West End Veterinary Clinic

My experience with Dr. Childs, Nathan, and their team has been nothing short of exceptional. They have taken such great care of our beloved feline friend, Cadbury. One of the standout qualities is their genuine care and concern for our pet. This level of compassion and empathy is reassuring and heartwarming. They always do a follow up call the day after treatment to see how Cadbury is. They genuinely care about Cadbury's recovery and want to ensure everything is going well. They answer all my questions and give me options and guidance regarding his treatment while being mindful of my budget. They are always friendly and patient and listen to my concerns regarding our cat's health with suggestions and education on how to manage his health. I trust them with our Cadbury.

I visited that clinic with my puppy because he had some coughing. We were prescribed to the vaccine every week for coughing.thanks God we didn't follow their instructions. All together we paid around 500$. When we went to other clinic because the coughing the vet doctor explained us that some puppy has that coughing and we don't need do anything about his coughing and it will go away by the time. After 2 months my puppy stopped coughing. I would never go to that west end clinic again

Dr. Childs and her team, are amazing. The care they provided to my chewie, was above and beyond. When it was time to say goodbye, even though it was an incredibly difficult decision for me, they made me and chewie feel as comfortable as we could. They are truly a special place for anyone that wants a supportive, caring team for their pet.

I feel very fortunate to have found Dr. Childs and the West End Vet clinic. I have brought my cat, Tommy in previously for an exam and vaccines, as well to get his urinary issue looked at. I was quite happy with not only how Dr. Childs gave a proper exam and all of her attention, but also the vet tech who went over the report with me as well. Recently I had to bring my cat in for an emergency urethra obstruction, and Dr. Childs swiftly dealt with diagnosing the issue, saving my cat, while keeping me calm. Having dealt with many vets before I can say this clinic is a gem and I was lucky to get the great service for Tommy.

We had a very good experience with the West End Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Child and her staff were instrumental in diagnosing and treating our dog Mushroom after she wasn't eating and had low energy. They were very thorough in their testing and diagnosis, and they were ultimately able to find out the root issue (kidney disease) and prescribe treatment. The clinic was able to see Mushroom on a timely basis due to her condition, and they were able to follow up with her regularly until she started eating again. The staff was super friendly, attentive, and patient with my elderly mother who took our dog in. I would take Mushroom in again for any issues that may arise.

Dr. Childs, Nathan and all the rest of the staff at the West End Veterinary Clinic are very attentive and caring. They have been extremely supportive and successful when it comes to keeping my elderly cat healthy and happy

The care we received at West End Veterinary Clinic was EXCELLENT and far exceeded our expectations. Dr Child's and all of her staff took the time to explain well our boy Wesley's (male cat) condition and options for treatment. They literally brought him back to life as we had had a very negative experience at another clinic who barely touched or examined him and after an extremely brief and incomplete check-up left the room and came back with a $3000 + treatment plan. When I said I couldn't afford it no other options were discussed. So disappointed. I could go on about the bad treatment but my point is after this I called West End Veterinary Clinic who checked in and monitored Wesley every day until we could come in on the Monday which was 3 days later. Upon arrival he was given fluids right away and we discussed options starting with blood work and x-rays from which Dr Child's was able to diagnose our boy. Over the next two weeks we had to take him in for fluids almost daily. After two weeks he was fully recovered and I had to pass on further treatments (ultrasound) due to the cost to which they were very respectful and understanding. All in all it did add up to alot but this is the cost of treatment for our beloved for babies like it or not. I highly recommend West End Veterinary and Dr Child's over any other veterinary clinic I have been to over the years and will definitely be bringing our pets here without a doubt whenever necessary. A big thank you to Dr Child's and ALL her staff for the compassionate and professional care they provided. Wesley is a very happy boy!

We have only the best experience at the West End Vet. Dr. Childs and her staff were very helpful and thorough when providing us with information for our decision making.
The only reason we left West End Vet was because we were moving out of the country - where Nathan, one of the staff, was very organized and detailed in his assistance with all the documentation needed for our pups' move.
We will always miss West End Vet! We were very sad when we had our last picture with Dr. Childs and staff. Thank you guys and hope to see you again one day!

You should never bring your pet to this clinic and here is why – my cat passed away just hours after being discharged from this clinic. Doctors’ name – Helene Childs, who used extremely harsh drugs to sedate my cat (18 years old) for examination purposes. After such horrifying loss and shock, I reached out to College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC) and submitted a complaint asking to evaluate Childs’ competence, knowledge and actions. After a thorough investigation by CVBC (over a year), all my concerns were vindicated, and it was concluded that Childs must complete a course in sedation protocols for senior patients. Additionally, she has to take a course how to organize, record, save and store files, estimates and information about each patient in this clinic as the investigation revealed a lack of basic principles running a clinic, in my case my file didn’t have any information about doses used for sedation or any record about my phone call to the clinic expressing concerns about my cats’ behavior after I brought her home (she was super confused, was hiding under the bed, saliva didn’t stop running and most important – she was not able to blink…). Furthermore – the estimate, which would reveal precise doses of drugs Childs used for sedation and recovery, got mysteriously deleted from her computer. How convenient!
This message is for all pet owners like me, who had trust in professionals, just some professionals should never pretend they are ones. Find a professional doctor. You will protect yourself and save your beloved one.

Childs - do not reply / comment to my review. You have done enough.

5 year update:
Even after moving away, we're still coming here 5 years later. We still love Dr Childs and her team and we wholeheartedly trust them with the care of our family members! I think something important for people to know is that this clinic is all about **preventative care**.

They do a lot of tests here and it can be more expensive than some other vets in the city, but as a result they've been able to catch so many things early on to keep our little creatures happy and healthy. I would strongly recommend getting pet insurance if you're going to come here, especially because your animals might be diagnosed with something early on that insurance will no longer cover once it's identified.

Dr Childs was able to catch both of our cats' early stage kidney disease despite their young ages - they were placed on special diets and since then their kidney values have stabilized to normal levels. Dr. Childs also successfully diagnosed one of our cats with IBD, which other vets had been confused about and didn't know what her symptoms meant. Since going on medication, our cat has been able to gain weight and use the litter box with no fuss.

There have been times over the years where the team has been a bit pushy about flea meds, shots, and other medications, but they've backed off on this in the past year or so and they have gotten better about communicating around prices in advance.

Overall: the quality of care is really excellent and the cost is appropriate to match that level of care. Be prepared to spend money for the benefit of catching problems early on. But on the other hand, it might save you money in the long run when the team is able to catch something early instead of needing emergency care at some point.

I just hope in the future that preventative care becomes more normalized as a system, for both people and non-human people! <3

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Original review:

All the experiences we've had with this vet clinic have been fantastic so far - Dr. Childs and the staff really make an impressive effort to establish a personal connection, and as a result I feel like they really care about my cat's well-being. Their prices are a bit on the higher side, but they're not outrageous, and I'm happy to pay a bit of a premium to feel like I'm getting quality medical advice from people who care rather than contradictory opinions from unhelpful and alarmist vets we've encountered elsewhere in the city. One nice thing as well is that from my experience you rarely have to sit on hold to speak to someone.

I only have one minor suggestion for this clinic - they pride themselves on being "stress-free", although I feel like this could be better accomplished by allowing owners to sit with their pets longer to help calm them rather than immediately taking them into the back for long periods of time. I understand this is probably down to working in a small space with a lot of clients to negotiate than as a result of a deliberate choice, but I feel like this could be scheduled or planned out a bit more carefully to help reduce stress for everyone involved.

Overall though, we've been very impressed so far - we're pleased to call Dr. Childs our vet and we HIGHLY recommend this clinic to anyone in the area!

Honestly, wish I could give this place 5 stars. The assistants and receptionists are friendly but Dr. Child's is not trustworthy. I did not trust her diagnosis of my pet so luckily I got an opinion from a specialist, who confirmed my suspicions. Had I not gotten this opinion, I would be giving medications to my pet for years, for a condition that my pet did NOT have. Dr. Child's loves to overprescribe and doesn't really seem to care about the animals. Once she hears the term "pet insurance", she starts charging $$$ and recommending tests/meds like there is no tomorrow. Entrust your pets with vets who truly care and stay away!

DO NOT TAKE YOUR PETS HERE. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. LEAD VET HAS ALWAYS BEEN PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE. THEY ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY AND CARE FOR NOTHING ELSE.
INCOMPETENT. LEAD VET CLEARLY HAS SOME ISSUES AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO WORK WITH ANIMALS.

I would not recommend it. My experience was frustrating. I went twice (oct 22 and dec 22) and both times I felt like Dr Childs barely took the time and attention to my dog. She definitely ignored all things I mentioned as concerns. On my last visit, a wound was under-looked by the doctor, who recommended medication for something totally different than it was. I would expect her to take it more seriously, by closely looking at him with attention and listening to (believing) me. She took less than 1 minute to look at him, doesn’t surprise me she missed it.

She called me after I emailed my frustration and she apologized, but still: money was spent on uber, consultation, and prescription that I can’t have back. It was hard on me.

Recently, two other friends have also stopped going there after similar experiences with their pets. We are not experts, but our opinion also combines on how she overcharges and over-prescribes painkillers.

Obs: on a bright side, I do like the assistant Nathan, I find him very loving and caring with the animals, I can see he really listens and pay attention to what you say. Good job, Nathan! Keep it that way and you will be great!

Seeing a lot of people whining about the cost of animal care bills from this vet so, here is my tip: get animal insurance. Our bill was a lot but we don't have pet insurance so that will happen. The care was good, they answered all of our questions and I'm happy to say our little furry is on the mend. Will be getting pet insurance.

Horrible place to bring your dog, the vet is rude, arrogant, they overcharge for everything none should support that horrible business

They almost killed my puppy when she was 3 months old, and after that I still fighting with my insurance for notes they wrote on her records, for illness she never had.
They’ll over price with vitamins or creams that your dog won’t need it, but they still selling to you.
They don’t care about the animals, they only want to make the most money the can from you

Amazing! Dr. Childs is incredible and kind. My dog loved her and felt really comfortable! They have an amazing team! I appreciate everything they do!

Very happy to take my kitty here. Got her nails clipped up nice and fast without any drama.

Great vet clinic! Everyone is so nice. They even have free parking in the back. This is the only place I will take Lexi

Our dog developed an ear infection over the weekend and Dr. Childs was able to get her in on short notice. She diagnosed and treated our pomeranian very quickly and her ear issues cleared up within a few days. Very happy with the care received from all of the staff at this vet.