Project

There is no question of where the right place to go is! This is a organization that will treat your loved one as it should be ????

Sheldon G

My experience with the vet hospital was excellent. True, I did have to call in myself for follow up sometimes. I found the staff to be generally very compassionate and the Doctors and Technicians to be very knowledgeable and excellent with animals. Two emergencies and several scheduled treatments and surgeries. We ended up losing the battle and Eddie passed away. I will always be very grateful for the people at Western Vet. The care provided here is better than it is at the human hospitals (Alberta Health Services should take note)

Allison taylor

Saved my kitty...brilliant vets and great workers.....

Samantha Young

Please if you love your dog do not take them here. I wish I read the reviews before I took my dog here. All the one star reviews are true. I called in 3 times to check with the receptionist to ensure they had all my dog details before coming. Our vet recommend us to go here to see a specialist therefore they said they sent them our dog information to them already. When we arrived they said they did not have any of his information. The Dr. told the receptionist to call us back to ask for his information. I would have liked if they were professional as in show my sincerity that they have reviewed my dogs information before taking him in. I told her I emailed everything then the receptionist said “oh the other reception filed it away” - why would she filed it away when she told me she will enter in his file. This part was annoying because I called them 3 times (2hrs before I arrived) to make sure they review my dogs file before we came. My dog was barking (healthy) at other dogs (while we had to wait outside for them to come 15 minutes )and literally 2 minutes later the vet called us and asked if we’ll like to proceed with critical care as my dog heart stopped within 2 minutes of entering into the vet? This makes me question this vet. If you already asked us prior to arrival in case anything happened to our dog do we proceed to critical care and I said yes. Then why are you calling me to tell me my dog’s heart stopped and if you can proceed. Please if my dog’s heart stopped and hes in danger then hurry and save him as I have already gave you my permission. I sincerely dont think that his heart stopped and they just wanted that money. It’s unfortunate that we cannot go inside to see what they actual do to our pets because of COVID-19. Then 5 minutes later the Dr called to say they have saved our dog and hes fine looking around (which he was like that before he went in to see you guys). It is true what all the other review says about this place. They will give you recommendation and treatments that cost up to 5k+ on the first visit. If you don’t go with their treatment plan then they threaten you (facts). I did not trust them so I took my dog home. He was having hard time breathing when he came back. The next day he vomit fabrics which I have no idea where he could have shallow it. We sleep with him everyday and keep an eye on him 24-7. There is no such fabric in our household. We’re reporting this to AVMA for this negligence.

Dale McMaster

Not our regular vet but came on a weekend emergency. Friendly staff and vet. Our dog was well taken care us. Thx for your help - much appreciated.

Shannon Popplewell

IF I COULD RATE THIS LOWER I WOULD. Unfortunately in August of 2019 we had to make the very difficult decision to let our beloved dog Daisy go. We received the most amazing care from Dr. Hung and Dr. Schiller. However, on Nov 7th i received an email from VCA Canada Western Vet notifying me that they had "miscalculated" my account and had not charged me the full amount for THEIR internal transfer, (So basically walking my dog from the emergency room to the ICU.) This was not an expense to them but a internal fee they charge like an admin fee. Then the email went on to advise me that they would graciously not charge me interest on this "miscalculation" of theirs. WOW! Customer service at it's best. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to pay for and have paid for any and all fee's associated with the care of my dog, but I feel it was extremely unprofessional of VCA to come to me after 4 months on something they could have just taken care of (written off), especially under the circumstances.

Sheri Hlady

After knee surgery at Western, I brought my dog back for physiotherapy. I was expecting her to be nervous on her first trip back to the vet after surgery, but she was actually excited. She is generally a skittish dog, so her enthusiasm for Western Vet and the staff speaks volumes – she trusts them, and so do I. Surgery was a success, the incision is tiny and clean. We plan on hiking this summer. I highly recommend Western.

Sheryl Parkin

Quick and responsive service from all the staff.

Ashley McLean

The staff here are amazing and so caring. They were phenomenal and professional while telling me terrible news about our sweet boy. You can tell they truly care. While we weren't able to save our boy, I'm glad we went here.

Kennedy French-Toller

Great care but is far more expensive that smaller vets.

Kristina

Although I appreciate this is an emergency/ hospital-type place, and that they helped us during an emergency, but they kept us strung along with multiple visits and bills when they should have just been straight that our little dog wasn't going to make it. To top it off they were trying to profit even more by up-selling plaques to memorialize our dog (a nice sentiment maybe, but they charge 4x as much as it should). Vets and staff were nice and seemed knowledgeable despite it all, so I gave stars for that.

Robyn L

I have had to take my cat to this hospital on 2 occasions. If i can ever avoid it, I will. When I went to visit my cat (she had to stay for a week) and was told they are too busy to bring her out to me for a visit in the quiet room so they brought me to the back to see her through a cage door. She was miserable to say the least. There was so much noise and things going on with animals everywhere and she was just scared to death. She was in a small cage with a litter box in there with her and the blanket I had left for her was gone (I was told they lost it). I was not allowed to take her out of the cage myself to try and calm her. I was furious. I took her out of the cage anyways and took her home to care for her myself. My cat ended up being just fine and is still with us today. It was heartbreaking to see her being treated that way and the fact that they lost her only comfort from home (the blanket) told me this isn't the place for my baby.

Leala Mitchell

Amazing experience with the doctors, amazing experience in person, but I live far away and trying to get a prescription faxed somewhere local is a nightmare. My dog is terminal and we're just doing pain management now. Last time I called for a prescription, no one passed the message on and it took 4 more calls to get the prescription signed and faxed. This time, I spilled the pill bottle and lost a couple of pills down the drain so I'm out before I planned and they seem to have no ability to tell me when they might actually fax the prescription off. Super frustrating to have to fight with the people who have made tens of thousands of dollars treating her to keep my dog from having pain during her last months. Edit: Apparently they assumed this is no rush because "all shoppers drug marts are 24 hours." Uh, no, they aren't.

Catharine Leung

My experience at Western was excellent. My husband and I were told by our vet that our young pup's kidney was failing and should be taken to a pet hospital. We got to see the ER doc shortly after we arrived. He told us that in addition to testing for kidney disease, he will test our pup for Addison's, a rare disease. He also explained to us the prognoses about the suspected diseases. We were well informed. I understand that some reviewers were turn off by the standard billing procedure there that you pay upfront for the highest amount of the estimated bill. The fact is our actual bill came out to be just over half of what we prepaid. This proofs that they are honest and only bill people with tests and drugs necessary to get our pets better. At the end, my pup got the proper diagnosis and treatment for the rare Addison's disease. I believe Western Vet has the expertise to know what to look for and that's why it's worth every dollar we paid. Also, the vets, techs and the receptionists are all warm and professional. Special thanks go to Dr. Lange who call us to provide updates while my husband and I anxiously wait for the diagnosis.

Christine Simpson

Western Vet Specialsts is amazing, I can’t thank them enough. My pet ended up being managed by several specialists at this hospital. I had no idea of the kind of advanced medicine available for pets until I visited Western vet. The quality of care provided to my pet was outstanding as was the level of expertise provided by the veterinarians. This facility offers advanced care which saved my pet’s life. The emergency veterinarians and staff that treated my girl the night we arrived were kind, compassionate and very thorough. I would absolutely recommend this facilty for anyone who needs emergency or specialty care.

Amanda Saelens

They were very thorough gave me options on care, they took great care of my dog, who came out looking all happy and carefree. Staff were kind and compassionate took the time to communicate with me on what would happen. They took my dog and triaged her right away. (other places I called said it was a wait in order of arrival and gave me a wait time of 4-6 hours with a dog that was bleeding). They took the time to explain the treatment and I received a follow up email with instructions. I hope no one ever needs to take their pet to the emergency vet but if you do I highly recommend them!!

Car McN

Absolutely First Rate!!!!! If there were more than 5 stars, I would give them more! Yes, they are expensive but the skills they have are backed by machinery that I would accept to be used on me. I didn't realize this type of modern first class operation existed for 'animals' to some / four legged furry family member to others. I didn't think our dog had a chance of surviving the first hour trip and then another two hours to Calgary. The first vet (outside Calgary) doubted his survival whatsoever but thankfully Western Veterinary Specialist cleaned and fixed his wound...still can't believe the incredible care they took of our 'dog'. Very expensive but they worked with us when our cash on hand and cards ran out. We were so thankful for their understanding and help. Thank You Again!!!!

Masal mayes

My friend rescued an injured orange baby kitten on the roadside. I thought I would do a favour for my friend by bringing her new found kitten in to get surgery and for a veterinarian surgeon to tend to her broken leg/pelvic bone. My friend understood the expenses and was willing to pay for the surgery in split payments, which they said was NOT possible, she had to pay in full. No other veterinary hospital does that. So, When my friend called to check up on the kitten I had dropped off, they gave her the run around and said since it is a stray, that it is not her kitten. The manager said that she would have to adopt the kitten. We told them time and time again that we wanted to adopt the kitten and we would like to check up on her status. Turns out, they put the poor little kitten down! Now he is dead. This place is as shady as it comes. This place is evil! Avoid this place at all costs. No animal should be treated like that, especially when someone says they are willing to pay for the surgery! This is a horrible place. If there were an option to give it 0 stars, I would.

Anjelika Roberts

Worst place in the world . They don’t care about your pets they care about money . I will never take my dogs there ever again . Honestly if you care about your animals never take them there

Zee

Awesome staff and vet!! They acted fast to help my little guy????

Lisa Daum

They were so gentle and understanding with my reactive rescue dog.

Beth Riley

awesome

kaylin kuhn

My review is for the ophthalmology team! They are seriously amazing and so kind. They really go above and beyond and are super informative. I trust my pup is in good hands whenever I take her to see them. They know their stuff. Dr Ramey and team, thank you for what you do!

Diane H

This place is grossly overpriced! We gasped when they toldus what our bill would be then took him to Fishcreek Vet hospital and it was less than 1/2 the price and great care there.

Tetyana Kufta

Don’t bring your pet here!! They only care about the money, not your pet. We were told by our vet that our cat would need an emergency ultrasound so we brought him in. They took one look at him, told us he was going to die in a few days without doing any tests, and said we would have to keep him overnight for a long list of tests and procedures for $4000, and refused to just do the ultrasound without also doing every single treatment they outlined. They did 0 tests, charged us hundreds of dollars, sent us home with meds (they didn’t even give our kitty a dose there, just gave them to us to do it), and measured out the narcotics wrong (gave 0.07 ml instead of 0.1 ml). I’m in healthcare and measure out meds every shift so I know what it should look like. We contacted the Alpine hospital and they would be able to do an ultrasound on him without keeping him overnight for 1/3 of the cost, but my kitty was already so exhausted and stressed by then that we decided just to keep him at home. He was doing okay this morning but has been deteriorating since we brought him home and we’ve decided that we’re most likely going to just put him down tomorrow rather than stressing him out with more trips to different hospitals. I wish that we went to Alpine in the first place and maybe the outcome would have been different. Please please bring your pet anywhere else than a VCA hospital, there are so many caring vets out there who actually want to help and unfortunately this isn’t one of them.

SARRANDA KIVI

I have never had so much care and compassion by individuals that truly care for animals. I could call them anytime with my concerns with my dogs. They really looked after them. I live in a small remote northern community and can't always be there when they've had to go down. They are the only ones I will trust with my animals after numerous bad experiences with others (one I had to take to court after he paralyzed one of my dogs).

Kyle Stinson

Excellent and understanding people there. Had our bunny in for GIS and would highly recommend. Great front desk staff and great doctor.

Jacky Tam

All staff is very nice.

kyle darroch

Contrary to the previous reviews, I had a very good experience at this clinic. My dog has Osteosarcoma and the staff were very compassionate and excellent with my retriever. Dr. Neil related to my dog with the utmost of kindness and genuine affection. The clinic is very clean, we were seen on time, our treatment options were discussed and explained thoroughly. There are many treatments out there for sick dogs ranging in price according to what one can afford. Some of them are very pricey, you pick what you can afford, and do the best you can for your pet. I am sorry for the people who had a negative experience. Maybe more pet owners should consider pet insurance.

Chelsea Klassen

I cannot rave about the VCA Canada Western enough!! My 7month old puppy underwent a life-threatening emergency surgery and the vets (Lavalle & Osborne) took amazing care of her along with their vet techs, receptionsists and other team members who helped her in her recovery. There is no thank you's that will ever be enough for their timely, professional and caring services they give. They continued to follow up with me to make sure my puppy continues to recover well at home and they are so great about calling and answering any questions that I have. Cannot recommend this vet enough!

Patrick LaLonde

I genuinely feel that this place practices extortion. My dog came in here for some minor care, and instead of an honest assessment, they just souped him up on hugely expensive codeine, which put him in an awful state, and raked me over the coals on every conceivable price. But, they've got him in the back, and I can't get him until I pay, for what truly felt was a racket. Now, I'm not saying that they don't know how to properly care for animals, just that my experience left me with a real feeling that they didn't follow good, honest protocols with my dog. I left this place terribly short in the wallet, and Jeb left in considerably worse shape than when he came in. There are several great vet clinics in this city. I would advise against making the mistake of trying this one.

Graydon Severinsen

If you can avoid this hospital, do so at all costs. If your animal isn't in immediate danger of death it's worth the drive to a different vet. They were not quick you see us at all, and by the time we got to see the bill it had been 3 hours (there was one other person in waiting room). The bill was absolutely ridiculous. Overcharged every single way they could, even with our top-notch insurance, the estimate was still between $800 and $2000. The vet also spent half an hour trying to convince us to change from a raw food diet. We were here for an emergency, he was not our regular vet. Not impressed in any way. Will avoid at all costs in the future.

Lannah Yuskiw

Very knowledgeable vet with extremely reasonable prices

Susan McNichol

Amazing experience. Everyone went above and beyond!

A McG

Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Have been taking my pups to Maureen for over 15 years.

cim wee

Staff are very pleasant and professional. They are also open 24/7 which is great. Tara and Dr. Mirescu were amazing!

Lindsay Leptich

We visited the ophthalmology team for our dog. The team was kind and compassionate, patient and knowledgeable. As we were unable to accompany our dog into the building due to Covid-19 protocols, they kept us up to date on her progress and let us know how she was doing. We would absolutely return (although we hope our puppers stays healthy enough not to have to!)

Mahroo Gmr

A bit expensive though

Luke Blue

I am really disappointed with Western Veterinary. I brought my cat in before Christmas because she had been limping for a few days and then stopped using her left front leg completely. Western did x-rays and found there was no fracture or break. They also shaved her leg to ensure she was not bitten by my other cat. Blood work was done and her calcium level was on the high side so they suggested another round of blood work be done because high calcium could mean cancer (yes - dropping the C word really makes a pet owner open their wallet). We agreed to do the 2nd round of blood work and were told this would let us know if she in fact had cancer, turns our you can not diagnose cancer from blood work alone. We were sent home with some pain medication for her leg and told they would call with the blood work results. We got a call a few days later and they confirmed her calcium was elevated. The recommendation made was to bring her back in to see an internal medicine specialist to start exploring why her calcium was high. It has been 5 weeks and my cat is still limping. I feel Western forgot why we brought her there in the first place and starting doing procedures that were not needed. This visit cost us $1200.00 and did not even help or fix why she was limping. I feel completely financially taken advantage of. I will not be returning to this vet.

Cindy Nagorski

I received a very detailed and informative health consultation from Dr. Lyndsay Kong, who took the time to explain Chico's situation with me. She also went above and beyond to consult with my regular vet concerning test results. ???? I'm happy with the service and gentle care provided to my senior Chihuahua, Chico ???? Thanks again Dr. Kong

Robyn Labodi

WAY OVERPRICED! I paid $210 to talk to a specialist for 15 minutes only for them to throw a $4000 quote in front of me for a small orthopedic surgery needed for my pup. (not covered by insurance) After nearly having a heart attack I sent the same quote to 5 other clinics in the city and they all quoted me back between $1400-$2200. Unless you are made of money please look elsewhere! Cambrian Animal Hospital in the NW is cheaper and has great reviews

Jennah Chyb

I received amazing service over the phone from Crystal!! I have had a Bengal cat for about 3 years and he has never actually socialized with another cat. A few days ago we got a kitten (Siberian) and we were very afraid of how our Bengal would react. I called VCA vet clinics 24 hour phone number for guidance and have texted a few times with my questions and concerns (about my kitties). Crystal is very professional and super helpful! I did not catch the other girls name who helped me the first time but she was wonderful as well. They both gave me many great pointers on the cats introductions to one another and gave me much more confidence in how to deal with their intro as well. They also found me many articles and taught me a lot! Thank you!! VCA Western has amazing staff who are very attentive.

gerry erlam

Staff is very attentive and sensitive to the stress of the hospital experience for everyone involved. Dr. Osborne was kind, concise and informative.

Gary McKenzie

Very considerate and helpful with our senior kitty. We were a bit concerned about his urinary health and our regular vet wasn't open until the afternoon. Got us in quite quickly and were very professional.

Lidia Bongiovanni

Qualified and courteous staff.

ibstar abu

Dr. Lange took great care of my cat. He was very detailed in his explanations and he was very empathetic.

Terri Thomas

The staff was really good. We appreciate everything they did for us.

Lori Kreutzer

Great staff. Free parking at side of building.

Jason M

Quoted 15gs to do a surgery to save my dog. Thank God I went to another clinic and was quoted 1/10th of the price. I think it was a ploy to get my dog put down so they could make easy money. Avoid this place.

BP Hopper

When our senior Basset, Maddie, took a sudden turn for the worse the VCA on 10th Ave SW helped us through an extremely difficult time. The staff was very accommodating, empathetic and walked us through the process step by step. We were not rushed and they allowed us to take all the time we needed to say goodbye. Given the circumstance we found the pricing to be transparent and very reasonable. My wife and I thank you.

Mapolenka S

Our dog was treated well, and they took him as emergency within 30mim, which was great for his bleading leg. He got stiches and was happy to see us after the doctor did the treatment. As a disadvantage I would only say, that you cannot be there with your pet, you have to wait outside - if emergency after 8pm. However all staff was very friendly and our dog likes them.

Lori Allan

Awesome

S B

I work in the vet industry and I know how tough it can be to sneak emergency cases in. I have a guinea pig that suddenly prolapsed an eyeball in the late, late evening and there weren't any vets willing to take in an exotic. Western and Dr. Ackert (and her team) went above and beyond accommodating my little guy and ensuring that he was stable and they set me up with medications until I was able to get him into his exotic doctor for an eye inoculation. In a time where a lot of exotics owners struggle with finding doctors who can see them, it really was so lovely to have a place close to home who would care for him. Thank you so much Western staff for taking good care of my Chip (who now goes by One-Eye Chip). Definitely going to be my new emergency clinic!

Kari Pearson

Excellent place to bring your pets when they are in need of a specialist. They have everyone under one roof. A bit pricey compared to everyday vets.

Alex T

Recent attempt to purchase some medication as recommended by a Vet To Go doc was met with a very frosty/rude response. Bear in mind that our cat was a precious patient at Western as were a past dog and another cat of ours. Our last few contacts with Western have been over priced as compared to other clinics. We are now confirmed North Calgary Emergency and Vet To Go clients. Sorry to see the quality of service decline in what was formerly a premiere place.

Hendrik Bösch

Our dog had two knees busted and our vet sent us to the clinic telling us the charges might be $10k+. After reading some reviews and preparing for the worst we were surprised to hear from the clinic that the costs would be much lower and went ahead with the surgeries. That's why we got insurance when we got our dog. The service we received was definitely worth five stars and started with the initial visit. Unlike at other places nobody talked like a 4 year old to our dog as if she has brain damage. Even on busy days and under stress the people were friendly and took the time to answer any questions we had. We got updates during and after surgery, we got a room after surgery to see her, a vet came and explained everything in detail in ways we could actually understand. Instructions for the following weeks of recovery were great, so we could do our home rehab without issues. Dealing with the insurance was no big deal since the people at the front desk helped us with everything, if they couldn't, they found someone who could instead of telling us nonsense. Thanks for that! Now our dog is her old self and can enjoy the rest of her life without follow up surgeries, worse damage to her joints or pain, which would have been the case if we went for the cheaper options. We thank Dr Fugazzi, his team and everybody else we met for the great service and support during all those weeks. Worth recommending.

Darian Magee

Great experience! Well, err, as great as it could've been given the circumstances. I came here with my rabbit earlier today after a health scare and they treated us both with the utmost respect and care! They made sure he was comfortable and safe and I can't say I'm in a hurry to visit them again, but if the worst happens, they're a great team to have by your side. Cheers, Darian and 'Dobby'

Dareian Matsuda

I just wanted thank everyone here at the VCA Canada Western Veterinary centre. I ended up having to bring my fur baby in unexpectedly and they were quick, kind, and compassionate. Long story short, we ended up sending my guy off to doggy heaven. The veterinarian (I'm so sorry I forgot his name!!) That helped us to coming to that very hard decision had no problem going over my little guys diagnosis multiple times in order for us to understand what was going on and how to move forward. I highly recommend this facility for any emergent problems.

Daniel Kostyniuk

Very helpful and compassionate

Alexa G

Every staff member we came in contact with was extremely friendly, thorough, and calm. Although it was quite busy, our puppy was taken into emergency care right away and communication was very good. We were sent a full treatment plan with breakdown of costs, and were even refunded upon pickup for some costs that were not needed. Thank you so much to VCA for taking such great care of our pup (and us!) during a scary and stressful time.

Jamie Biggar

My little Yorkie Daisy was attacked and we brought her here and they went above and beyond for her care making sure they did everything to save her and make her feel comfortable. They truly care about all animals there.

Andrew Laurenson

They are always helpful with our 2 cats. Very friendly and kind

Louise Wilson

The experience we had at VCA Canada was superb; they went over and above in telling us about Daisy's condition and giving us all the help we needed to treat her. We are so thankful for the professional staff there and would recommend anyone with concerns about their four legged family member to go there.

Carlo

Very good and courteous service. They have a very experienced vet doctor: her name is Lorenza

Gordon Cronkite

Absolutely professional and caring. I could not ask for a better vet!! Keep up the great work!!

Adriana Turco

Truly an amazing facility. Thank you for all your help and hard work Dr. Madden.

Victoria W

Avoid this place if possible please. The vet only cares about money and will recommend a ton of absurd treatments that he says is absolutely necessary. He uses fear to persuade you, and makes up a ton of unlikely scenarios to scare you. His main motive is milking as much money possible rather than the well-being of your dog. Do not let this place take advantage of you, he will manipulate you in thinking his way is the only way. I hated my experience here and was extremely uncomfortable during the phone call with the vet.