Bloor West Village Animal Hospital

900 dollars for a simple neutering appointment in this economy. Outrageous and unbelievable.

I would 100% recommend Bloor West Village Animal Hospital. The staff are warm, kind and compassionate and you can tell they work in this field because of their love for all animals. The never up-sell, and are always looking out for your furry loved ones best interest.

We recently had to put out dog down, and although it was a very painful experience and we are still grieving, BWVAH made it as bearable as it could be. They even sent flowers, which is unheard of!

10/10 recommend.

Love this place! Everyone who works here is so kind and informative. Visits are always pleasant and you can tell they genuinely care about their patients.

I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at BWVAH and, of course, Dr O’Toole. I am an anxious dog owner and my dog is fear-aggressive to restraint and handling. We are not the easiest clients to work with between my dog’s bite risk and my millions of questions. The BWVAH staff have been nothing but kind, patient, and helpful. Dr. O’Toole does not hesitate to take the time we need and modify the exams to ensure my dog is comfortable and that our handling desensitization training is not negatively impacted. Thank you!

Thank you BWVAH for your friendly and compassionate approach. Exceptional service in a timely manner. Six stars for today.

Do not bring your pet here. I regret not reading the reviews until it was too late. I only came here out of desperation and needing a vet close to my home.

I brought in my very obviously pregnant cat for a check up, since I only adopted her recently and she came to me (unbeknownst to me) pregnant. Not only did he make me get a (very expensive and unnecessary) x-ray to confirm her pregnancy, he also told me he discovered a heart murmur. He seemed confused if that was a symptom of a cat getting pregnant, which was very troubling for me. Knowing my situation of when I got her and the fact I didn't know any of her records, he didn't inform me at all of the potentially fatal fate of a pregnant cat with a heart murmur, let alone anything else to do with that.

My poor Olive didn't even make it through the first hour of labor before passing away, as well as at least four kittens. It has left me an emotional wreck, and deep in vet and emergency vet bills. She was the most perfect cat and I lost her due to a complete lack of care and information. Do.not.go.to.this.vet.

My large American bulldog/dogo cross, Bronson, was cared for by Chris and the team for almost 10 years. The team are honest and transparent, and always open to talking through options/a treatment plan based on the dog’s needs but also my comfort level and preference. Bronson was always excited to go to the vet’s, which is a testament to how wonderful everyone treated him.
When the day came that Bronson needed to move on from this life, Chris and the team guided me through the process with such care. The staff created a safe and comfy place for B, took photos with him and supported me through the experience, even sending a small condolence bouquet the next day which was so thoughtful. They all truly loved my boy. I was so thankful that even with the pandemic safety measures I was able to be right by his side as he passed on.
I will be forever grateful for the amazing care Bronson was provided here.

We were able to get an appointment the day after we called. Our puppy was well taken care of and everyone working there was awesome. Would highly recommend!

This is the TOP and BEST Vet clinic, I have had a lot of family pets and the Doctor and staff (always so kind and attentive) are amazing kind and compassionate, Highly recommended in every aspect.

I'm obsessed with my cat. She means the world to me, so a good vet is extremely important. I really recommend this vet. They have been really good to us.

Very attentive and helpful staff. They're very clear in answering any query and quick to respond and help.

Read the reviews before you go to this clinic! Your pets will NOT be in good hands. Trust what the public says and do not leave your beloved pet in the hands of this place. There are too many horror stories and this clinic does not care about your animals.

I’ve been taking my 3 dogs here for about 6 years now and have had nothing but positive experiences. Very kind, patient staff who have a great way of keeping you calm in some stressful situations.

I use to take my dog to this clinic but I left for a few reasons. One reason is, after my visits I felt that they were pushing unnecessary tests when my dog was healthy and I was just going to pick up his flea and tic medication.

Another reason I left is because I called the clinic about a year ago asking if they could write a letter stating my dog was up to date on his vaccinations so I could take him across the border. The receptionist that answered my call said no, they don't do that. So I called another clinic and asked if they write letters to show your pet is up to date on their vaccinations and they said absolutely! Then I called Bloor West Village Animal Hospital again and asked why they wouldn't give me a record of my dogs vaccinations. The receptionist couldn't give me a reason. She said she was unsure. So I made the request again and I finally got my letter. That's when I decided to switch my dog to a new vet clinic.

I recently had an appointment at the new vet clinic and they said my dog was prescribed too many different types of tic medications from the previous year and that the dosage was too high for his body weight.

I decided to leave a review today because I just got off the phone with the receptionist at Bloor West Village Animal Hospital because I had a question about my dogs tic medication from the previous year and she laughed at me. Since I've had a few negative experiences with them, I decided it was worth the time to leave a review.

I’ve gone here for almost a decade with my pets. I trust them and their prices have been lower than my other experiences in the city. Nice people.

Brought my elder cat in there and had a chance to have him examined by a young female vet (Serena is her name if I remember well), who was pretty friendly, but seemed to have a financial agenda imposed by the clinic. The have so called "protocols" of tests for different groups of animals, that might mean that some of the tests will be unnecessary. The first visit cost me over 500$ in tests. They didn't even suggest I try to take urine sample at home and insisted on doing in in clinic with a catheter. Fortunately, having done it in the past, I knew it was very easy to do it myself.

When I left the clinic with such a "tiny" bill, they called me many times trying to persuade to have other tests done. I told them I was a student and had no more money (that was true) and that I was very unhappy with their attitude and considered to go to another clinic, they then stopped harassing me with more tests.

Not being able to reach me on the phone or leave me a voice message, Serena was very kind to write me a lengthy email with explanation of tests results and recommendations. She also suggested I come for a free demonstration of administering physiological fluid bag to my dehydrated cat.

The technicians and receptionists in the clinic are very kind and try to do their best. Especially the older technician, a woman in her 40s who seems to have an excellent rapport with the animals and the pet owners.

However, I will not bring my pet there any more, because I didn't like their financial politic, the pressure that they make on the clients. If need arises, I'll check out another clinic a little farther in Etobicoke recommended by another vet.

I’ve been bringing my dog to Dr. O'Toole for almost 2.5 years. My last visit to Bloor West Animal Hospital was very unpleasant for me and my dog. 



Dr. O'Toole was not friendly with my dog. My dog was nervous and scared and Dr. O'Toole was not gentle or welcoming. His vet tech was the only professional there trying to make my dog comfortable while Dr. O'Toole talked down to his employee and treated her rather terribly. It was very uncomfortable. 



My dog has never been aggressive or angry, but during this visit he was. Dr. O'Toole did not approach my dog in a friendly manner, instead he just went straight in to take my dogs temperature. The atmosphere was negative and aggressive and my dog reacted to this. Dr. O'Toole talked at me aggressively, did not explain things very well and pawned everything else to his vet tech. Dr. O'Toole’s solution was to prescribe alprazolam (basically Xanax) so next time HIS job would be easier. I have since spoken with 3 other vets regarding my visit and they agree that Dr. O'Toole’s 1. Handling of my dog and 2. Solution to the situation was unprofessional and upsetting. 



(I will note, every time I come to see Dr. O'Toole I feel that my visits are rushed and he has somewhere more important to be.) 



As I’m waiting to pay for the horrible experience my dog and I just had, Dr. O'Toole brought me back to the exam room to re-explain because he could see I was confused. It was at this point where he openly insulted his vet tech for not doing what he ordered of her, to me. It was very unprofessional and made me extremely uncomfortable. 



Thank goodness I am moving from this area and have found a much nicer and professional vet. I will not go back to Bloor West Animal Hospital. 



I’m not one to write negative reviews, or any reviews for that matter… but I felt that this information was worth sharing to anyone near high park looking for a reputable vet. I would recommend avoiding Dr. O'Toole.

I wish I had read the reviews before trusting Dr. O'Toole with my pet. I am not the kind of person who like to write bad reviews but I hate when people take advantage of a desperate person. Today he showed me more than ever that he absolutely don't care about my pet, just the money that owners can bring to his business. Everytime I bring my dog to the clinic he evaluates him and gives me the medication, no the one that is going to heal him but the one that will make me come back to the clinic for another evaluation over and over again. It is a chain and that's how he makes his money. Not coming back again.

I've had two great experiences with two other vets at this clinic and the vet techs and staff at this clinic have been nothing but amazing. However, this has been outweighed by my experience with Dr. O'Toole. I was given a vague, unhelpful explanation of my cat's symptoms and sent home with no information, and $400 worth of tests that showed nothing that were not necessary. He was belligerent and talked over me the entire appointment. When I saw another vet, they seemed unsurprised that I was given such bad information on my cat's actual illness which is now being treated. My cat suffered for months unnecessarily and has a relatively treatable, common condition. I had no information to flag the symptoms and put my trust in a vet who I thought cared about my pet. While I would recommend this clinic I would strongly advise not seeing Dr. O'Toole. He clearly is a vet in it for the money without a care about the pets or people he deals with.

I truly wish I had the ability to rate this veterinary clinic zero stars. If you cherish and love your pet, do NOT bring them to this Animal Hospital.
My healthy happy 3 year old Labrador recently tragically died due to wood getting stuck in his intestines. Dr. O'toole was Unempathetic, unkind and blatantly dismissive to my family. I do not feel confident in any of the care which Coby received, and we will regret that he had his surgery done by Dr. O'toole for the rest of our lives. I highly recommend taking your dog to the Missasauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital in the case that they require surgery, as we rushed Coby there after the procedure done by Dr. O'toole and they did try their best to comfort and take good care of him. I never once thought my beautiful dog could die from what seemed like a simple enough procedure. Our family did not receive the proper information or understanding of what was going on through the process and Dr. O'toole emphasized how busy he was. We will be taking our other pets elsewhere. I can only hope that no one else's beloved family member will suffer like my sweet dog did in Dr. O'tooles terrible level of care.

I am urging all pet owners to stay far away from Chris O'Toole and this clinic. We brought our beloved 3 year old Labrador to this clinic on a Tuesday and he died on Friday, suddenly. I brought my pup here because he was vomiting after a seizure (he had epilepsy) and would not eat. This was HIGHLY unusual for my lab, who loves food.  To say the least, Dr. Chris was aloof and said that his "gut" was that it was due to the seizure, that he didn't recommend X-rays. He sent my dog for blood work,   and proceeded to talk about medicating our dog for epilepsy, completely oblivious to my worries about my dog. It is important to mention that this appointment was close to 5 PM so it was very obvious that Dr. O’toole had no interest in completing a thorough checkup.

Overnight my dog quickly deteriorated, prompting us to bring him to an emergency vet which immediately recognized X-rays should be done. They said if he did not feel better in the morning we should bring him to our vet again. We called Dr. Chris immediately the next morning, and Dr. O'Toole was incredibly blunt and said that we better get him there NOW as he was busy and didn't know if he would have the time to care for him or perform surgery if needed. My husband brought our dog there, and it was determined that it was a possible blockage and that surgery would be performed. Again, he was so impatient and arrogant with our questions about treatment and cost. Dr. O’toole performed the operation and, not having the ability for aftercare, we were told that he must be taken to an emergency vet hospital to be observed overnight. At this time again, no indication of the level of severity was given.  When we picked up our dog, he was heavily sedated, his breathing was laboured and liquid was coming out of his nose. Still, We were given the impression that we would be picking up a healthy dog in the morning, and were not prepared for the unsuspecting trauma ahead.

When we took our dog to West Toronto Veterinary Hospital, the vet seemed surprised by his condition, stating that the seriousness of his condition had been misrepresented. He was immediately given oxygen to breathe.  They called in the middle of the night and said he wasn't doing well, that he needed to be transferred to Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital. They couldn't even promise that he would survive the 20 minute drive there without oxygen! To say the least, we were terrified. How had we not been made aware of this by Dr. O'Toole?

The following morning, our beloved pup passed away due to complications from surgery. We will never forgive ourselves for trusting Dr. O’toole with our sweet boy, and will ensure no family members or friends are ever led in the direction of such poor care. This entire trauma was heightened by the aloof, uncaring and arrogant treatment from Dr. O'Toole, the man that we trusted with our beloved puppy. This was our first dog, and it would be irresponsible to not ensure other dog owners do not make the same mistake we did in trusting the Bloor West Animal Hospital to care for our four legged friend.

Writing on behalf of someone in my family:

My family member brought in our dog for a check up for this growth she has, and during the whole appointment, the vet was half asleep and hardly gave any feedback or even went near the dog. My family member wanted more information on blood tests, ultrasounds and general stuff she should be doing for her senior dog as cancer is a big worry.

The vet mumbled "what? You're paranoid or something? ". Like that is the best response to tell a worried pet owner.

Very cold environment and will never bring my pets here again.

As a former client of this vet (x 9 years), I have now moved on to a new vet with no regrets! Here is my honest review:
This is what scores the point: Vet techs are great! Warm, friendly, welcoming staff at reception and modern space.
These are the issues:
(1) My dog is now in her geriatric years and has lived an extremely healthy life! However, the only instance where she needed urgent medical attention happened on a Saturday. I phoned BWVAH literally the moment they opened that morning just to be told they were fully booked and take her someplace else. After being a client of theirs for years and to be turned away in her time of need, I was very unimpressed.
(2) When I arrived to pick her up after dental cleaning surgery, she was given back to me in rough shape. It was like no one bothered to clean off the fur around her mouth after the procedure. Her eye had a blob of opaque green goop floating on it so thick, I peeled it off at the car so she could see again. Being a surgical nurse myself, I was again unimpressed and I cleaned her up myself at home.
(3) Appt's feel rushed and much of the vet's time is spent facing/typing on the computer, and I found I was repeating myself indicating lack of listening. I prefer the approach at my new vet where the vet tech is in the appointment typing on the computer while the vet's full attention is on you/what you're saying and your pet.
(4) On our final visit at BWVAH, my dog received no treatment for her issue despite me questioning the vet that I really believed she needed antibiotics. For all the conditions he believed it to be (ie.pneumonia), the treatment was the same (antibiotics), but he still did not want to give her antibiotics without first finding proof she needed them through bloodwork. I thought her symptoms were proof enough (runny eyes and nose, coughing, sneezing, malaise) but did the bloodwork anyway (what other choice did I have?). From the bloodwork, the vet ruled out pneumonia but noticed slight drop in her thyroid and thought we should pursue further testing with the blood sample they already had. When I asked if thyroid would explain her current illness (I knew it wouldn't, and I knew she wasn't exhibiting symptoms of a low thyroid dog), the vet agreed no it would not. But my dog still sat at home with her current sickness untreated and getting worse. I agreed to do the thyroid test anyway, and the next day I was called back by the vet to tell me they actually didn't have enough blood sample for the test and I would have to come back in and pay for (and subject my dog to) yet another blood draw. I was leaving for cottage country and I told them I wanted to decline the test for now. There was still no answer for my dog's current issue, which is why I brought her to the vet in the first place. Her condition deteriorated in cottage country and we found ourselves hunting down a vet to see her urgently. This vet was wonderful, put her on antibiotics immediately, and really opened my eyes to how a vet should be. I returned to the city with the goal of finding a vet like the one we experienced up north and so far I am happy with the new one.

Sidenote: The vet in cottage country said if I did want to do the thyroid testing to wait at least 6 weeks because she had also just been on steroid medication which throws a thyroid off. I knew this myself, as a nurse, but I was putting my trust in her vet. Her new vet since then said she exhibited no signs of a dog with low thyroid, but did repeat her routine bloodwork and everything came back normal.

Hope my long-winded experiences can be informing for anyone looking for a new vet.

Told they would repair my dog who was bleeding out, then they told me they were closing soon and didn't have enough time and I had to go elsewhere. Now I get why there are mixed reviews.

My dog was injured while I was at High Park and bleeding profusely. Rushed him to Bloor West Village Animal Hospital since it was the closest place. I was presented with 2 options, bandage the wound and I can take him elsewhere for the rest would cost almost $200, or they would repair him right away and it would cost around $700. I asked to repair him right away, so they get everything prepared, put a catheter in him and then they tell me they can't repair him because they were closing and didn't have time.this was all in a span of 15min. So I had to pay to bandage him up and take him elsewhere and pay more again. I was told there was "miscommunication". If they knew they didn't have time to do the procedure they could have said so and I would have saved time and money considering the position my dog was in. I felt taken advantage of given the situation. $200 for bandaging and a catheter that they never used, even though I requested to repair him.

Although I must say kudos to the nurses for being quick to attend to my dog who came in bleeding out, they were awesome, very caring and attentive to the situation. Even when I called to discuss the situation in the end they asked for a status on my dog. I can't thank them enough.

But the situation in the end was not handled properly. Don't say you can do something and then go back on it due to timing in a dire situation where a dog is bleeding out from 4 cut arteries. Would have been faster to take him elsewhere? Well I clearly should have done that before I was mislead. Ethically messed up.

Dr. O'Toole treats his employees like they are worthless, and beneath him. He openly humiliates them in front of his clients. He insinuates that they aren't capable of their jobs and orders them around as if they are his personal peasants. When he gets angry at his employees he takes it out on everyone around him - including his patients. A good doctor yes, but he tends to favour his caucasian employees. Dr O'Toole has lost many staff members due to his bad temper and anger problems which sometimes go as far as throwing objects across the treatment area. Not a good experience.