Kitsilano Animal Clinic

We were already very happy with our first visit with our dog since moving into the neighbourhood last year. Our dog is reactive so the appointments are made at the end of business hours which is fine for us. The staff and vet are so kind and caring to their patients and their owners.  Recently our dog became sick on the Victoria Day holiday so we had to bring him into an emergency hospital. We so wished Kits Animal Clinic was open as it turns out the experience at the emergency hospital was nothing but praying on pet owners and a giant cash grab. Had we agreed on the all the recommended tests, we would have found ourselves with $2K bill. Anyway, we agreed to have full panel fecal lab test. I called Kits Animal Clinic if they would review the test results. They were very receptive, reviewed the results and called us back the same day. While the prescribed test from the other clinc was extensive, given the symptoms we described, Kits would have taken a more conservative approach to testing and less of a hit to our pocketbook. Love this place and highly recommend it. Read Less

Terry is an amazing person, most caring and extremely knowledgeable vet. Her only concern is always the health of your pet and not about billing you for visits and meds like most other vets. She is fair and will spent as much time as required to listen to your concerns and will do thorough exams every time. We love her and wish her much health and would not even think of going elsewhere. She should be an example to all others on what a true doctor is meant to be specially the ones that exploit you when you are most vulnerable. Read Less

Fantastic vet in the heart of Kitsilano. Friendly and caring team. We have been taking our little Amy Lou there for 9 years and are very happy with their service. No hesitation to recommended this clinic for your precious pet! Read Less

We are so happy to have discovered Kitsilano Animal Clinic, where we bring our 4-year-old German Shepherd, Caesar. In a very short time we have come to trust and respect the doctors and staff there, and we love the great service. Caesar is also very fond of his wonderful doctor, Terry. We always receive a warm welcome there, and we are confident that we are getting the best care possible for our dog. And as a bonus, the rates are reasonable too! I recommend this clinic to anyone looking for a vet in the area. Read Less

My cat had three nails that had grown into his paw and it was infected.  Without having to put him under, Dr. Terri was able to clip them while my cat was relatively calm! My cat is 17yo and I've seen a few vets over the years. I will be coming back soon for my other cat. Read Less

Great place! My cat ate a rope few days ago. Everyone cares this so much and helping me a lot. I followed all what doctors told me to do until the entire thing comes out naturally. Highly recommend this clinic. Read Less

After our vet moved back home I spent months looking for a good clinic with staff that really cared about their patients/clients. Being a veterinary assistant myself, I am extremely picky when it comes to the care of my pups. We are very happy to have found Teri and her lovely staff! My pup has a fear of strangers but he loved Teri from the very beginning. She's a crazy dog lady just like me! Another huge plus is that we get to see Violet the chocolate lab very time we visit!Read Less

Teri is a great vet...she gives realistic treatment options and is fabulous with the pets. Her wealth of knowledge and common sense approach achieves the best result for your pet. The key to Teri's success however is she actually listens to you - the client. All the staff are wonderful and I can highly recommend this vet clinic. Read Less

I have been working with Terri and her staff for over 20 years. As a cat and dog lover we have been through many adoptions, life events and goodbyes together. Terri has been wonderful through it all and I hold her in the highest regard. She and her staff are kind, thoughtful, effective and I respect that they do not push 'over-treatment'. I would not hesitate to recommend this clinic.Read Less

My dog sees Dr. Meghan Cavanaugh and she is very nice and attentive. At first I was inclined to ask for Dr. Eisen because Meghan is a newer practitioner, but I find her to be very methodical and trustworthy. It is my new opinion that more experienced vets are actually more likely to jump to conclusions because of past patients. I am a big believer in evidence-based medicine and I won't do something unless there is proof that it works and is safe. The staff here are all very patient and polite despite my many questions and inquiries while diagnosing my dog. Dr. Cavanaugh is especially good at listening to concerns carefully. She helped us rule out possible differential diagnoses methodically for what might be afflicting my dog. She doesn't push expensive tests or treatments on us. She was happy to do a cheaper round of non-invasive treatment instead of various super expensive tests, but I declined because I was curious to see what my dog had. I had to bring up the possibility of a dental for my dog myself. The one advice I would give her is to not let her opinion get drowned out as much by what the dog owner thinks. At one point once she has all the info she needs to give her final recommendation assertively. In all the occasions I have been here I've never once winced or felt uncomfortable with how they handled my dog. My dog hates being touched at the vet and the way they handle him is very professional. They are not like other vets/vet techs I've seen who try to yell at the dog or scold the dog to try and get them to "submit" (as if it actually does anything!?). If my dog refuses to have something done they just muzzle him or simply try again after he calms down. I now just leave the room, which tends to calm my dog down, and let them do what they do because I trust them. They also told me that my dog's previous vet was over-vaccinating him. They were happy to delay the vaccines for my dog for a few months until his other conditions were settled down, which I really appreciated. I am very happy with the care my dog is getting here, and I trust the people here to diagnose/treat my dog properly in the future. The receptionists are very competent. They are very good about sending over lab results and receipts. They have never messed up any appointments and they are quite knowledgeable. When they don't know the answer to a question, instead of winging it they will always call the vet out to verify and give a second opinion, which I find comforting because I am always very anxious about things relating to my dog's health. Finally, I find that they use an exceptionally fast lab service. I appreciate that I normally can expect results the next day if I want a test done. Read Less

My 17 year old cat, Henri, has stage 4 diabetes. Last Thursday, I noticed that Henri's face was puffed out on the one side and she had stopped eating the day before. My regular vet was unavailable. I had gotten pet food on occasion from the clinic and liked the general "vibe" of the place. Seeing the 2 senior cats at the reception counter and hearing about how the people at the clinic rescued them, also made me think that this might be a good alternative place for my beloved Henri in case of an emergency. The emergency came last Friday, and the staff at the Kits Animal Clinic responded professionally and quickly. Henri had an abscessed tooth. They made the time to operate on her the same day. She was home by the evening recuperating. Putting any living thing under anesthetics is a risky business, but with my cat it was even riskier. Having Stage 4 kidney disease and a heart murmur plus the fact that the vets had never seen my cat before, made it even more difficult, but despite all of this, my Henri is doing really well. I would not hesitate to recommend this animal clinic to any pet owner. They really care and in the end, saved my beloved cat's life. Read Less

I've always had a great experience at Kitsilano Animal Clinic.  The staff are super friendly, and they give my cat Helo tonnes of attention and love.  When I was searching for a certain chinese herbal remedy for treating anxiety/over-excitement in pets that my last vet in Australia used to prescribe, they pulled out all the stops finding places nearby where I could source it from.  Very helpful! Read Less

Seriously great care and attention to any animal I have brought to this clinic over the last 16 years. Terry Eisen is both incredibly knowledgeable, professional and compassionate to both owner and critters. There are always options given to address both economic and philosophical differences in the care of  much loved animals. As the rating indicates...truly as good as it gets. Thank you so much Terry for your support and the finest of care over the years. Amazing staff too! Read Less

I've been taking my pets to Dr. Eisen at the Kitsilano Animal Clinic for over a decade.  She is extremely knowledgeable and caring.  She is also an excellent surgeon.  I would definitely recommend Dr. Eisen and her staff to care for your furry loved ones. Read Less

We feel incredibly fortunate to have found the Kitsilano Animal Clinic.We adopted a rescue dog who had a host of medical problems, and we went to several vets who just piled on the medications for the symptoms -- but never got to the root of his problems.We were recommended to Kits Animal Clinic by a specialist vet, and both Dr. Gordon and Dr. Eisen helped us sort out our dog's severe food and environmental allergies -- which involved trying multiple diets, different medications, etc., as well as a lot of time, patience and persistence.We arrived with a large ziploc bag packed full with the medications from other vets, and now he's down to just two -- and because of just the right diet, our guy is almost completely symptom-free. Truly a night and day difference from where we started.The doctors at the clinic always take their time with patients, carefully answering all questions, and they always squeeze you in if/when there's an emergency. They also often follow up on the phone (at no charge) to see how your pet is doing and to answer any further questions. Truly above and beyond. They're great with professional guidance when difficult decisions have to get made, too.Their staff is always courteous, compassionate, efficient and friendly -- and most importantly, they clearly love the animals. Whenever we're walking by, our dog actually wants to go in and say hi, which really says it all. Read Less

My pets have been clients at Kits Animal Clinic for over 15 years. Dr. Eisen and her staff are incredibly compassionate and caring. Dr. Eisen literally saved my accident prone Vizsla more times than I can remember. I highly recommend the Kitsilano Animal Clinic Read Less

If you have any kind of holistic bent to your approach to your pet's health, don't expect compassion and understanding from this clinic. I took my dog in to see Dr. Eisen at the recommendation of a friend. I was told she was methodical and didn't push procedures and medications unless necessary so I felt this might be a reasonable compromise to a much more expensive holistic vet visit (which is really what I wished my budget would have allowed at the time).  My dog had been suffering from a seizure about once every six weeks. I kept a detailed diary of her seizure activity and came armed with research on when anti-seizure medication is typically begun, and I had already started researching alternatives to medication based on the possible causes of the seizures. Eisen was quick to diagnose this as "epilepsy" despite not having ruled out other possible causes. She pushed medication, citing that I should get my dog on a prescription "immediately" despite my findings which said most vets won't start these meds until they see at least two grand mal seizures happening in a one month period. We were nowhere near that frequency.I said I would think about it and that I was keen to change up my dog's diet first to discover if it could be an allergic reaction. I also talked about trying chiropractic adjustments to see if the seizures could be caused by a spinal misalignment. I also thought I might go so far as to source CBD oil (cannabis oil) since I heard it can work wonders in both humans and dogs who suffer from seizures. Eisen looked at me as if I had three heads. At least she was up front about her  skepticism about alternative treatments and granted, that's not how your conventional vet is trained to approach illness but I do expect a level of professionalism that doesn't make me feel like some sort of fringe hippie freak during what is supposed to be a professional consult. I legged it out of Kits Animal Clinic and booked in with Petra Rutz, a chiropractor who adjusts both people and animals. I'm THRILLED to say that after about a dozen treatments my dog has been seizure free for four months. The seizures tapered off slowly as we started the adjustments and over time we've tapered off the adjustments too. At the same time, we transitioned our dog off of a basic leash and collar and onto a Freedom No Pull Harness. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I went with my gut and tried a natural therapy instead of signing on for a never-ending pharmaceutical option that would have been both hard on my pocket book and hard on my dog's system. The many possible side effects of anti-seizure meds were downplayed during this consult too.If you feel you aren't getting what you want out of your experience at any vet, go elsewhere. I have no doubt that Eisen handles the drug end of things wonderfully but if you are looking to really be heard and respected as a client, AND if you have any desire at all to discuss holistic or natural therapies, this is most certainly not the place to go.I concur what another reviewer said about prioritizing her own dogs over yours. She went out into her waiting room to go get her dog and invite it into our exam room where it became the center of attention during our consult. Very unprofessional.She's also quite forthcoming about her opinion of certain vets who come from overseas to practice veterinary medicine which I found inappropriate. She talked about how they tend to jack up the price of drugs they dispense but tend to give a big discount on the cost of the consult. i was intrigued to learn I was being fleeced by my previous vet on medication costs but I'm not sure how choosing to charge more for drugs is any different than what she does which is charge more for the consult. (?!) Read Less

I've been bringing my cats to this clinic for about 7 years now. The staff are all great, very friendly & welcoming. Dr. Eisen is very good at diagnosing without relying on multiple tests (which helps the pocketbook). She is also very good at explaining things without getting into too much medical jargon. It's a small practice & the nice thing about that is they actually recognize you, even when just picking up food. I definitely recommend this vet. I'd give them 5 stars if they were closer to my house (cats hate car rides). Read Less

We have dealt mostly with Terry (Eisen) at the clinic. She was amazing when my 22-year-old cat, had to be put to sleep. Allowed time to say goodbye and cry, was very sympathetic and lovely. She also provided him with excellent care during his life. Since we added two beagles to our family, she has continued to provide amazing care. You can just tell that she loves animals (being a dog owner herself) and has great empathy for the worries of pet parents. I wouldn't take my beagles anywhere else. Read Less

Vet was late for my appointment, I was the first of the day. When I inquired about it, I was met by rudeness from reception. When the vet finally arrived, she argued that I was only suppose to drop my pet off, then was so rude!!  I worked in customer service all my life and I could never image treating or talking to a customer the way she talked to me. I felt worthless. I found a site where you rate vets and there are several on this site saying pretty much what I experienced. Very upsetting!!! Read Less

Dr Gordon at the clinic is the most patient and understanding doctor our 6-year-old shiba inu has had in both the Bay Area and Vancouver. She understands the quirkiness of the breed and the screams that our dog lets out when being treated. Dr Gordon finds ways to work with our dog and realizes that each dog and each breed is different in personality.  Despite the stubbornness of our dog, she still likes him :) Read Less

Not the cheapest place in town, but the quality of care for my Norfolk Terrier furry sons has been top notch since I started bringing them here about 4 years ago.They are very accommodating for pet emergencies, loving and kind no matter how my dogs are behaving and above all, very competent. I also appreciate that they do not appear to perform unnecessary tests to pad the bills. The steady stream of humans and pets to and from the clinic leads me to believe that others think highly of it too. 4.5 stars Read Less