Canada West, Veterinary Specialists & Critical Care

My experience 4 years ago at Canada West was so terrible that I felt it necessary to follow up. If one of our pets ever faces such a similar emergency situation, we will NEVER EVER set foot in Canada West. Our cat stayed there and was not fed even though we phoned and phoned and lay in his own feces and urine. If you feel this is FIRST class SPECIALIZED service that you are willing to max out your credit card for, I say go for it.

My dog has Cushing syndrome. I came here for consultation. Consultation for 30 mins cost me $ 270 and I understood they were the specialist and the doctor was very knowledgeable and experienced in the specific area. After the consultation, the assistant came in with an estimate for the necessary tests. It was over $ 600. I’ve done the same test at SPCA and it was half the price but I still accepted it as they were SPECIALIST. The doctor said that I could do the whole test on that day but I had to get back to work so I decided to come back in a couple days.
In a few days, I came back and my dog did the tests and when I looked at the bill, there was a examination fee on top of the estimate. So I asked the assistant and she said its a health check cost. I’m like ??? My dog did the examination just a couple days ago. I thought the first $ 270 dollars included that health check!
I still accepted because they were the SPECIALIST. The doctor called me after the result came in and told me to pick up the pills for my dog.
So I picked it up n came home and realized that Canada West’s price for the pills was almost twice as much as the same brand pills purchased from SPCA!
I understand that their charge for consultation and treatments are very expensive because of their expertise and knowledge but I really don’t think that marking up the medication by 100% is fair!

For anyone who has been referred to Canada West through their vet and have been reading all the mixed reviews, feeling worried if they should take their pet here… first of all, let me say, I was in the same boat. Please take heart that I am not a «paid» or «fake» reviewer writing this. I was reading previous negative reviews how people here wondered if all the positive reviews are fake. If you check out my profile, I have been reviewing restaurants and venues way before I wrote this review, so you know I am legitimate.
My dog was having seizures once every month or once every 2 months. However, in April, he suddenly had 3 seizures in that month alone after I fed him a new dog food called «Health and Wellness Grain-​Free». My other puppy did just fine on this food. I read online that rosemary (a natural preservative in many dog foods) can cause seizures to dogs that are sensitive to it. PS, a tip from me: if your dog has seizures, immediately apply an ice bag on his back, it keeps him from overheating and cuts the seizure time in half. It’s a trick I learned on the net, just google «ice pack to stop canine seizures».
VISIT 1:
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At first, felt really nervous about Canada West because of the mixed reviews online. My dog was not in a state of life-​and-​death, but he was in a serious condition since he was experiencing seizures. I was booked for a consultation with Dr. Nick Sharp. It was $ 230 + tax for about an hour consultation, so coming here is expensive. However, Canada West is a place to bring your pets if their conditions are more serious. The girl on the phone was so nice and she was Japanese. Since I am part Japanese, I felt at ease talking with her.
When I went in person to Canada West, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But my worries were put to rest when I met Dr. Sharp in person. He was professional, polite, and a very thoughtful person. He is a neurosurgeon there and other pet owners have told me on Facebook that he is one of the very best. Read Tamara B’s review below if you want to know more about him and the clinic. I had a chart of my dog’s seizures ready for him, and a video of my dog’s seizure for him to watch. He checked our dog and also took him outside to observe his walking gait and behavior and asked us questions. He wrote up a report about my dog and his suggestions for the next steps. They did some tests on him that day and I was sad to see that the results showed that his liver reading was mild to moderate elevated (I guess it’s called elevated liver enzymes?). I do recommend Dr. Sharp for your pet, he seems very professional and knowledgeable. He explains the options and has a price list beside everything so you don’t get any «surprise» fees. Everything is laid out on paper to you clearly. He emailed the results to us with his suggestions, thoughts, and also some information on possible liver diseases that might match my dog. I don’t have pet insurance by the way, so I would be paying full price for everything. Like I mentioned, the prices here are very expensive, but they offer critical care and emergency services that regular vets do not. I am considering doing a crowd-​funding or fundraiser for my dog if prices go beyond what I can afford. You also need to put down 75% deposit fee. This is their way of avoiding clients from bailing on bills. The prices are hard on me, since I’m paying back student loans and I am not wealthy by any means. I used a credit card for all the prices so far so I will have to slowly pay them off later through work. My only concern to Canada West is that when I go pick up my dog, the receptionist trusts me and has my dog given out to me easily by staff. I think there should be a pet owner ID system set up, to prevent the possibility of thieves from coming in and pretending to take up someone’s pet.
After our first visit, I researched tirelessly on the internet for a natural cure for his liver because I learned that the liver is an organ that can self-​regenerate and heal itself if it’s not too far damaged. Tips on the net suggested changing a dog’s diet immediately to a nutritious low-​protein or easily digestible protein diet will help immensely on his liver and health no matter at what stage of damage. I switched my dog food from kibble to real home-​made recipes I found on the net for dogs with liver damage.
VISIT 2:
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Two weeks later, my dog had his bile acid test done and results showed his liver was back to normal! Maybe the diet is working? But the ultrasound showed that he had intestinal erosions/​ulcerations so this is my next concern now. I will be updating this post review as I go along on my next steps with Canada West. What I absolutely love about Dr. Sharp is that he doesn’t push products/​meds on you and respects if you want to try holistic/​alternative ways first. Anyway, Unilocal says I’ve hit my 5000 characters limit for my post here, so I’ll have to continue my review as a new one next time.

I’m really surprised to read any negative reviews about this animal hospital.
I’m currently dealing with my beloved cat who’s mammary cancer may have returned.
Dr Saam (oncology) is nothing short of amazing, probably the most detailed, caring and informed vet I have encountered.
As well Dr King who did our cats second mammary removal surgery was incredible. Being her second surgery we had something to compare the experience to and Dr King was by leaps and bounds the superior surgeon. Our cats stitches looked as neat and tidy as sutures on a human and were so much better than the vet we had used in LA. But the real kicker for everyone who says Canada West is expensive? The surgery was half the price of our LA vet.
Dr Saam in consultation with other specialists at the clinic was also able to figure out what was causing our cats constant runny eye and occasional wheezing (our regular vet had dismissed this as incurable viral herpes) She showed us our cats CT scan so we could see what the issues were and explained in detail what we were seeing. It turned out that our cat was also suffering from mycoplasma and chlamydia, both undiagnosed by our regular vet and treatable with a series of antibiotics.
We get regular phone calls, emails and updates while we are going through all of this as well.
As well the comments about minimums and not taking insurance are all false. They dealt with all our insurance forms to make it so much easier and helped me understand the pre-​approval process.
They just plain care about giving your pet the best care possible but will also give you all the options and associated costs with absolutely no pressure.
We are so grateful to have been referred here.

Let me tell you: whatever you have been reading online is a load of malarky.
It was so hard for me to choose a neurologist because reviews on Unilocal and on the veterinary review website kept sending each other back and forth («No, Boundary Bay is better, never take your dog to Canada West». «No, Canada West is better, don’t take your dog to Boundary Bay».).
For a $ 6,000 life threatening surgery, it was hard to make a choice, but we are beyond confident that we made the right one.
Our dog was referred to the neurology department as she was showing beginning signs of intravertaebral disc disease. We were scheduled to meet with Dr. Higgins, who somehow has negative reviews online. I was a bit worried when I came in because of those reviews, but thank God they were all wrong.
Dr. Higgins was so sweet, and so informative. He had Cocoa walk around so he could check her neurological function, he ran a few tests and a CT, and he explained all of my options to me very clearly so that we could make an informed choice. We decided to wait it out to see if her body would heal itself. He sent us home with strong pain meds and anti-​inflammatories, with the idea that we would come back in a couple of weeks to reassess.
Less than 48 hours later, our dog was paralyzed in her back legs. I called the clinic at 10:45pm, sobbing uncontrollably. We ended up rushing her in that night so that they could put her on IV fluids and prep her for emergency surgery the following morning.
Let me just say that these were some of the most terrifying days I’ve had. My dog is basically my kid.
Dr. Higgins was so amazing. He called the next morning to let me know how Cocoa was doing, and let us know that they were about to take her into surgery. He assured me that he would call the second that they finished to keep me in the loop, and said that if I wanted to call in between then to hear how she was doing, that I was more than welcome.
They even started the surgery before we had paid the 75% deposit, as we were scrambling to get it covered. Everyone was so professional and so kind to us that I was more than willing to spend the $ 6,000 to save my dogs ability to walk.
Over the time that she was there, everyone complimented how wonderful Cocoa was, saying that she was sweet and always wagging her tail. I called every night to check on her, and the vet tech was always happy to give me an update and never made me feel rushed.
We got to visit her after her surgery while she was healing, and they were really kind to us then as well. They even waited for us to get there to take her off her catheter and to walk her outside for the first time, which was really nice.
For such a hectic, scary few days, they really did everything that they could to make life easier on us.
Please don’t believe the other negative reviews. At the very least, know that the neurology department is phenomenal and your pup is in good hands if you bring it there.
I do feel that some people blamed their pets death on the doctors which prompted a negative review; I also feel that these doctors would have done everything possible to save them, and feelings may have gotten in the way of an honest review.
We would highly recommend Dr. Higgins and his staff to anyone needing a neurologist.
UPDATE:
So, our puppy (not Cocoa) ended up having a deformity in her leg which required surgery.
Obviously we chose to come back to Canada West!
Our experience with the surgery department was just as wonderful as it was with the neurology department. Dr. King handled all of our questions and concerns with absolute grace. He was so kind to our pup and to us that we felt very at ease almost immediately. He’s also brilliant — I knew something was wrong with her back leg but even after our regular vet tools X-​rays, he claimed nothing was wrong. I did my research and thought it was something to do with a deformity in her hock, but Dr. King almost immediately knew that she had a deformed growth plate. She had a corrective osteotomy the following week and is doing better than ever! Another huge thanks to everyone at Canada West!

The professional and compassionate staff of Canada West saved our precious Charlie’s life – we have no doubt about it. When we carried our little dog into Canada West, we were afraid we were witnessing his last few breaths. Several days later, we were blessed to be able to take our fully recovered Charlie back home. Charlie had been referred by our local vet to an emergency care hospital on Vancouver Island. After two days of intensive care there, he was referred to Canada West. It was the best advise we could have received. We were truly impressed with not only the expertise of the highly trained specialists and the state of the art equipment at Canada West, but also their loving care for their patients.
From the moment we walked in the door of Canada West, we were comforted by knowing that we were giving Charlie the best possible chance to win his struggle for life. Kayla and Lily at the reception desk lightened our spirits with their warm smiles and positive spirits. At our initial consultation with the doctor, we were told what initial tests and treatments would be and a low to high estimate for his care, so there were no surprises in that. The doctor also encouraged us to return a few hours later to visit Charlie in the ICU and to bring along his favorite foods and toys. (Visiting hours are from 12 – 4 and 5 – 8 PM) This took us by surprise since we were discouraged from visiting Charlie at the previous hospital, much less cook special foods for him. When we came back with chicken for Charlie, we were led back through the inner workings of the hospital where we were impressed with the intense focus of every person working there. When we got to the ICU, we were allowed to stick our heads in the cage with Charlie and offer him food and words of encouragement. We couldn’t have been more impressed with the professional care and compassion of each of the ICU specialists, including Dr Theresa Cheng and Jayne and all the others. They handled each patient with loving kindness as if it were their own pet.
We know that we were very very fortunate with Charlie’s full recovery, but we truly feel that we made the right decision no matter what by putting him in the care of Canada West. Yes, we will be making some financial sacrifices to cover the bills, but it is without a doubt worth every penny to us. We understand that such outstanding specialized care comes at a price. We feel that we gave Charlie the very best chance to live and were grateful to share time with him during his recovery, time that may also have been a factor in his recovery.

My dog was referred here when he was experiencing back pain and my regular vet suspected a herniated disc. Dr. Higgins was very knowledgeable and he treated us with so much respect and care. After a CAT scan to confirm a herniated disc, Dr. Higgins explained our treatment options (surgery vs conservative) and (contrary to other reviews) we experienced no pressure at all to go with surgery. He even advised us to go home and think about it. However, from my online research I knew that surgery has a better outcome and a herniated disc could gradually more symptoms (such as paralysis) — there is no way we were going to take that chance!
My dog was admitted for surgery the very next morning and stayed a few days for recovery. The staff were amazing– my boyfriend and I would come visit our dog every day and were even given a private room to cuddle with him in. We were sent home with a detailed description of his at home care and enough medications to keep him comfy during his recovery.
It is 2 weeks after his surgery now and our dog is feeling amazing! He’s back to his happy old self, taking short walks and bugging us for treats :) I can’t thank Dr. Higgins and the Canada West staff enough for saving our little guy from the suffering and pain he was enduring. The price is expensive but for what these people do, it is so worth it! People should also realize how lucky they are to even be able to avail of these specialists — there are many other places in Canada where this type of clinic does not exist.
Thank you Canada West for fixing up our best friend :)

I am blown away by these awful reviews. It seems to strange compared with the experience I had here this last winter.
My dog was referred to CanWest for a TPLO surgery. I was so scared and nervous as my dog is pretty old and I read about how extreme a surgery it is and how hard it can be to recover from. Right from the start the staff were amazing. The women at the front were always so kind, remembered me and my dog’s name, and always seemed to genuinely care how we were doing. The doctor took the time to explain EVERY little thing, showed me diagrams, x-​rays, made sure I understood everything that was happening.
After the surgery my dog took a long time to recover (I was told he might because of his age, but to keep them informed of every bit of progress). They called me every single day for two weeks and helped me with tips to get him eating, sleeping and generally being more comfortable. The wait times for check ups were minimal, but always pleasant as most of the other people there were in good moods as they also seemed to feel they were in good hands despite the trauma a lot of them were going through with their pets.
When our dog was ready we took him back to CanWest to do hydrotherapy there and the women who run that program are absolutely amazing! It was one of the best parts of my week! I really enjoyed coming back and watching him walk in the tank, and it was always such a pleasure to talk with them… you could tell they really loved my dog!
Overall the experience was really hard for me, the surgery was rough, and recovery time was slow and difficult… but the staff were wonderful and I highly recommend this clinic.

It is now 2 years since my dog had surgery at Canada West for a mast cell tumour. He also had his breathing corrected while he was under the anesthetic and I can see the difference it made for him. He is in great shape now. Canada West also dealt with the insurance company — most vets make you pay first then then you collect from the insurance. They billed the insurance company directly cutting out the added stress. Our experience with them was a positive one.

Almost 3 years later — after Dr. Higgins insisted it would have to be euthanasia or invasive surgery, my dog is entirely normal. She runs, swims and plays fetch with only a tiny amount of nerve issues that my vet indicates would likely have been there anyways due to her disc injury. Read my previous reviews — this place is only about collecting your money and has zero concern for providing affordable treatment to its clients. If you have money, fido gets the full bill — if you don’t, fido gets the big sleep. Those are their options for treatment. Beware.

Can I give 0 stars?
I was referred to Canada West by my regular vet. My kitty had bladder stones and needed to be monitored overnight to see if an IV could dilute the stones and he could pass them. At first, I was impressed by the vet at Canada West. She was very friendly and informative. Then she told me that she loves these cases because it’s her specialty. I’m sorry but the fact that my cat being sick and in the hospital brings her joy was a little upsetting to me. Poor choice of words.
I got a call from a different vet the next day giving me some «options». And by options, I mean that he basically told me that my cat needed surgery. He asked me what I wanted to do and I told him that I really didn’t have a choice. He said that the problem with surgery is that even if we go through with it, the stones will probably develop again. So I asked him what he was suggesting, because to me it sounded like he was suggesting that I just put him down. FOR BLADDER STONES!
I then went to pick him up that night and when I got to the front desk, I asked the receptionist if I could go back and see him before they put him in his carrier as I wouldn’t be able to hold or pet him until I got home. She seemed really confused and told me that they would be brining him out shortly in his carrier. Then she pretty much refused my request. No empathy there.
I went to speak with the vet and he told me that my cat also had a stone in his kidney. Like that was just an afterthought and not important. He gave me some medication to give him that night but didn’t tell me how to administer it. All of the info that I got out of him was like pulling teeth. He just filled my head with useless info and left out the important stuff. He then told me that my cat’s bum was a bit wet becasue he didn’t have enouigh room in his cage to pee without having his bum sitting in the litter box. So I just assumed that the wetness would be water that they used to clean him with. I got him home and sure enough, his bum was covered in his own urine. I’m sure the last thing he wanted to do at that point was have a bath. Then I gave him the dose of medication and I noticed that his eyes had dilated so much and they were watery. So I frantically googled the side effects and it turns out that it was normal, but the vet really should have told me that.
Overall, the cost was $ 2000.00 and for what? Having my cat returned to me dirty, having to sit in his own urine for who knows how long? Below par service and no empathy for what I was going through? I realize that he’s a cat, but he’s my pet and they should have handled things with a little more comapssion

Our 16 month old golden retriever has had a rough go of it so far in life. At 11 months she was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness that is not genetic and can only be treated with extremely high doses of steroids for several months. During her treatment for this, which our regular AMAZING vet handled, our girl suffered a mysterious hip fracture but, because she was already sedate and like a senior dog who never played or ran due to the steroid, she never limped or showed any pain so it went unnoticed even though we were in and out of our vet every 2 weeks. One day likely several months after the injury she collapsed while running and off we went to our regular vet. After x-​rays and a suspected CCL rupture, we were referred to Canada West and so began our long journey to her getting better. The CCL turned out to be a fractured hip and Canada West moved swiftly to get her into surgery that day. Luckily we have insurance so the cost wasn’t a huge concern, but I have to say that based on everything that the surgery team did and the massive difference in our girl 3 months post-​surgery, I have zero doubt it was worth every penny.
Canada West are called veterinary specialists for a reason. What they do can’t be done elsewhere, at least not with the expertise, equipment and care at this hospital. My sister works as a vet tech in Kelowna and is referring patients to Can West on a very regular basis. I know that the cost may be prohibitive to some clients needing care for their furkid, but considering the incredible level of care provided by Can West it is impossible to fault them for having to charge what they do. Dr. Mark Smith performed our surgery and has been available for anything, as has the surgery team. I was totally distraught at our most recent recheck when our girl suddenly was limping that morning (she was being a twerp) so Dr. Smith and his assistant showed us before and after x-​rays to prove how well she was doing and talked me through my tears. I cannot express how much better I felt after this — our beautiful golden girl was healing «excellently» despite it being a long standing injury and she wasn’t in any pain.
We’ve been taking her to their rehabilitation team twice weekly and I had the fortune of getting to sit in on a session recently. If I had as much fun watching it as I did, I cannot imagine how much fun she had. Every exercise strengthens her hip and muscles and she loves the underwater treadmill. The rehab was suggested by Dr. Smith as being helpful and we know now that it’s key to her fast recovery.
Long story short, Canada West saved our girl and us from having to make a tough decision by being supportive, accessible, expert, and understanding. Though I hope that once her recovery is complete in a few weeks we don’t have to go there ever again (as it’s not a place you go for fun), we owe them more than you could ever know — Marlow is our life and her health and happiness is our top priority. And Dr. Smith, if you ever read this, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

My dog had lymphoma a couple of years ago and we were referred here by our regular doctor since it is pretty much the only place in bc that has canine oncology.
It was one of the most painful times in our lives so far and everyone here were so helpful and generous. Our doctor (who is no longer there) gave us all the possible options and possibilities and did not just push the most expensive option.
We did choose the complete treatment and it was totally worth it. It was very physically tough on our guy but he handled it well and was treated extremely well by all at Canada west.
It is very, very pricy, I am too embarrassed to say how much, but if you can afford it, your loved ones will be in very good hands here. (9 of 30)

Almost two years ago we took our pup here. She had ruptured a disk in her back which paralyzed her — the only option I could see at that time was to put her down. Life as a paralyzed dog would have been no life for her, or for us.
We are insured, thank god, and were consulted by Dr. Higgins Lovely man. He gave us all the facts after our girl had a CT scan. He was very sensitive to my emotional state and gave me as much time with my pup as I needed to say goodbye. We even had my sister (living in Halifax at the time) on speaker phone howling and crying her goodbyes to our dear Lola (dog). Dr. Higgins didn’t bat an eye, give us a weird look or impose any judgement on us at all. When it was time, I gave Dr. Higgins the go ahead and he put Lola down. It was very peaceful and comforting knowing that Lola spent her final day out of pain in the good hands of the folks at CWVS.
The day after I put Lola down I had so many mixed feelings. I called Dr. Higgins and asked him if he thought I did the right thing. He stayed on the phone with me for as long as I needed him to and consoled me. He told me that he would have made the same decision and that he agrees that life as a paralyzed dog is no life at all for the dog or their owners. That phone call helped me so much through the following months. (Thank you for talking to me that day, Dr. Higgins — if you ever read this review)
I will agree with Tamara L. — CWVS deal with the cases your regular vet can’t deal with. When animals go to CWVS it’s not because something good has happened. With emotions flying high, the staff at CWVS never makes you feel like you are burdening them with your tears, snot and howling. They simply just give you a hug and then send you a card from the whole staff tell you how sorry they feel for your loss.
Additionally, the equipment they use is state of the art. I think Canadians take for granted our public healthcare system since we never see a bill for our care (outside of our horrendous tax rates). The reality of it is as dog breeding becomes increasingly reckless, the need for insurance increases. i am insured (I got brave and brought home another pup just a few months ago). It’s the best gift you can give both yourself and your pet. Money doesn’t have to be the deciding factor between care and/​or life.

This place does not place care first. They only have dollar signs in their eyes.
Our Frenchie was experiencing some problems as a pup. The problem was known as elongated soft pallet. He had developed a bit of pneumonia. Our vet at Yaletown Pet Hospital (another cash grab clinic) barley checked him and referred him to Canada West.
I knew the deal upon reading reviews here first but still took him. They took him into the back to run some x-​rays. It came back that he had a touch of pneumonia and wanted to run further blood tests. As they came out to tell us this they kept our dog in the back almost as ransom. I asked to see a bill for the test so far. $ 700.00. The predicted surgery and overnight care would cost close to $ 4000.00! When I said that we would stop there and see what the antibiotics would do the doctor was very condescending claiming how much of a «specialist» he was. I stuck my ground and we got our dog back when we paid our bill.
I further investigated hospitals outside of Vancouver finding a very good one in Bellingham, Washington. The vet there spent over 20 minutes on the phone with suggestions, one of them being extending his antibiotics more than Canada Wests recommended 10 days to 20 days. And if that didnt do anything they would do the surgery for $ 1100.00. A quarter of the price.
Sure enough the extended antibiotics did the trick. Our Frenchie got better and has not seen a sick day in 1 year.
Do not believe any good reviews of this place. Unless your pet is in immediate need then seek help elsewhere. They have a monopoly on the lower mainland with no laws regulating what they charge.
In my eyes they should be prosecuted for endangering animals with unnecessary surgery’s simply for profit.
STAY AWAY.

First, let’s get something straight. This is a Specialist Clinic. It deals with cases that are more desperate, more stressful & more emotional than any other clinic in the GVRD. It is home to some of the most highly skilled, educated & experienced Veterinary Medical Professionals in all of BC (and probably even Canada). In all honesty, it’s probably one of the best Vet Clinics in all of Canada. If you have an emergency– CanWest is the place to go. From start to finish our experience at CanWest has been professional, honest and caring.
But! All that professionalism, expertise & high tech equipment comes at a cost. It’s EXTREMELY expensive.
We were referred to CanWest after our dog suddenly fell paralyzed in his rear legs. He was diagnosed immediately with having Disc Disease and ruptured spinal disc (s). We had 2 options– Surgery or ‘Conservative’ Treatment (crate rest & meds). The problem w/​surgery was that the diagnostic tests, surgery, drugs & after care were estimated to cost $ 7000. Oh, and they would require 75% of that cost up front– immediately.
Dr. Sharp is the NeuroSurgeon at CanWest and he is the ONLY Board Certified (meaning that he can TEACH neurosurgery) Veterinary NeuroSurgeon in Canada. Without a doubt, he is one of the best in his field in all of North America. We met with Dr. Sharp before making the decision to operate, and he was extremely straight forward and ‘no bullshit’. We asked about treating this Conservatively & he answered all of our questions candidly, discussed our options with us honestly, and never once made us feel pressured.
We are uninsured, and it took many panicked phone calls– but we were able to beg & borrow enough to cover the costs of the procedure… and so we opted to go with the surgery. Dr. Sharp & his team are AMAZING and absolutely understood the urgent nature of our dog’s situation and they got him on the table for surgery within an hour of us giving them the go ahead.
Our little dog pulled through the surgery and was able to be released to us within 2 days of his operation. But that is not where CanWest’s care & attention ended. Every time we called with a question they were happy to answer it for us, and always remembered us and who our dog was. Even the receptionists would cheerfully remark, «Oh! Yes! I remember him! How is he doing?!» I’m happy to report that our dog is doing great and will soon be starting Rehabilitation Therapy at CanWest. He is expected to make a full recovery.
I am sad to hear that some other people had less pleasant experiences with CanWest. My heart goes out to them. I know how stressful and awful it can be to see your pet in pain and to feel like you aren’t getting the care & attention that you need. I ALWAYS suggest that people do their own research, ask questions and make educated, rational decisions with the information they have.
I can only speak from my OWN experience though… and personally, I was very impressed with CanWest and trust them unquestioningly.

I have never had better vet care anywhere! They are the most amazing, caring, well trained team anywhere. I came in after a family friend told me to abandon the Vancouver animal emergency clinic because they were not going to do anything to save my dog who got hit by a car and his eye was coming out, until the morning! Awful! So at 9pm I drove my dying dog out to canada west, and within minutes they were calling in one of the top vet surgeons in Canada who came immediately and was in surgery with my pup within hours. They were so great at keeping me involved in every update on my dogs condition, and were upfront about the coats involved, with no surprises. The staff in the ICU spend time cuddling with the sick animals, and are so gentle and caring with them. I would never take my dogs anywhere else for emergency situations. They are amazing. My surgeon was Dr. Kuzma. A really great guy.

In my opinion, this place does not even deserve 1 star. I brought my beloved cat to them on a recommendation from another vet. My cat was having problems walking and peeing outside the litter box. When I first saw the vet at Canada West, his first words after seeing my cat walk was: «I’ve never seen anything like this». these guys are supposed to be the foremost experts in all of western Canada.
What came next was the battery of tests they performed on my cat. After about 3 tests that cost a total of $ 2600 they still did not know what was wrong with my cat. They thought it might be neurological so they asked for a few more test to be done. Next round of tests cost $ 800. They still did not know what was wrong with my cat. Now they wanted to do exploratory tests on my cat. When I asked them if there was anyone else around for a second opinion, the vet there said I could see his colleague whose office is down the hall from his. Did they think I was really going to trust the opinion of another vet from the same place? I asked him that I would like to see another neurologist from another pet hospital. They told me that they are the only ones in all of BC. You’ve got to be kidding me.
I did ask them if they took insurance claims, and they just rolled their eyes. Cash or charge up front only, no insurance claims. When they finally realized that they could not squeeze any more money out of me, they stopped all contact with me. What a poor decision on my part to take my cat there. My opinion is that if you like to get mediocre care and spend lots of money, then by all means take your pet there. Otherwise, stay far away from this place. They only care about how much money they make and not the well being of the animal.
I have seen stories on the news about severely injured animals being taken to this place and the owners having to go public to try to raise the funds to pay for their treatment at this place.

We brought our dog here today after he was attacked by 4 large dogs. (He is a small dog.) The care shown by the staff was amazing, and the care is impeccable. (Way better care than we get in hospitals.) It is definitely expensive — very expensive, BUT they give the best care possible. Ever person we met was helpful, kind and very clear in their communications. I believe if we had gone anywhere else, our dog would have died (he was so severely bitten that his lung was hanging out.)
The staff from the receptionist to the er doc to the surgeon were professional, efficient and kind.
I don’t know what will happen with our dog, but I know he is in the best possible hands. I can’t recommend them highly enough.