Welcome to Vancouver's premier veterinary hospital conveniently located in Kitsilano and easily accessible from downtown
Where compassionate care meets exceptional expertise. Our knowledgeable team offers a wide range of services for your dogs, from routine check-ups to specialized treatments, ensuring their health is in expert hands.
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We prioritize clear communication and foster strong relationships with both pets and their owners. Our state-of-the-art facility and dedicated staff provide a seamless, personalized experience that caters to your dog's every need.
Dog & Puppy Services
Core: DA2PP
This stands for “Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2 (Hepatitis), Parvo, and Parainfluenza”, meaning that this vaccine is protects against four different diseases.
Core: Rabies
Rabies is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease. The first vaccine is given when the puppy reaches 16 weeks old. A booster shot is necessary after 1 year, then every 3rd year following that.
Leptospirosis
This vaccine is highly recommended for any dog that commonly goes outside, even just to go to the bathroom in the backyard.
Lyme
This is primarily recommended for dogs that live or frequently visit areas known for Lyme disease as well as for those living in areas with high potential for tick exposure. As per the BC Center for Disease Control this includes Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, Greater Vancouver, and the Fraser Valley.
Dog and Puppy
Annual Wellness Checkups
As per the American Veterinary Association
we recommend regular dog and puppy wellness exams for the same reason your physician and dentist recommend them. If you can detect a problem in its early stages, it's more likely to be treated and resolved with less expense, less difficulty, and better success.
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
What you need to know.
Dental cleaning should be a part of every cat and dog's life, and it should only be done by a veterinarian. Here is a deep dive into why dental care is important, how it is done, and how it can be done wrong. Cat and Dog dental cleaning is probably the most common procedure performed on pets.
A step by step walkthrough
Watch a walkthrough of a cat dental cleaning (dog dental cleanings look pretty much the same). Featuring Sir Lancelot and the Arbutus West Animal Clinic team! This is a rare chance to get a look behind the scenes at one of the most common animal health procedures in the world.
Diets
We offer veterinary-grade diets that can't be found at your local pet store. The brands we carry are Royal Canin Veterinary Exclusive, Hill's Prescription Diet, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets, and Rayne Nutrition. Our medical team will work with you to create a diet plan, unique to your pet's individual needs. Our team is dedicated to helping your pet feel comfortable and have the best quality of life possible.
Neuter or Spay
Neutering and spaying are surgical procedures in which a veterinarian removes a male dog's testicles or a female dog's ovaries and uterus, respectively. These procedures can reduce the risk of certain health problems, prevent behavioral issues, and help control the population of homeless dogs. They are typically performed under anesthesia and have a relatively quick recovery time.
Laparoscopic Spay
The laparoscopic spay procedure is a specialized type of surgery using fibre optic cameras and specialized instruments to perform surgery through incisions that create only a 0.3-1.5 cm hole in the body wall. The risk of infection and complications is lower with this technique than with traditional surgery. More importantly, pain and healing time is reduced, with most patients experiencing little to no discomfort the next day and total incision healing reduced to only seven days, versus the usual 14 days for a traditional spay. On top of a speedy recovery, the risk for surgical and post-surgical complications is reduced significantly. We want to offer our patients the most pain-free options whenever we can.
Traditional Spay
With a traditional spay, an incision is made into the abdomen in order for the surgeon to be able to access the uterus and ovaries. This incision needs to be large enough for the surgeon to visualize organs at the back of the abdominal cavity and reach their hand in to retrieve them. The ovaries are then loosened from their attachments to the body wall, their vessels ligated, and are removed. The incision in the abdomen is closed with several layers of suture. Because there has been a large incision through the abdominal musculature, there is often some degree of swelling and discomfort associated with the procedure. Exercise is restricted for several weeks.
Flea and Tick
Flea and tick medication is a common and effective preventative measure against fleas and ticks in dogs. These medications can come in various forms, including pills and topical treatments. They work by killing fleas and ticks on contact or disrupting their life cycle. It's important to use the appropriate medication for your dog's size and weight, as well as following the instructions carefully to ensure their safety and effectiveness.