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Canada West, Veterinary Specialists & Critical Care
Category: Pets Veterinarians Veterinarians [Edit]
1988 Kootenay StVancouver, BC V5M 4Y3
Neighbourhood: Hastings-Sunrise
(604) 473-4882
Barbara D. said: "My husband and I drive to Burnaby from the Sunshine Coast including the price of the car on the ferry, Dr. Dhaliwal costs about half as much as our local vet. He is compassionate, gentle, intelligent and explains everything carefully.…" read more »
6 reviews for Canada West, Veterinary Specialists & Critical Care
6 reviews in English
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Review from Dee B.
3/27/2012
Almost two years ago we took our pup here. She had ruptured a disk in her back which paralyzed her - the only option I could see at that time was to put her down. Life as a paralyzed dog would have been no life for her, or for us.
We are insured, thank god, and were consulted by Dr. Higgins Lovely man. He gave us all the facts after our girl had a CT scan. He was very sensitive to my emotional state and gave me as much time with my pup as I needed to say goodbye. We even had my sister (living in Halifax at the time) on speaker phone howling and crying her goodbyes to our dear Lola (dog). Dr. Higgins didn't bat an eye, give us a weird look or impose any judgement on us at all. When it was time, I gave Dr. Higgins the go ahead and he put Lola down. It was very peaceful and comforting knowing that Lola spent her final day out of pain in the good hands of the folks at CWVS.
The day after I put Lola down I had so many mixed feelings. I called Dr. Higgins and asked him if he thought I did the right thing. He stayed on the phone with me for as long as I needed him to and consoled me. He told me that he would have made the same decision and that he agrees that life as a paralyzed dog is no life at all for the dog or their owners. That phone call helped me so much through the following months. (Thank you for talking to me that day, Dr.Higgins - if you ever read this review)
I will agree with Tamara L. - CWVS deal with the cases your regular vet can't deal with. When animals go to CWVS it's not because something good has happened. With emotions flying high, the staff at CWVS never makes you feel like you are burdening them with your tears, snot and howling. They simply just give you a hug and then send you a card from the whole staff tell you how sorry they feel for your loss.
Additionally, the equipment they use is state of the art. I think Canadians take for granted our public healthcare system since we never see a bill for our care (outside of our horrendous tax rates) . The reality of it is as dog breeding becomes increasingly reckless, the need for insurance increases. i am insured (I got brave and brought home another pup just a few months ago). It's the best gift you can give both yourself and your pet. Money doesn't have to be the deciding factor between care and/or life.Listed in: All Things Dogs
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Review from Tamara L.
7/29/2011
First, let's get something straight. This is a Specialist Clinic. It deals with cases that are more desperate, more stressful & more emotional than any other clinic in the GVRD. It is home to some of the most highly skilled, educated & experienced Veterinary Medical Professionals in all of BC (and probably even Canada). In all honesty, it's probably one of the best Vet Clinics in all of Canada. If you have an emergency- CanWest is the place to go. From start to finish our experience at CanWest has been professional, honest and caring.
But! All that professionalism, expertise & high tech equipment comes at a cost. It's EXTREMELY expensive.
We were referred to CanWest after our dog suddenly fell paralyzed in his rear legs. He was diagnosed immediately with having Disc Disease and ruptured spinal disc(s). We had 2 options- Surgery or 'Conservative' Treatment (crate rest & meds). The problem w/ surgery was that the diagnostic tests, surgery, drugs & after care were estimated to cost $7000. Oh, and they would require 75% of that cost up front- immediately.
Dr. Sharp is the NeuroSurgeon at CanWest and he is the ONLY Board Certified (meaning that he can TEACH neurosurgery) Veterinary NeuroSurgeon in Canada. Without a doubt, he is one of the best in his field in all of North America. We met with Dr. Sharp before making the decision to operate, and he was extremely straight forward and 'no bullshit'. We asked about treating this Conservatively & he answered all of our questions candidly, discussed our options with us honestly, and never once made us feel pressured.
We are uninsured, and it took many panicked phone calls-- but we were able to beg & borrow enough to cover the costs of the procedure... and so we opted to go with the surgery. Dr. Sharp & his team are AMAZING and absolutely understood the urgent nature of our dog's situation and they got him on the table for surgery within an hour of us giving them the go ahead.
Our little dog pulled through the surgery and was able to be released to us within 2 days of his operation. But that is not where CanWest's care & attention ended. Every time we called with a question they were happy to answer it for us, and always remembered us and who our dog was. Even the receptionists would cheerfully remark, "Oh! Yes! I remember him! How is he doing?!" I'm happy to report that our dog is doing great and will soon be starting Rehabilitation Therapy at CanWest. He is expected to make a full recovery.
I am sad to hear that some other people had less pleasant experiences with CanWest. My heart goes out to them. I know how stressful and awful it can be to see your pet in pain and to feel like you aren't getting the care & attention that you need. I ALWAYS suggest that people do their own research, ask questions and make educated, rational decisions with the information they have.
I can only speak from my OWN experience though... and personally, I was very impressed with CanWest and trust them unquestioningly. -
Review from Joseph L.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 10/13/2010
In my opinion, this place does not even deserve 1 star. I brought my beloved cat to them on a recommendation from another vet. My cat was having problems walking and peeing outside the litter box. When I first saw the vet at Canada West, his first words after seeing my cat walk was: "I've never seen anything like this". these guys are supposed to be the foremost experts in all of western Canada.
What came next was the battery of tests they performed on my cat. After about 3 tests that cost a total of $2600 they still did not know what was wrong with my cat. They thought it might be neurological so they asked for a few more test to be done. Next round of tests cost $800. They still did not know what was wrong with my cat. Now they wanted to do exploratory tests on my cat. When I asked them if there was anyone else around for a second opinion, the vet there said I could see his colleague whose office is down the hall from his. Did they think I was really going to trust the opinion of another vet from the same place? I asked him that I would like to see another neurologist from another pet hospital. They told me that they are the only ones in all of BC. You've got to be kidding me.
I did ask them if they took insurance claims, and they just rolled their eyes. Cash or charge up front only, no insurance claims. When they finally realized that they could not squeeze any more money out of me, they stopped all contact with me. What a poor decision on my part to take my cat there. My opinion is that if you like to get mediocre care and spend lots of money, then by all means take your pet there. Otherwise, stay far away from this place. They only care about how much money they make and not the well being of the animal.
I have seen stories on the news about severely injured animals being taken to this place and the owners having to go public to try to raise the funds to pay for their treatment at this place.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/25/2010 First to Review
These guys are nothing but scammers. The main thing they are interested in is if you have money to… Read more »
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Review from Emmo S.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 3/17/2011
Wow, looks like Canada West got some 'shiny happy' posters to flavour their rating since they did damage control with us...and yelp is FILTERING (read CENSORING) my review....stay classy guys. Heaven forbid consumers actually hear a real story.
After our initial visit, the first specialist, Dr. higgins called me, in his words "to see how my dog was doing", however I knew that the administrator told me the previous day she was going to have him call... so the fake caring bit was really special. Dr. higgins offered a follow up visit for free (280 dollar value) - we opted to see the other neurologist on staff, nick sharp who was quite good. He was fair, practical and provided a lot of thoughtful advice and didn't push any services, staying focused on our situation and treatment strategies.
In summary would I go back to this facility. Never. Through it all they seemed more worried about their bad review than my dogs actual condition. If you require specialists care, be very wary of the information they provide to you - get a second opinion before agreeing to any treatment at their exorbitant rates.
Oh yes, Dr. Higgins said our dog wouldn't walk if she didn't have surger and it was a dire situation. She was able to walk within 14 days and now, a little over a month out is able to stand, sit, walk unassisted to her potty breaks and a bit around the house (only due to confinement, but is active as ever).
Bottom line, research your options before agreeing to thousands or tens of thousands of care they will try to railroad you into. AND YELP STOP CENSORING LEGITIMATE CUSTOMER REVIEWS - SHAME ON YOU!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/6/2011
Brought in my dog who had a ruptured disc, referred by my regular vet. Although not appearing very… Read more »
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Review from Addy W.
Surrey, BC
8/1/2010
We brought our dog here today after he was attacked by 4 large dogs. (He is a small dog.) The care shown by the staff was amazing, and the care is impeccable. ( Way better care than we get in hospitals.) It is definitely expensive - very expensive, BUT they give the best care possible. Ever person we met was helpful, kind and very clear in their communications. I believe if we had gone anywhere else, our dog would have died (he was so severely bitten that his lung was hanging out.)
The staff from the receptionist to the er doc to the surgeon were professional, efficient and kind.
I don't know what will happen with our dog, but I know he is in the best possible hands. I can't recommend them highly enough. -
Review from Courtney M.
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2011
I have never had better vet care anywhere! They are the most amazing, caring, well trained team anywhere. I came in after a family friend told me to abandon the Vancouver animal emergency clinic because they were not going to do anything to save my dog who got hit by a car and his eye was coming out, until the morning! Awful! So at 9pm I drove my dying dog out to canada west, and within minutes they were calling in one of the top vet surgeons in Canada who came immediately and was in surgery with my pup within hours. They were so great at keeping me involved in every update on my dogs condition, and were upfront about the coats involved, with no surprises. The staff in the ICU spend time cuddling with the sick animals, and are so gentle and caring with them. I would never take my dogs anywhere else for emergency situations. They are amazing. My surgeon was Dr. Kuzma. A really great guy.
