VCA Canada 17th Avenue Animal Hospital

Very angry with the receptionist. Was on my way to my appointment today when I got stuck by the train. Not something we can predict obviously. And it resulted in is being less than 5 minutes late. The receptionist called at our appointment time to see where we were, told her we were so incredibly sorry and only a few minutes away, just got caught by some unexpected traffic, and in the rudest tone she could muster says "Well if you're more than 10 minutes late we have to reschedule you. Sooo traffic better get moving"
Seriously? I get that I'm late but is that really necessary? Very rude, very uncalled for, there are far better ways to say that to your clients. I really hope she sees this and takes it as a lesson on how to speak to people. I have been coming to this VCA for years now and thanks to her I will be taking my business to a different VCA from now on.

Dr. Evan is an amazing vet and cared for my dog so nicely! All the other staff were likewise very kind! I appreciate all their help. =)

Came in with an emergency with my cat. He didn't make it unfortunately. But staff were empathetic and helpful and treated my boy with respect and care.

Took great care of my cat and the vet said he’s the handsomest cat he’s ever seen ever in his whole life (not verbatim but that was my take away)

Just an FYI for anyone thinking of going here.they charge way more than any other vet. Their exam/ consultation fee is more and on top of that they charge for the shot you need. Other vets incorporate the two together. Also, make sure you double check that they actually booked you in. I booked an appointment, called to confirm only to find that they had no record of it. Unorganized, especially if you're a working professional who has a schedule to adhere to. This is a competitive industry, with many great vets available. No need to pay extra for nothing.

We’ve been going to this vet since we got our puppy Chai. We have mostly dealt with Dr. Vandervalk who was wonderful in answering the myriad of questions and more notably helping us figure out how to find the best food for our picky eater (WSAVA Guidelines).

More recently we went in for a rash on Chai’s belly. There we were greeted by Dr. Reza who thoroughly examined Chai and was very helpful in diagnosing her rash.

But the star of the show was our vet tech Stella! Stella understood we were travelling and was still able to answer all our questions and provide us a systematic approach in managing Chai’s concerns. She was always happy to answer our questions/calls and even provided a follow-up note to recap our conversation. Stella truly wants to do what is best for the animal and the owner and that was noted by us time and time again. The 17th Avenue VCA is lucky to have Stella, and if your pet gets to see her while they are there - just know they are in the best hands. Thank you Stella!

Advertised as an animal hospital, but you can't walk in with your pet for urgent care. The last thing you want to hear turning up at an animal hospital with a distressed animal is "we don't have a vet available for walk ins"
The woman that opened the door (it was locked, despite arriving during their advertised opening hours) was very kind and professional, but that doesn't help my pet.

Completely went downhill. We went in and they charged us for something we didn’t even get done. I like how at the end we mentioned it to them and they said oh well…. Guess he forgot to do it and just felt like charging us for it anyways.

Claim to be participants in local Humane Society, but are very quick to turn away those coming in for the first visit (free as part of that participation/recognition).

No questions, no quarters, the staff treat you like hot garbage on the phone and have no problems telling you off despite being polite and suggesting you would only like to wait your turn.

RUN AWAY! (the reply doesn't excuse the openly hostile rudeness)

Dr. Evan Vandervalk is an excellent veterinarian. He is kind, thoughtful, and has a wealth of knowledge. He was able to answer all of my questions in a friendly and professional manner, and provided valuable information about my puppy. It is my first puppy and I walked out of there armed with a greater understanding of what I need to do, and feeling confident about this journey. The staff was kind, patient, and took excellent care of my dog. I would absolutely recommend Dr. Vandervalk and the team at VCA Canada 17th Avenue Animal Hospital.

I have had such positive experiences here! The vet is very kind, and the staff are so amazing with my pup. They are super caring and the vet is genuinely interested in the dogs well being. I highly highly recommend this place as they have provided the best service to date (and I've for sure had worse experiences elsewhere in Calgary). They also accept customers sending them videos of the dogs behaviour, coughing fits, etc which can save both of us time and money!

10/10 would recommend:)

Not helpful and very expensive. They don't care about animals they just want your money. Front end staff need to trained properly and know how to treat customers. Very unimprrssed

I bring my cat here for her lion cut and occassionally purchase cat food. The technicians at the front desk are always very helpful in addressing my immediate concerns.

The vet was wonderful with my kitty. Very insightful and helpful. The only thing that sucked was having to have my kitty outside and not getting to go in with her.

They are always so good to our kitty! And the staff are all wonderful. So impressed too by the initiatives taken during this time to keep everyone safe.

After giving this clinic multiple chances I gave up. I order food and medication frequently and items were given away to other people more than once and I was informed when I arrived to pickup the item, the wrong order was placed many times, and I felt rushed when ordering. I called ahead of time about shaving a mat or two off my cat. My cat was 17 at the time and there are limited cat groomers. I was told they could do it and she would have a good experience. I was brought to the back and shown how she had been cut because the tool they used wasn't sharp enough and told that I should have gone to a groomer. I felt so bad for my kitty and was in tears. We saw two seperate vets and both were helpful and friendly. Unfortunately dealing with everyone else was such a bad experience I have now switched over to another clinic who provides better service.

My dog was nervous when we moved here and he scratched his nails out on the door and was bleeding while we were at work. Took him here to see what could be done to bandage him up immediately as I was worried he'd keep doing it tomorrow "sorry, we're fully booked till next year (over a month) you'll have to go to a pet store". Ok, can you direct me to the closest pet store as I don't know the city yet and I'm walking - my dog is in pain. "Uuuuuh sorry, I don't know this part of town, I dunno". Jesus. What's a score less than useful? One of the PATIENTS waiting with her dog overheard and helped me more.

My cat almost died.

My cat has had a history of her conditions so she needs to rely on prescribed drugs every day. When I changed to this clinic, I gave both the Vet and technician a clear instruction: the type of drug as well as the brand of the drug have to remain the same, otherwise there is a chance that my cat can react to it.

Despite all my efforts, they did not give a proper drug to my cat. When I received the drug, I noticed the bottle looked different so I asked them to confirm whether it's the same drug as the ones that she used to have from her old clinic. And of course all they did was just reassuring me that it's fine, and just the bottle looks different. As a result the change in the drug brand and type, my poor cat almost died. This was just such a traumatic experience for all of my family and of course my poor cat. We had to spend days in the emergency and all I could do was just praying for God's mercy to help her become better.

I understand that people can make mistake, but when they realize it, they should at least apologize to the party affected because of their mistake. When I called the clinic to explain the situation, the staffs who screwed up never apologized neither did she acknowledge her fault. I wonder if they would have stayed that calm and professional if the same thing happened to their own pets due to someone else's mistake.

The staffs at VCA 17th Ave Clinic may seem nice until they screw up. Don't be fooled by their smiles, and save your pet's lives by avoiding this place.

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Update:
Its been 3 months and her seizure has never went away since then. This has caused many more trips to emergency and increase in her medicine dosage. Before this traumatic experience, she was seizure free for more than a year.

The front staff were warm and friendly. The Doctor was able to diagnose the problem, and send us home with the necessary information and medication. We will definitely be returning to this clinic.

Knowledgeable and accomodating! We've always had great experience with our cats, no matter their ages. Transparency is key for us and have been in weird situations where other vets have just expected us to pay for a non mentioned blood work assessment, VCA has always been gracious in providing options, suggestions, approx quotes/costs to make an educated decision on whats best for our cats. Highly suggest this place.

They fixed our dogs teeth. Friendly staff. Would come again. Explained everything clearly and provided support for questions after the operation. Our dog is much happier now.

I always have a good experience here and they are very helpful whenever I have needed to have my dog's history or information sent to any other clinic.

Great doctors and staff. Dr. Jen Flaig is amazing. She is so professional and answers all your questions backed with excellent research. We always feel in good hands with Dr. Flaig.

The hours for Sunday stated that it was open until 4 pm. I showed up 2: 50 and it was already closed.

Our experience at this location has been nothing but great. The staff are very helpful and always try to make our schedule work with theirs— even called me back as there was a cancellation for the day I was hoping for! The vets have the animals best interest as a priority. They made sure our puppies first visit was a calm experience. We also live downtown so the location is great.

Didn't have a very good experience with one of the vets, but have heard great things from other people!

My friend and I had an incredibly uncomfortable experience with the front desk last night. We were very taken aback by her confrontational attitude towards us, but fortunately, had to go to another location instead for our matter. The staff at the 24-hour 10th Avenue location were very welcoming, understanding, and made us feel much more comfortable.

They are the best. We have using their service with our dog for 7 years and always they have better services and the admosfer is the best we Love this place and our dog too.

Such incredible staff. I bring my cat, coco, there and soon bringing a puppy, the amazing front desk staff always answer my stupid questions, and the vets truly care about my kitty. Cost doesn't matter to me when it comes to my pets so I can't compare them to anything, but the costs seem fair to me:)

This clinic always takes the best care of our fur babies. The staff is beyond friendly and helpful. They really love all animals. Our Vetrinarian is excellent with our pups even when they really don't want to be there! It's a bonus that you can special order pet food and it arrives the next day.