VCA Canada Calgary North Animal Hospital & 24 Hour Emergency Service

Recently lost a pet. I didn’t find the veterinarian that came in to deliver the news very compassionate at all. I believe her name was Jessica, but she also never introduced herself. I had to read her name off her jacket. Didn’t take the time to acknowledge the loss of my pet, didn’t give provide us with information about cremation or burial, didn’t even offer the option to hold my pet one last time. She probably spent about 1 minute tops (maybe even 30 seconds) in that room to deliver the news and left. I understand that it may be busy in urgent care, but I found it inconsiderate that the vet couldn’t even provide support in such a difficult time. However, the reception team was great with providing options for burial and support with grieving.

Purchased several thousand dollars of pet food from vca. When I tried to return the remaining food after my dog died there was no chance in store or by email.
Please boycott the food store here.

A huge thank you to Dr Annabelle and the team at VCA North for being so understanding and compassionate when it came to making the decision to say goodbye to my darling sweet girl. As pet parents, we were in denial of symptomatic facts and we still insisted on palliative care on the off-chance that our girl could be well and maybe even saved. Dr Annabelle took all the time to understand my cat's medical history from different vets and we formulated a plan together. However, more symptoms emerged during the hospitalisation stay which was at the point of no return. We had to make our decision then, albeit a painful one. Dr Annabelle was factual, clear and precise about her condition and walked us through the decision. We never felt alone during the whole process. It was (and still is) very hard to accept our baby leaving us and the staff did everything to ensure that both our emotional needs and logical explanations were attended to.

They took such care of our cat Beau at the end of his time on this earth. We felt such compassion from all the staff in this heart wrenching time.

The staff here are so friendly. Had a chance to chat with the general manager and two of the staff ladies so pleasant to speak with.

The store is so well stocked with good brands of pet food and they offer great services and are very sensitive and caring

Wonderful vet clinic! I had an accident at work and had to bring one of my clients dogs in for stitches! The young lady (Randi Lai) was so comforting. As this was a call in and not a scheduled appointment the wait time was only about 10 minutes! The vet that came out (sorry I was still in a bit of shock and forgot her name) was so caring and understanding. I felt so comfortable at this clinic! Not only did they take care of my clients dog with care and kindness, they were also so kind with myself
My new vet clinic as I will be bringing my pups here from now on!

We brought our 1 year old miniature dachshund to this clinic because she is experiencing persistent digestive issues. Our first veterinarian, Dr. Richard Weger, was absolutely fantastic. He was attentive, kind, and displayed expertise in his field. He handled our scared & sensitive pup with utmost care and professionalism. We highly recommend him and appreciate his exceptional service. 5 Star Experience.

However, our second visit today turned out to be an awful experience with "Doctor" Sarah Tijon. She was cold, rude, and showed extreme aggression and impatience towards our pup. Not only did she provide unsolicited advice unrelated to our concerns, but she also was unhelpful from the moment she entered the room. It's clear that she doesn't value the time, care, and attention required to handle each animal with kindness and compassion. Her behaviour was completely unacceptable for someone in her chosen profession.

No heart. Very unhelpful. One of the worst places deal with. Put my 13 dog unnecessary stress. Overnight. They had the choice to do the right thing.

Today I had to make a hard decision for nova
The care she received at 4st nw was compassionate and comforting
Kudos go to Kenya and Dr Barton
Nova had lots of hair and as a husky she left it behind
Thank you
June

Overpriced. They will tell you your animal needs to stay for observation just so they can pad the bill. Got charged $1700 dollars for an overnight stay, blood test and some fluids. Unless you want your bank account drained or not get your pet back, I would stay away from this place.

We brought our 1 year old miniature dachshund to this clinic because she was experiencing digestive issues. Our first veterinarian, Dr. Richard Weger, was absolutely fantastic. He was attentive, kind, and displayed expertise in his field. He handled our scared & sensitive pup with utmost care and professionalism. We highly recommend him and appreciate his exceptional service. 5 Star Experience.

However, our second visit turned out to be an awful experience with "Doctor" Sarah Tijon. She was cold, rude, and showed extreme aggression and impatience towards our pup. Not only did she provide unsolicited advice unrelated to our concerns, but she also was unhelpful from the moment she entered the room. It's clear that she doesn't value the time, care, and attention required to handle each animal with kindness and compassion. Her behaviour was completely unacceptable for someone in her chosen profession.

I'm a professional pet sitter and it's such a relief to know I can always count on Calgary North with my clients' pets! I had to come over recently with a guinea pig with an infection in the ear, and earlier this year with a very sick kitty and both times, the staff was wonderful.

We took our bunny here for a bout of GI Stasis and the staff were very helpful. This location seems to have a bit more knowledge on small animals than some of the other ones, which is a bit more helpful in emergencies.

Horrible attention.the Doctor was super Rude
(a female doctor) I waited for 2 hours and nobody checked on us. She pretty much said we are too busy to if you don’t like go somewhere else. TERRIBLE experience so we will never back there.

Love VCA North so much, Care Club saves me a bundle when we need to go in and they cover a nail trim every month. My girl and I both enjoy our trips to the vet, wild I know! Lol

I went to this veterinarian yesterday for an emergency for my dog. They were able the get me in right away with no problems. They helped my little dog get better and I definitely would recommended.

Our vet was excellent. She asked pertinent questions about our dog and cat. Our pets enjoyed her kindness as well.

Terrible care. Do not go here.
We found a lump on our hedgehog and brought her in. Told us they could test it by putting her under but she might not wake up. They recommended not doing anything and just waiting. We didn't want her to go through that so we said let's just see what happens. About 6 months later, she was not doing well so we took her in again to put her down. They first told us that my sibling and parent could go in. Then the day of, they said only two of us could go in. We were not allowed to be with her when they put her down. We were told that they needed to examine her for $300 even though they told us before there was nothing they could do. Her eyes were lifeless and her lump was massive but they said they had to charge us. We also were not allowed to take her ashes home unless we spent $300 on an urn. If we didn't buy one, we wouldn't be able to take her ashes. I do not recommend at all. Take your pets to someone else. They only want your money, not to care for your pet.

Always amazing.always busy! Won awards every single year for 10 years running, trust this clinic.

I take both my dog and my cat here for all of their regular medical care, and over the years, have had a few occasions where I've had to bring them in for emergency care, too. Recently, my cat had a urinary instruction and had to get an emergency procedure done, and the staff was absolutely incredible.

Unfortunately I don't recall the surgeon's name, but he was super reassuring that, yes, this was a serious condition, but a common one, and that he'd treated it hundreds of times. He prepared us for all possible outcomes, outlining what an ideal situation looked like, what was most likely, and what any complications might look like.

While every single person in reception is wonderful, Chris, in particular always recognized us when we came in, was communicative and lovely, and seemed to genuinely care about us and our cat. He was super knowledgeable and lovely to talk with, and helped us out with our billing and our product purchases.

Dr. Jennifer Shutt was absolutely phenomenal in updating me on my cat's condition - she called each morning with updates, and was happy to stay on the phone as long as needed to answer any questions. I love that she began all of her calls with "Things are going well" or "Your cat is doing brilliantly", etc, to relieve any immediate anxiety I felt from receiving the call. She is so kind, and a really excellent communicator.

For our discharge appointment, we worked with a nurse named Clayton, who was SO awesome. He was super funny, relatable, personable, and positive. And so extremely thorough in answering all of our questions. He has a wonderful approach with patients and is really easy to talk to, and he has an incredible breadth of knowledge.

The clinic is awesome. It's not cheap, and it's not that close to my house, and sometimes wait times are long. HOWEVER, I'd never want to take my pets anywhere else. The care and attention is unparalleled.

A few more important things to note from my recent experience:

- They were ALWAYS available by phone, at any hour, if I had questions, concerns, or just wanted to check in.
- They are very considerate when it comes to the expense factor of veterinary care. Their manager went through my estimate with me, item by item, and explained the estimated cost for every single thing on the bill.
- They provide very thorough discharge notes at the end of your visit, so you don't have to write anything down or remember it yourself

They are awesome. I can't recommend this team/clinic enough. Veterinary care can be so difficult and stressful, but they are the exact team you need and want in that type of difficult circumstance.

Thankyou for your help with masu. Won't go into details but I'm grateful for the service I received. It was a honorable veterinarian clinic to visit. I feel they went above and beyond to inform me and offer the opportunies available.

I found an injured pigeon on the street and I took the bird there, the staffs were friendly and respectful, the accept the bird immediately and take of it in place of Calgary Wildlife.
They say the bird would be ok soon.

Brought my cat here a couple years ago; service was alright but very costly then too. Today, just because I needed feline food and was passing by the area, I decided to drop by this hospital and omg did I regret the decision; they have a markup of literally 60-80 cents per can of wet food; be it the small 85g cans or the bigger 165g cans… shocking! Other clinics in the city offer the exact same vet food for much more reasonable prices. I will never be going here again. Why charge so much money on food when it is a requirement for some patients? Vets take enough money on our Pet’s health check-ups and health issues as is… why so much markup especially in such pandemic times too? Very pathetic. Go to other clinics; they are much more reasonably priced on everything!

I've had multiple emergencies with my Caique. And they've been extremely helpful, and always treated it seriously. Only one exotics vet. Buts he's been an amazing help. The prices, I found, were not unreasonable. Avian and exotics might be cheaper, but they are now my last choice because they proved to be absolutely useless in an emergency. If you don't have an appointment that day, they don't care. VCA has been an absolutely wonderful help, and at the times I really needed a vet.

Our 4 month old kittens got into some grapes today, needless to say we rushed them over to VCA in an absolute panic. Everyone and I do mean absolutely everyone in the clinic were so unbelievably kind and helpful towards us. They walked us through the process step by step and gave our rambunctious grape-thieving kittens lots of love and care-despite the fact that they were all likely very busy and we hadn't even had an appointment! I've never left a review before, but the experience was just so warm and the kittens are feeling purrfectly healthy now as they sleep at home under a sunbeam. I felt like the Doctor and all of the techs really just love animals and genuinely care so much, it shows. Thank you so so much for being amazing and sweet even while having to induce a plump orange kitten's very impressive vomit response. I hope you all have a fabulous day, your kindness meant the world to us and to our kittens!

After waiting 2 hours to see a vet, a staff members announced to the half dozen people waiting with their pets that they had a shortage of doctors and equipment that wasn't working. They announced that everyone had to leave the vet clinic.

Heck of a way to run a business no doctors, broken equipment. Very unprofessional. Recommend you stay away until they have enough staff to operate their business

They were amazing and took great care of our doggo during a difficult day. We had a horrible experience with the south location, but this one restored our faith in emerg clinics!

I brought my cat in as she was not herself, the reception staff was great. Chris in particular was fantastic, very attentive and thoughtful to pets and pet parents. The vet was good, he gave a few treatment options and explained what could be going on. I also found it to be very reasonably priced which was great. Hoping to not be back with a sick pet, but if i ever need help they will be my go to.

Shout out to Kayla. We thought our dog was badly injured by our other dog. (Looked worse than it was, dog is ok) and my wife was a total mess. We pulled up and she ran out to our vehicle after talking to my wife on the phone who was going nuts. Actually.shout out for being able to understand my wife. Took the dog and calmed down my wife. Such professionalism. Thank you Kayla!

They are nice, but the prices are insane. They still take absolutely amazing care of your pet, but expect to max out whatever credit card you may have. Rest in peace sweet kitty: ' (

Went there couple of days ago with my 3 year old dog. Had no choice to go there as my vet was not open. My dog lost his sense of feeling and movement to his back legs. Waited almost 2 1/2 hours in the parking lot before he was called in, only to find out that they did not do a full exam nor did they give me the option of doing an x-ray to find out what had happened to his legs. They basically told me I would have to pay thousands of dollars to find out what is wrong with my dog or put him down. How can you have a heart in saying these things and not try to find possible alternatives to help a family pet. My eldest was balling her eyes out when she heard this from the doctor. Took my pup into my vet the next business day to have a second opinion. They asked if I wanted to do x-rays see what was wrong with him and only to confirm that he has a disk disease and to bulging disc in his back. Glad I got a second opinion and not put him down like they suggested was my option. Don't trust your pets with them. Take them to your vet if they can wait.

Everybody was amazing! They took great care of my cat, and explained all the tests and costs perfectly. No surprises at all; which was refreshing!

If you need emergency services they are great. But please don't use them for regular appointments. They cost up to 30% more than the other vets.
Also whenever I pick up meds, it takes at least 30 minutes. This is an emergency room not a vet clinic.

We have been bringing our cats to this location for 48 years. Love Dr. Weger he is the best cat vet He loves cats and does take special care with your cat. However our cats were in the office for 3 hours, while we waited in the car. This.is way too long for getting regular yearly shots which is max 1 hour appointment. Really bad time management' and very poor communication to us about what was going on. We called after 3 hours to see if cats were done and ready to pick up. Front desk said they were and they would call us in 5. After another 15 minutes we called again and they had to put us on hold to see if they were ready. The last two times we took out cats, it was similar but this was rediculous. They are a great emergency hospital. The best in Calgary, the only place I would take my cat if an emergency. But now I wondering about finding another vet just for yearly shots.

Wonderful staff that are always knowledgeable and caring. We see Dr. Burns who always take the time to go over options with you, and does a good job keeping anxious dogs comfortable. At times there can be a bit of a wait, but its worth it. (Thanks Dr. Burns!).

Liked the staff they were quick as it was busy but don't know how thorough they were cause I just have to go back the problem wasn't fixed

My little Angel was sick and they made her better.
Have had very good experiences with this clinic for emergency as well as non-emergency services.
They also Bill to insurance for you so it’s hassle free.

About 6 years ago, I encountered a large greyhound that had been hit by a car in 14th st. Near the Nosehill overlook. I scooped him up and brought him straight there. It didn’t look good, they took him in right away but sadly he didn’t make it.

Fast and friendly service. Staff very polite and they saw us right away. Water bowls for the dogs and even water bottles for the hot owners.

My dog got into a box of donuts around 4am, and the staff here was really friendly and calmly explained what/how things were going to happen.price was certainly steeper than expected but i think its understandable given the service they provide, and how they saved my dogs life.he's resting at home now safely and happily thanks to them:)

Great, friendly staff. Explained options and what was needed and took care of us and our wonderful dog in an emergency situation.

Money first.

They manage to sell me $2,750 package with the 75% chances to survive and return my little dog chihuahua dead in not even 2 hours and still charge me over $800 for doing nothing.

You guys lost my business for ever, never again.

Dog attempted to eat a porcupine. They saw her quickly and pulled over 50 quills from her throat, face and nostrils. Very pleased with how quickly her suffering was relieved.

Amazing staff and care for my two baby kitties! Highly recommend them for any veterinary care especially emergencies! So kind and considerate, thank you so much for taking such great care of them! <3

Would have given 5 stars if I had not waited in parking lot for 7 hours. Weekend walk in visit was handled well, just unbelievably long and a check in from staff wirh time updates would have been made the wait more bearable. Rates were not high for after hours service.

Im giving them 5 stars because dr palmer is a great doctor! After going to other vet to check on my pups condition and telling me that my dog needs surgery, dr palmer told me that it doesnt need surgery and it will heal on its own, that saves us alot of money and time.thanks so much doc.

0 star for the person that answers the phone which is rude and i think she needs a different job.cant remember her name.but the other ladies are super nice.

Most expensive vet in Calgary! They even charged me for a follow up visit over 100! I complained to no avail. Last resort vet for me

Extremelly high vet prices, used to be my regular vet but could not afford their fees, went elsewhere to a vet that is great but about 1/3 less expensive.

I recently made my annual appointment for my dog. I called in advance of the appointment to mention some of my concerns to be addressed during the appointment. Since we are not allowed to go into the facility, I wanted the vet to check certain things of my concern. I was assured these were noted. Our appointment was for 1130 and my son arrived at 1125. He was made to wait almost 2hrs in the parking lot before being able to have our dog being brought in. I understand emergencies occur but 2 hours is not fair practice. Additionally, any concerns that I had, were not addressed by the vet or communicated to my son. I was very disappointed with this recent visit to Calgary North. I have been using this vet for over 10 years.

Everytime I call the assistant is not very helpful, we asked for our dogs prescription and they said we had to take her in for consultation then the doctor said she is a healthy, happy dog but with her breathing condition that we already know so you didn't have to bring her in since we know what she needs. Well, we spent like 3hrs waiting for the consultation that she didn't need, then the call, wait to pay and get the medication. We got home and the most important medicine it wasn't in the bag! We called, had to wait because it's not an emergency then wait for them to bring the medicine outside. I give 4 stars because the doctors are great but the other people that works around not the best.
Well after my review about 2 weeks ago I brought my dog to the emergency the doctor gave tooooooo many suggestions but never went to the point, talks, talks talks, and she won't stop! She is veeeery annoying and it's hard to answer because she keeps interrupting. We have to change or look for a better vet for sure! Any suggestions? My dog has breathing problems.

I have been bringing my pets to this clinic since 2003, but I feel, even before COVID, that the quality of service had been going downhill. There always seems to be a lot of disorganization. There should be a separate waiting room for people with small pets so they don't get stressed out by dogs, the PA and other loud noises. I lost two of my pets in 2020 and did not receiver a sympathy card for either. It's hard to feel like a valued patron:

Awesome emergency hospital. My baby threw up blood so we had to go asap. They were very quick and easy to talk too. They did a pre-auth for my insurance and everything was taken care of. Very nice and professional! I highly recommend them.

First time visit with my dog. Everything was closed or I would have taken my pet to my regular vet. They where very rude and pushy. All they seem to care about is how high your bill will be in the end. Won't go back here.

If you read reviews, you will find numerous mentions of what I am about to describe. We were put on the spot and forced to choose between multiple thousands of dollars in vet bills or euthanasia. Once having decided, we requested to bring out cat home on pain killers so that our children could say goodbye. We explained our intent to have our cat euthanized the following day by our local vet. This was at midnight. We were then threatened with having the humane society and peace officers sent to our home. We were repeatedly insulted and labeled as abusive. We were told that pain killers would be ineffective and that we clearly didn’t understand the implications of our actions.
Feeling that our choices were limited, we elected to have our dear cat euthanized immediately. Our children said goodbye via a brief FaceTime call and the traumatic results are resonating throughout our home. Having gone through the process at this clinic, we were also privy to the numerous sales pitches for additional services they offer as you sit there grieving the loss of your companion. I feel that the tactics this clinic uses to hold clients hostage and wrangle out further fees is reprehensible.
I have never been so disgusted with a ‘professional’ organization.

The staff are amazing! So professional and compassionate. I had to put my little dog down just a week after I lost my other little dog. The compassion and care they showed me was amazing! And the Vet took so much time to go over everything with me and also made the process as comfortable and painless as possible. It is probably not an easy job they have dealing with these situations because I am sure seeing it so often is hard. But they are all so very sweet and I thank them all so much for the compassion and support they showed me. I appreciate them so much and so thankful to have had them through such difficulty and sadness.

Very happy and pleased with the service and care I get for my cats. Friendly staff. Special thanks to Dr Shutt who has taken care of my two cats!

The staff are amazing here! They are very understanding, kind and informative.

Unfortunately their price are ridiculous. I will never go back because they have jacked their prices so high.

I had an emergency situation with my Guinea pig in December and rushed her to VCA. They whisked her in immediately upon arrival and started treatment right away. Sadly, despite the best of care, we had to let her go. Every staff member we dealt with was caring and compassionate and helped make such an awful situation as bearable as it could be. This week I received a follow-up call from a counselor to see how I was coping with our loss. I think this is a great resource and really appreciated the call and the chance to discuss our heartbreak. We also received a lovely sympathy card from the staff. We received such wonderful care and aftercare from VCA. I can't thank them enough.

So my mom has a diabetic cat and her vet isnt open and she's almost out of insulin she thought she would call 4th street and they give here a price of $175 for 3ml when she usually pays $75 for 3ml.times are tough and for you guys to take advantage is unbelievable!

My daughter’s 3-year-old bunny was brought here to emergency as a last resort choice on the long weekend. He hadn't eaten or drank normally for about 2-3 days, had a mucous nose and eyes, so she suspected GI Stasis. He was rehydrated subcutaneously (multiple needles under his skin) and sent home with oral anti biotics, pain killers and appetite stimulants. After getting him home and attempting to administer rounds of critical care meds and bunny gruel (which most of everything just drooled out) my daughter discovered a large dark abscess under his chin, emailed a photo of it back to the hospital and asked what was going on? No one had ever mentioned this chin abscess while she was there.

The next day she called the clinic and was told that indeed the vet HAD noticed the abscess but didn't say anything about it. If my daughter had known about this abscess (which was likely the reason her bunny stopped eating and drinking, had a fever and probably the snuffles), she would have decided to EUTHANIZE HIM ON THE SPOT, instead of bringing him home to be fed multiple syringe meds and gruel. He suffered 3 seizures that same day while en route to another animal clinic (that doesn't even deal with rabbits), that immediately put him to sleep.

No one from here has ever followed up, or do we expect them to. We will never go back.

Everytime we got impatient and called for an update the front end staff was more than accommodating and very polite and caring. Dr. Barton, wow, even though we did not want to hear the words that tinkerbelle needed to stay overnight for 3 nights, talking with Dr. Barton on the phone reassured us that it was best and guess what! She is about 99% back to her old self in less than one week. His treatments for her were spot on, and he is super funny! Thank you to Dr. Barton and all the VCA staff!

So thankful to have such a great facility, vets and staff to care for my Louie. He was in an awful accident and the speedy care he received and the compassion the vets and all staff demonstrated was felt even though I never got the opportunity to meet any face to face due to Covid. The vets kept me well informed and provided options. I appreciated receiving he quotes low and high end so I knew what to expect. I did not feel judged when discussing financial limits and found the vet and staff super understanding and their empathy was felt during my phone conversations. I cannot express how much it meant to have a staff member offer to have pictures taken and sent to me to bring me some ease and peace of mind. These little things go a long ways in bringing
Comfort. Beyond thankful to have a 24hr care facility available and hope I will not need to access in the future:)

Not impressed on numerous times we have been handled or emergency needs shuttled to another location

It is good to know, there is a Hospital, where they help your pet as soon as they can. The patients are too many, so there is quite a lot of waiting, but the veterinarians are wonderful. In this crucial time during the pandemic, they are very patients with the owners, explain everything trough the phone. I was very satisfied with their service. My puppy got better with "Strangles" in 3-4 weeks. Thanks for them!

We've had two of the worst days of our lives here saying goodbye to our two furry best friends within the same year. Thank you so so much to the kind friendly and competent staff who made an awful thing a little less awful and who let us be with our sweet girl right to the end even in this pandemic.

Friendly and competent staffs. They took good care of my kitty from start to finish of his surgery. I would recommend them for sure.