Top 4 Best Veterinarians in Vancouver
Being a pet owner is much like being a parent to a small child. You need to make sure they get everything they need, from proper nutrition to appropriate medical care.
If you’re looking for a high-quality animal care provider in the city, you’ve come to the right place for information.
In this article, we take a look at some of the best veterinarians in Vancouver. Hopefully, it’ll help you find the provider that best suits your preferences and needs.
How much do vet visits in Vancouver cost?
Veterinary care can be expensive, especially in Vancouver. In 2019 alone, owners spent an average of $1,159 on the health of their pets, according to studies from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).
To give you a better picture of what to expect in terms of cost, here’s a chart of different veterinary services with their corresponding price tags:
The Best Veterinarians in Vancouver
We used the following criteria to evaluate the best veterinary clinics in the city:
1. BC SPCA Vancouver Animal Hospital
| Permit/License Compliance | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Service Diversity | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
| Affordability | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
| Facility Cleanliness | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Customer Satisfaction | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
BC SPCA Vancouver Animal Hospital is a popular veterinary clinic in Vancouver for cat and dog owners.
They have a 4.4-star review score on Google, with over 100 reviews from previous clients. They also have a respectable following on Yelp.
After going through their services, we discovered that they have utilities spanning beyond general physicals, vaccinations, and bloodwork. In fact, you can also get low-cost neuter and spay services for your cats and dogs at this clinic.
Upon checking, their veterinarians seem to have all the necessary licenses to practice in the city. However, we feel a little disappointed with how limited their expertise is to dog and cat care.
If you own any other type of pet, BC SPCA Vancouver Animal Hospital might not be the best match for you.
Overall, this clinic seems to offer good enough services for its clients. But after reading through some of their previous customer’s comments, we’re convinced that there might be more that this clinic isn’t showing us.
For one, there have been many complaints about their staff being rude if not lazy. Every vet clinic gets complaints of this sort, really, but we still found more of these than we’d normally ignore.
We caution pet owners to pay extra attention to the doctors they allow to handle their pet’s care too. Some haven’t exactly wowed a few of the pet owners we talked to, and we were advised to do a little background check to pick these out of the bunch.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Licensed animal doctors
- Average service diversity
Cons
- Reports of rude and lazy staff
- Care limited to cats and dogs
2. Yaletown Pet Hospital
| Permit/License Compliance | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Service Diversity | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
| Affordability | ★★☆☆☆ (2/5) |
| Facility Cleanliness | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Customer Satisfaction | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
Yaletown Pet Hospital has one of the most diverse care options on this list. Besides the standard wellness exams, you can also get urgent care, dental health care, surgery, vaccinations, and many others.
Unfortunately, these services are limited to dogs and cats only.
So, if you own a rabbit, hamster, or chinchilla, this might not be the best clinic for you.
Based on our inquiries about their doctors, we’ve confirmed that they’re fully licensed to practice in Vancouver. Plus, clients seem to love the way they handle animal patients.
Their facilities are generally clean, based on feedback from previous clients. The clinic disinfects after every patient, to preserve the health and safety of other pets.
All that said, there are areas wherein Yaletown Pet Hospital doesn’t seem to shine.
For one, their office staff has been complained about in Yelp and Google reviews for being ill-tempered and lazy.
There have been cases where clients had booked appointments weeks ahead only to discover that Yaletown’s staff failed to take note of it in their schedule, which is pretty inconvenient.
Moreover, it’s not ideal for the animals supposed to be in their care. This type of mistake can be dangerous and even fatal to an animal with a severe condition.
After evaluating their price list, we also found that the costs for getting care at this clinic are fairly high. For instance, a general physical can cost around $100.
That’s $20 more than the standard price at other veterinary clinics in Vancouver, so keep that in mind too if you plan to go here.
Pros
- Licensed animal doctors
- Average service diversity
- Promising customer reviews
- Clean facilities
- Open on Saturdays and Holidays
Cons
- Expensive care
- Reports of rude and lazy staff
- Care limited to cats and dogs
3. Pointgrey Veterinary Hospital
| Permit/License Compliance | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Service Diversity | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Affordability | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
| Facility Cleanliness | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Customer Satisfaction | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Pointgrey Veterinary Hospital is famous for their Fear-Free services. This program is designed to give pets comfort during vet visits.
So, if your furry baby leans slightly toward the anxious side, Pointgrey might be a great place for them to get treatment.
Besides their Fear-Free care, we learned that this clinic offers more than a dozen services for both cats and dogs. This includes things like dentistry, nutrition, surgery, diagnostics, and even pet insurance.
On the surface, one could call them a one-stop shop for all things veterinary-related. However, we do feel slightly discontented by the fact that their services only apply to cats and dogs — similar to the previous clinics we mentioned.
Client feedback about Pointgrey is generally good. There were a couple of disgruntled pet owners complaining about availability issues, though, but that’s a point for them too, in a way.
This is just proof of Pointgrey’s popularity among fur parents, after all.
All that said, we’d like to warn you about Pointgrey’s service rates. According to our surveys of previous customers, prices typically cost 30% more than the rates most clinics offer.
To help pet owners out with their bills, Pointgrey offers a payment plan called “Scratchpay.” This program allows you to take out a loan for your pet’s care, which you can pay for in increments later.
We don’t recommend that you get this, however. Well, unless it’s for urgent reasons e.g., your pet needs immediate surgery or treatment.
If you’re on a budget, we recommend you find a different clinic to get care from.
Pros
- Fear-Free care
- Scratchpay payment plan
- Licensed animal doctors
- Clean facilities
- Open on Saturdays
Cons
- Expensive care
- Schedules are often fully-booked
4. West Boulevard Veterinary Clinic
| Permit/License Compliance | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Service Diversity | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Affordability | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Facility Cleanliness | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Customer Satisfaction | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Out of all the clinics we reviewed today, West Boulevard Veterinary Clinic is by far the most impressive. Here’s why:
Not only do their services cater to cats and dogs, they also accept rabbits and other small animals such as guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas, hedgehogs, and more.
This is great news for pet owners who have tastes that deviate from the cat-and-dog norm.
After reading through their veterinarians’ profiles, we’re glad to report that all of them are fully licensed. All of them also have extensive experience in the field.
Clients told us that they appreciate the friendliness and attentiveness of the clinic’s office staff. Many pet owners praised them for their organization and passion for the job.
Based on this information, it’s safe to say that your furbabies are in good hands at West Boulevard Veterinary Clinic.
This clinic also accepts pet insurance from major providers like Trupanion, PetSecure, and PetsPlusUs. Pet insurance can really help pet owners afford healthcare for their furry companions.
Otherwise, you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket for services — which is not at all cheap at West Boulevard Veterinary Clinic.
Facilities are clean and sanitary, so you don’t have to worry about your pets catching illnesses during their visit. On top of that, they’re open until Saturday, which is great for fur parents who only have weekends off to take their pets to the vet.
Pros
- Licensed animal doctors
- Above-average service diversity
- Accepts pet insurance
- Friendly staff
- Open on Saturdays
Cons
- Expensive care
FAQs About Veterinarians in Vancouver
We hope our review of the best veterinary clinics in Vancouver helps you find the right provider for your fluffy companions.
Going on a vacation sometime soon? Learn about the best dog daycares in Vancouver so you know who to entrust your pet’s safety to while you’re away.