Canmore Veterinary Hospital

NOTE: the drug acepromazine (the drug given to Ellie) is contraindicated for treating anxious or aggressive animals as they are more reactive to noise and startle under its influence, and can produce marked sedation. Acepromazine is a phenothiazine derivative tranquiliser that works by dissociative effects. This means that an animal might still perceive the fearful stimulus but be unable to make sense of it cognitively, resulting in increased fear and atypical reactions (Lloyd JKF. Minimising Stress for Patients in the Veterinary Hospital. Veterinary Sciences. 2017) I needed a place to board my dog, Ellie, for two nights. Upon bringing her to CVH I was warned that if a dog barks excessively they put a bark collar on them and if that doesn't work they will medicate (sedate them) or you have to pick them up. If I had been made aware of the policy at the time of booking I would have declined and made other arrangements. I have boarded Ellie regularly at various reputable kennels, including other Veterinary clinics, for longer stays of time and have never had an issue. Furthermore, she is crate trained at home and when I am at work she is happy to go into her crate because that is her safe space and where she sleeps at night.Ellie is no stranger to Veterinary clinic settings as I am a Veterinarian myself and she has stayed in them while I work. I decided against my better judgement to follow through with my booking as it was too late to cancel and find an alternative. I told the staff I have never had an issue with her and can pay for her stay and pick her up the following morning. The assistants suggested I should pay for her when I pick her up in case I incur more charges. When I asked what charges that might be they said barking which struck me as odd that they seemed to be suggesting there was a high probability they would have to use it and I would have to pay. The morning after dropping her off I received a phone call just as I was heading out with the wedding party I was with saying the collar is not working and that she will either need sedation or to be picked up. I was surprised they had put the collar on her without informing me as a courtesy (even though I had agreed to it for an extra cost if needed) and shocked that it would be necessary in the first place. As I was trying to explain that this really seems quite out of character and that I can’t imagine her reacting this way but I understand these things can happen in new environments the person on the phone cut me off to tell me I needed to make the choice to medicate or to pick her up. This was stressful news to receive and put me in the uncomfortable position of having to make a decision to leave my supposedly stressed out dog or the wedding party where I was an involved bridesmaid and had no alternative place to take my dog as the hotel we were staying did not allow them. The tech on the phone did not seem empathetic to my concerns and I felt pressured into allowing them to give sedation. I am surprised that they would need to resort to sedation so quickly especially since the operating hours of the staff are reduced on weekend and there would be periods of time where no one would be monitoring my dog (and sedated dogs can vomit and regurgitate which can be very serious). In addition if there was more staff present (as most boarding kennel services provide) the dogs may be less stressed and less inclined to bark with people around. After a very stressful evening worrying about my dog I went to pick Ellie up the next morning and had to pay the extra charges for the medication. The additional fee is the least of my concerns. The clinic claimed the policy is in place to ensure quiet for the adjacent neighbours in their strip mall and as such I feel this does not priotize the welfare of the animal and I am disappointed my colleagues would use this as a first resort. Read Less