What to Expect When Your Pet is With Us
If your pet requires overnight care as part of their treatment plan, you can take comfort knowing that one of our trained ward nurses will be there with them every minute. As we are 24 hours staffed, we provide continuous assessment and treatment to ensure your pet receives the best care to help get them back home to you. In addition, although no veterinarian is on-site after hours, a ward nurse can access the on-call veterinarian should your pet's condition change.
Dogs and cats have separate quarters in our hospital, and each patient is ensured clean, comfortable and safe accommodation. Discuss with your veterinarian whether bringing some of your pets' normal diet is appropriate. You are welcome to bring a familiar item along with your pet - but no family heirlooms, please! Blankets and toys can look similar and are sometimes lost in the workings of a busy practice. We answer the mainline all night long and can give you an update whenever you want one.
It is normal to be concerned when your pet requires surgery and anesthesia. Understanding our procedures may help to lessen some of the worries. An overnight fast is important prior to anesthesia. Our fasting protocol is no food or treats after 8 pm the night before, but be sure to have fresh water available at all times. If your pet is on medication, check with his or her veterinarian whether those medications should be given the morning of the procedure. We admit our elective surgical patients between 8:00 and 8:30 am in the morning. Our reception staff will confirm the procedure, review the estimate and make sure all your questions are answered. Please provide a phone number where we can reach you throughout the day. You are welcome to call at any time for an update.
Once your pet is admitted, and after a few minutes of getting to know our technicians and nurses, a small area of hair on the front leg is shaved so we can place a sterile intravenous catheter. This allows us to collect a blood sample, administer medications and provide fluid support painlessly while with us. In order to tailor a safe custom anesthetic plan for your pet and their needs, some data needs to be collected, including but not limited to a physical examination, bloodwork and chest radiographs for senior pets or those with heart disease.
Up to 5 procedures are scheduled on any given day. We consider the patient's anesthetic risk, anxiety, age, and whether they will be staying overnight when triaging the patients' order to receive their procedure.
Day procedures include dentistries, most routine lump or small tumour removals and feline castrations. These usually occur earlier in the day. Discharge times vary, but around dinner time is typical.
Canine castrations or dogs and cats admitted for a spay are hospitalized overnight and are therefore typically performed later in the day. While these procedures are routine, they are still considered invasive. We advocate for appropriate pain control and ensure our patients experience no discomfort post-surgery. This often means they are just too groggy to return home the same day. Visiting these patients is discouraged as it can cause confusion. Your pet just had a big day - let us get them back to themselves before the exciting return to their families.
If this diagnostic has been prescribed by your veterinarian, we can arrange it with a boarded veterinary radiologist who is scheduled to come in twice monthly. Ultrasound admission time is between 8:00, and 8:30 am. Our fasting protocol is no food or treats after 8 pm the night before, but be sure to have fresh water available at all times. If your pet is on medication, check with his or her veterinarian whether those medications should be given the morning of the procedure. Patients receiving an abdominal ultrasound must have the hair on their belly shaved - the ultrasound probe cannot see through hair. Cardiac ultrasound patients will be shaved in two smaller spots on the left and right sides of their chest. Sedation may be necessary to safely perform your pet’s ultrasound, especially if any ultrasound guided sampling of abnormal tissue is required. If abnormalities are found that require sampling, your veterinarian will call to discuss. Be sure that we can reach you at the number you have provided us.
Ultrasounds are performed on multiple patients throughout the day, including your pet. The order in which ultrasounds occur is solely up to the radiologist. Once the procedure is complete, and the veterinarian has had an opportunity to review the findings, you will receive a phone call to discuss and arrange a discharge time.
We ask that clients not wait at the hospital for their pet’s ultrasound procedure to be complete. Our veterinarians are still attending to their busy caseload, and we cannot comfortably accommodate you.
Covid-19 - New Protocols
We updated protocols due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in BC. We are temporarily changing the way we do things to be a socially responsible business during this challenging time.
Please call the hospital (604-734-7744) if you have any questions. Thank you.