VCA Canada Ottawa Veterinary Hospital

Extremely gentle and caring staff and doctors. Doctor answered all of our questions and doubts and gave good suggestions
I wish I could have this as a primary clinic/ hospital for my pet but that's not a possibility, the only thing is the price, it's a little bit of higher side

The receptionist, vets and technicians are all so sweet and well spoken and genuinely have the best interest for your dog. Daisy had to go in for a bit of an allergic reaction and they were all so considerate and nice to her! I highly recommend heading here if your pet has an emergency. The waiting room is cozy and the place is super clean.

I took my dog LARRY in last Sunday I was so humbled by the staff. The Dr was amazing and very easy to talk to. It was a gut wrenching day for me but with the kindness of the staff I was able to get through it.
Michele McPhail

Cannot give enough thanks to Dr. Niu and team. Very thorough, very empathetic, excellent communication. Thank you to reception for helping me deal with my pet insurance (and tolerating me!), and to the techs for allowing me to the back to say goodnight to my boy. Thank you to everyone that played a part in his care (especially MaryAnn for kissing his little nose when he was sedated). Even though we don’t know what caused my cats (Mark) weird episodes, I feel like my voice was heard and his needs were taken seriously. You all deserve all of the Tim Horton’s coffee and donuts. A million thank yous!

I can not thank Dr. Limbrick and Dr. Ian enough for saving my girl Nylah! The whole staff made a very bad situation so much less stressful. I couldn't believe I even slept that night! Nylah is doing better than ever thanks to Dr Limbrick's diagnosis skills and Dr. Ian's fine surgical skills. I can not thank the entire team enough. Thanks! I truly recommend this place! We had fantastic care.

I've had an issue every time I have visited. The first time, they took my cat to get treatment, and we waited hours in the lobby, thinking our cat was dying because they forgot to tell us she had started to recover. When we asked about how she was doing after hours of not hearing anything, we were rudely told that we weren’t the only ones with a sick pet and we needed to sit down. At this same visit, we also told them our cat was allergic to chicken, and they fed her chicken anyway. She spent the next few days having to recover not only from her original illness but from a major allergic reaction. Another time they forgot to process our check-in, and we waited 2 hours before they realized their mistake. Our cat came in with FIC, they gave us bad advice to upsell their expensive food, and forwarded incorrect medical records to our usual vet. I will be avoiding this vet as much as possible.

It's not every day that you have to go to an emergency vet for your cat. A friend of mind recommended that place. For the first time there, I gotta say I was pretty impressed with the service we got. We were even able to get a hot beverage at their customers' station.
We were also able to meet the cat that lives at the clinic

They answer all our questions. Reassured us and let us know couple options at different costs. Our cat is doing great now and we are very grateful.

Excellent. All the staff were so friendly, professional and so caring. Big shout out to Dr. Ian who has to be the most caring and empathetic vet I have ever met. Highly recommend this place.

So overall I had as good of an experience as I could. I had brought my dog to be admitted when I came back for a visit I stayed the whole day and I knew we were going to have to euthanize him. What I was upset about is when I came home to grabb medicine and then drive back because I wanted to spend my final hours holding him it took 1 hour for them to bring him to me I asked multiple people they forgot so I lost that hour with him. But over all great people

To the persons working on the overnight of August 26th, I had called about a young puppy that was vomiting around 3am and I wanted to say thank you for letting me know to check her gums and asking if there was space for her at hospital that night. Everyone made the right call and she is doing great today and feeling well. I am grateful that someone was there to answer the phone and talk to me about my pet that really did care that she was OK.

Went in with my dog and the girl who works the front desk was really rude and was not professional in dealing with anyone in the place they took my dog to the back and left me sitting there with no idea what was going on also when I asked they said that they would go and see and they never did I sat there until 230 in the morning until I spoke to someone else and she came back and said they haven't even seen my dog yet I called in the morning and they still hadn't looked at her at 3 pm I finally got a call from the vet saying her paw wasn't broken but maybe fractured and she is putting a little weight on it and he was given her pain medication for 5 days I called back after the 5 days asking if I could get a little more medication for her and I got the same girl who was there when I brought her in and getting the same additud as I did from her on Saturday I have been dealing with that vet for over 30 years and I have never seen it as bad as it is now

Our precious boy Steven had a sudden neurological issue overnight and the service was absolutely great. They took him right away and got us in a waiting room at 7 am. They kept
him until the primary dr showed up and the vet techs were all lovely and the dr was thorough and went through all the options we had as well as explaining the issues as best she could. Thank you so much to the team there, you were wonderful and also very reasonably priced for an emergency vet. ️

2 paws up according to my kitten.
They took great care of her.

She tells me they wouldn't let her perform an animal rebellion but she forgives them because she got belly rubs.

Abby thanks all the vet techs and veterinarians who helped her out.

Our elderly Bernese collapsed suddenly and our regular vet had no capacity to take her in (common these days), neither did Altavista or Lola (at capacity). The technician at OVH screened her in over the phone and asked the right questions. We were greeted professionally and efficiently. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very long before we were brought in and given the worse news. We had to say goodbye. Dr. Donnelly and her staff were perfect, warm and respectful. While we had always hoped for her last moments to be at home, Dr. Donnelly and the OVH staff offered as close an experience as we could hope for. Zoé left peacefully, surrounded by people who loved her.

My son brought in his cat Garcia.

Everyone at the vet is so kind from the front desk, to the nice woman Gail that gave me our cat today. My son said Dr Niu was also great and so nice.

Thank you for the exceptional service! Your kindness, and compassion goes a long way!

Very cold place and not professional l bring my sick baby dog they don't know nothing don't give me any diagnosis just want money and they want kill my dog very bad experience hope so someday they will be punished for this

I came here after our family vet declined to see my pup (6 years as my family and best friend) in the morning because they were "booked for 2 weeks". She hit her paw while running around and the cut started developing an abcess by the evening. She was having a hard time applying any pressure on her hind leg, extremely scary situation. Staff were very professional and knowledgeable, didn't make me feel rushed and answered all my questions. I want the people working here to know what noble work they are doing. Thank you very much!

(and i've definitely paid a lot more in medical bills for much smaller issues at my family vet, for those concerned about emergency care medical bills)

Been here many times over the years but not recently. Always good service but didn't like the turnover in vets. Called last Thursday for emergency service for my dog, was put on hold for 20 minutes then i hung up and called again but no answer. I also called Alta Vista on Bank but they weren't taking any patients. Like our human hospitals care & service availability has become scarce. Our governments need to put health & welfare at the front but they have refused to act.

I've been to the Alta Vista Animal Hospital with my cat in labor. I told her that my girl needs an injection of calcium and an injection of oxytocin 15 minutes later because her labor had stopped but I knew there was another baby in there. They told me I needed to get X-rays done so I agreed. She told me that the baby was way too big to come out vaginally and that she needed an emergency cesarean. I did not agree because I am an experienced breeder. Much time had been wasted over night waiting for them to take her in and give me x-ray results. I was upset that she was not taking into consideration the calcium and oxytocin injections that I requested. Much time had passed and my regular vet was opening up so I took her there, he gave her the injections and she had her baby naturally without complications. Not only that but the baby they said was way too big to come out vaginally, was much smaller than the first. I will never go back there again. I felt I was being cheated by them and I will be honest, it's not the first time. I also had a similar experience with the VCA on Boyd but it was a much worse outcome because unfortunately she was so pushy about a cesarean that I finally agreed. It was terrible. We lost all the babies. Never would I EVER use VCA ever again.

We cannot thank Dr. Galway enough for saving our boy, Buddy, who was diagnosed with GDV and needed emergency surgery.

Dr. Galway agreed to see Buddy when no other hospital would. She met with us at 12: 00 a.m. And went through the procedure in great detail. She was informative about the procedure and gave us hope that our boy would see another day. She answered all of our questions and we felt confident that Buddy would be in good hands. She called us at 3: 00 a.m. To provide us with the update that Buddy's surgery went well and that he was in recovery. Even at 3: 00 a.m. She was cheerful on the other end of the phone.

Buddy stayed at VCA for the next few days and received exceptional care from the staff. The frontline workers were very kind and welcoming as we visited Buddy in the hospital. We were allowed to visit for as long as we wanted without feeling rushed. They let us assist in his care to reduce Buddy's anxiety and fears.

We had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Ian Niu during our last few days. Dr. Niu called us every day to give us updates and never rushed us off of the phone. He was always happy and willing to answer all of our questions and was so personable. We chatted with Dr. Niu when we visited with Buddy. He always checked in to see if we needed anything, and was extremely open to working together as a team to get Buddy home.

Our experience with VCA was an extremely positive one. We are forever grateful to these wonderful people for saving our boy's life and turning a really tough experience, into a positive one.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

Ashley, Phil and Buddy.

The worst people ever they were scaring my family telling them the cat is gonna die in few hours just so they can do the $5000 surgery. I booked another vet got it done for 1500 with no headache I completely do not recommend this place they will tell you what ever to make you pay at the end my other vet told me completely opposite thing then what they told me DO NOT LET THEM TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUUU

Saddest day of my life, but the care and compassion from All the staff was a comfort to myself and my daughter. Wont lie.its pricey but if you ha e a life threatning emergency for your lil fur baby.ur in good hands. They also will take your financial situation under consideration while never making you feel bad that you cannot afford the easiest route for diagnostics.
Kudos.and reccommend 100%

Brought my cat in because I noticed his ears were turning yellow and my regular vet couldn’t see him and said I should take him to an animal hospital. A vet tech and 2 vets assessed him and said he was fine so they didn’t even charge me for the consult, which I was totally expecting to pay. The vet tech was lovely and super thorough with her history taking! I am super impressed by how they seemed to genuinely care and not be all about making money as many vets I’ve been to.

My dog Rosa was seen in emergency care at OVH a few days ago for abdominal pain and diarrhea, and I have nothing but good things to say. Despite there being an influx of patients due to power outages from the big storm at the other emergency clinics nearby, Rosa was seen within an hour. All staff were empathetic and friendly to deal with and showed great care for Rosie. They kept her there for a few hours for xray and observation while I waited at home, then I received a call from the vet (unfortunately forgot her name) who explained everything in detail and aftercare instructions. The vet was noticeably caring about expenses and was upfront with me about costs and where we could bypass tests that weren’t critical right now. I am very grateful that Rosie got such good care and she is doing better already!

For any emergency don't go to this hospital! They don't have the expertise to treat every type of injury so you will end up having to pay again to have your animal seen at the Alta Vista hospital where all the specialists are.
I phoned them and told them I believed my cat had a broken jaw. Found out after a 2 1/2 hour wait that they aren't able to treat jaw fractures.that is what the vet told me. They could have easily just told me that over the phone. The manager disagreed and said that I could have been mistaken about the jaw fracture and it might have been something that they could have treated there and that they do treat some jaw fractures. Mmmmm the manager and the vet giving me two different answers. (I called my vet the next day and even one in Gatineau to see if they have anyone who could do this surgery and both referred me to Alta Vista saying that there is only the one guy that does this surgery).
The vet suggested I get x-rays done to confirm it is a fracture, and then after showing me them, told me that the x-rays she took are not ones that give a detailed view for his kind of injury. Mmmmm so she suggested I get x-rays that wouldn't help at all at a cost of 250.00. Even the specialist told me that they wouldn't be helpful when I saw him at Alta vista the next day. They also wanted to put in a feeding tube even though he might not need one.only the specialist could determine that. All at a cost of 1400.00 without even getting his jaw reset. What vet suggests a surgery knowing the cat can easily get this done during the main surgery to fix his jaw?
There's at lot more, but to shorten it, they knocked off 250 off my bill for a hospital stay, so I paid 550 for the check-up, x-rays, a pain reliever and an I. V. I was very happy to get my animal to Alta Vista where they actually fixed him. It wasn't cheap but when comparing billing between the two hospitals, Alta Vista charges less for the same services. Also just for a regular check-up, it is $84 and at my vet it is $55. So that place is just plain expensive. Shop around.
In my opinion, they should have suggested that we take him to Alta Vista in the first place and he would have been in the queue sooner to see the specialist. His surgery could have been done a day earlier than when it took place.

Honestly I wouldn't reccomend VCA, ever, I used them for awhile but for emergencys the y can't even do that they are not customer friendly at all, your dog could be puking blood and they will still make you wait outside for hours. Absolutely unreslistic place, if u care for your pet you will go elsewhere, like Carling Animal hospitol

When our black lab lost her strength, I contacted our local emergency vet service, and was directed to a multitude of others who all redirected us, or apologized offering appointments days away.

Alta Vista was the place who took our need as urgent, the staff were very thoughtful and the doctor was wonderful when describing our options.

Sadly, our 12 year old lab had reached the end of her time here, but I appreciate the opportunity to understand options, and to mindfully begin the process of saying goodbye in a space where our dog's whole life could be considered with dignity, love and accessible care.

Great team!

From the front desk staff to the team of doctors (in my case doctor Niu).

Very grateful that in the situation that was challenging, they took my small kitten Puff and provided a good care for him.

Much respect and love!

I had to bring my girl, Mya, in on an emergency basis early Sept. All of the staff, the front desk staff, the technicians and the DR’s have been so amazing since then. They are so helpful and professional, and they look after your pet, like they are their own. They are truly wonderful and Mya and myself are so fortunate that we found them.

Don't expect help from them unless your pet is on the verge of death. Open 24h? Odd since I was unable to come in for help. Telling me to go and call my vet isnt helpful, and telling me can't take more patients when you're open 24h makes no sense. Thank you for not helping me at all, not taking my call seriously and asking no followup questions. Next time I'll make sure to not call you since I now understand that you will be of no help.

Next time I recommend being nicer and actually listening regardless if you believe it's an emergency or not, since for others it may feel like it. Maybe ask how long it's being going on for? Maybe if the pet is eating? Idk maybe anything other then go somewhere else since that's unhelpful and not useful.

With everyone and every interaction we had, the staff at VCA were polite, accommodating, proffesional and curteous. Thank you VCA.

The only reason I gave 1 star was because I do not have the option to give zero. Avoid at absolutely any cost. They prey on panicked pet parents and provide mediocre to atrocious service.

Our dog had a bad cut on her paw. We brought her in, panicked, at 3pm on a Sunday. Did not receive a call until 12: 30 am the next day. They sedated and cleaned our dog’s paw. Did not glue the wound shut. Did not stitch it. They bandaged it and handed her back to us to the tune of $800.

The next day her bandage was oozing. We brought her into after hours to have the bandages changed. We were turned away and told she was fine.

As recommended, we followed up with our vet 48 hours after the incident, only to find out that: 1. Her paw was never closed; 2. The wound is now infected; and 3. They applied the wrong bandage.

Avoid at all costs.

After my pup had seizures we brought him here and the staff and doctor on rotation that night were amazing. They answered all of my questions and tried as best as possible to work with the budget I had. All and all it was a great experience despite what was going on.

The staff showed so much compassion and love to me and my pet and I will be forever grateful. The system to get in due to covid was a huge hassle but I understand they're doing the best they can.

It was one of the saddest days in my life when this innocent little kitten had to be let go due to congenital heart disease. But this institution made is possible and took every step to manage our deep sorrow.

I wish I never came to this place.

Their triage process is based on weight. They put on a facade of an establishment that knows what it is doing, but treat distraught, hurt and panicked people like garbage, and relish in doing so.

Don't be fooled by any semblance of competence in this veterinary clinic. There are a large number of glaring problems that are often missed about this place that many wouldn't realize due to the situations that are in.

First, they are extremely expensive, and quick to point the finger. Should you request or recommend a payment plan or payment later, they have often been reported as to have called locale SPCA on the owner, for various reasons, but commonly abuse. They have been known to use this as a threat in their tactic to have the pet surrendered. Certainly they must understand that this comes off as money grubbing, and greedy? But, no it does appear as though they work on commission.

Next, I have also gathered many outside opinion that their triage is weight based, should you have a pet cat in danger or at risk of death, I have been warned that they prioritize the larger animal, such as dogs, over the smaller animals, such as cats, when administering positions in queue.

Personally, I find them rude and disrespectful. They act as though you are an inconvenience to their lives. Many of which seem disinterested in even being there, much less the well being of your animal. I am concerned that they only have a single doctor and nobody on call for being an emergency establishment.

Should you go here, I'd recommend not. There are plenty of other establishments that are finer and more passionate about what they do for your animal. Please seek help somewhere else.

Staff is very friendly and understanding, thank you for showing care and courtesy as we had to put our cat down on such short notice.fly high baby boy

This place is amazing. Thanks to the vet and the team for saving are 9 month old baby cat. We are extremely grateful for everything that you guys have done. Working all does crazy hours must be so tiring but you guys never give up ️

My cat recently had an abscess in one of her teeth. VCA took such good care of her and of us as inexperienced but overly dramatic cat "owners". I'm so grateful to them for saving her with just antibiotics so we didn't have to discuss surgery:)

They take forever.they put you on hold and pretty much forget about you.they only care about money and wasting people's time. Worst experience ever. Total rip off. Be warned.

In summary: Dissapointing for emergency appointments. Our puppy ingested something he shouldn't have and we only had a 2 hour window to get him to throw up before digestion and blockage began. The vet didn't bring him in immediately so we had to take matters into our own hands. If you want your dog to throw up buy Hydrogen Peroxide 3% from the drugstore for $6 and use a turkey baster. Save yourself the time and money!

Long version: 10: 20pm our puppy ingested a plush squirrel tail, he chewed it off at the base and ate the tail whole. We drive 20 min here and are on the phone with their receptionist at 11pm. Remember we have until 12: 20am. While we're waiting we research things on our phones and find out there's an at home method (hydrogen peroxide 3%), a fantastic article from the AKC. We wait for the phone call but time is ticking so at 11: 40pm we make the decision to drive to the 24-hour Shoppers and then back home. We get in the door at 12: 03am and the hydrogen peroxide is in his mouth a few minutes after. Around 12: 20am he throws up the squirrel tail! Can't believe how easy and effective that was. Since he last ate around 6pm we gave him a bit of kibble so that his body could throw something else up. Worked like a charm.

If something is THIS time sensitive we should have received a call saying they can't serve us in time and/or telling us the hydrogen peroxide method. Instead we got a long wait time. In fact I'm writing this at 1: 30am (same day) and we still have not received a call. We didn't even tell them we left so they think we're still in line.extremely disappointed in the lack of consideration for our specific situation.

Do not go here. Terrible service. My mom took our 1 year old puppy who has been lethargic all of last night and today. We were up with our pup all night because she was throwing up repeatedly and still is and has very low energy and keeps coughing as well. When my mom took her to the clinic she was asked to fill out an online form and only then they would possibly consider triage in 30 minutes. When she asked if she could fill out the form inside because she couldn't see the online form in the sun she was yelled at and told very rudely that this was not an emergency by a woman who we think is the technician. I do not understand how this was not an emergency? She is repeatedly throwing up and is in pain. So unbelievably rude. I can understand referring us to go somewhere else if you are full capacity but literally yelling at your customers? Yikes.

They took the time to explain everything to us as we just lost our Maggie they took the time to let us say our last good byes and the Vet wow very very recommended she let us have our time with her explained everything. She was so nice to us! Thank you so much to you guys! Thank you for taking the time with us in this hard time xxx

Not impressed with their service. We went in with our young cat and they were pressuring us to keep her there and pay upwards of 5k. Told us if we brought her home she would die that night (she didn't). They had our kitty for 5 hours just to do blood work and give her some saline. They would tell us that they would be done in 20 minutes and we would call and they were not done. We were told that a puppy that came in AFTER our cat, who required immediate care, took their attention.
They played with our emotions and were trying to gouge our money. Never going back.
If you go there, make sure you get a second opinion elsewhere or someone who has medical knowledge because they play off of ignorance.

Just wanted to say a huge thank you again to everyone at VCA, what a caring, compassionate and professional team! It was a really hard moment in my pet's life (rest in peace, my sweet Spicy) and they all went above and beyond for us both. Thank you so much again, Dr Aaron & everyone at VCA, all the very best to you all <3

Unfortunately had to put my dog down. They were very helpful and supportive through this tough time. With covid couldn’t be inside when we first brought her they were great answering our million questions. So we could make an informed decision

It's hard to get appointments but will consult on phone and got allergy medicine for my dog. Makes me wish I had pet insurance. Nice people to deal with.

Much love to VCA Ottawa. I have brought my dog here twice for their emergency service with ongoing seizure activity (she has epilepsy). Their response was thorough, compassionate and reasonable.

This week we brought our old guy to their emergency services for ongoing vomiting and rectal bleeding. Dr. Armstrong provided 3 treatment plans including one with euthanasia, which we ended up choosing. Dr. Armstrong and her staff were so compassionate, caring and held space for our old guy and us as Sawyer ran over the rainbow Thank-you for making tough, terrible choices a little easier.

Very impressed with this initial visit - an emergency for my beloved kitty. Response has been immediate and she'll be with them for 48hrs at least. And I'm totally okay with that, even though we've never been there before. So nice to move here from the West Coast and immediately feel so comfortable and confident leaving my Lovey there.

I brought my cat in for an exam after viewing vaginal discharge. Diagnosed her with Pyometra, insisted on an urgent spay. I found a vet for the surgery on Monday, blood work was good - seemed to have no sign of infection. During operation it turned out to be simply that she was pregnant. Bad diagnosis and very sad outcome.

Our second visit to this location and again excellent service. They care about our pet and about us. Great to keep in touch. Staff is friendly. Decent price. Not overcharged. This trip was an over night stay and we were kept informed of every step. This is our top go to for emergency pet service. Only regret is not finding them 7 years ago. Thank you for being top notch and keeping your personal touch.

Had to leave my puppy overnight. She was so well taken care of that when they called me to give me an update, my puppy was getting love from a tech and having the time of her life.didn't seem to miss me at all! Lol
I loved the text and phone updates, as well as the follow-up call a week later!

They take very good care of my dog.
They try to give advice to help you on costs. They have a good pet care plan.
And my dog trusts them now with nail trimmings (no muzzle). Before no one anywhere could do his nails. Aussie/border collie. He loves them so much he jumped out of car window to see a staff member before leaving the vet. First time ever to jump out. He was leashed. Caught my mom off guard.