Pembina Veterinary Hospital

Found a friendly lost dog wandering in our neighborhood. We asked if they could keep him for the night until he could go to the shelter in the morning. We were told "we take patients not strays". If they can only provide care to paying customers and not vulnerable animals, we would not feel comfortable taking our own pets here. We took the dog to a different animal hospital who was happy to help him out. Read Less

Last week my pup got spayed and the vet we took her to did not put her cone on for us. Long story short, when we were ready to put it on her as she was starting to be more alert and try to pick at her cut, we COULD NOT get it on for the life of us! 3 adults! She was terrified of the cone and is a shepherd mix so after a couple hours of trying and being so frustrated, I brought her to your vet. Not only did you guys help us out (I must have looked so stressed), but you did not even charge for helping get the cone on which is not something that happens a lot these days. Thank you so much for helping a stressed fur mom out, we're so grateful! :) Attached a photo of how angry she was once you guys got it on for me. However I was happy! Read Less

Hi Dr Erica and staffI am feeling so much better after your wonderful care and ear surgery. Best of all, since I started on my new pain med once a day I can now walk better and even jump on my Dad's bed with no trouble. My left ear also looks great and I have buried that awful cone permanently. Grrr. You guys were all great and supported me and my family when we needed your help. Too bad I live in BC or I would visit and thank you all in person.   Diesel Dennehy and family. Read Less

I have always had polite, caring, professional and "to the point" experiences here with my dog, this includes his ongoing care, surgical work and an emergency situation when he was very young. Anyone who has run a small business knows that good staff (which are hard to find and keep) and managing receivables (getting paid) are critical to staying in business successfully. Pembina Veterinary Hospital has been here for years and I hope they'll be available to Winnipeg pet owners for years to come. Read Less

Dealing with this clinic gave me PTSD. Save yourself heartbreak. My senior cat had renal disease and crashed. I brought her here in an attempt to stabilise her. She had never crashed before, so I owed it to her to give her a chance. When we arrived, they examined her for a few seconds before saying, "Euthanise her." No blood tests. Nothing. They said coldly, "This will cost too much. It's not worth it." They slid the proposed bill across the table in a way that felt very manipulative, like a threat. There was no comfort or understanding. They just wanted to talk money. It wasn't about money for me, so I said I wanted to see if she would respond to treatment.If it didn't work, then it was her time, but I couldn't NOT try. From that point on, I entered a nightmare. Three times a day (for a week) I would get a call: "This is the bill. You need to pay X now. You should euthanise her. Bye." Nothing about her results or well-being. I had to ask about her. I argued to get her results emailed to me for a second opinion. I even had to interrupt one of them trying to end the phone call to say, "NO, NOT GOODBYE. I HAVE QUESTIONS." Every question was met with rudeness + "Why?" "Why do you need to know how the test went?" "Why do you need to know her blood test results?" "Why do you need to know what medication we're giving?" And then, every morning, the phone call included," You're cruel." Despite the fact that I was in touch with another vet and using the results to gauge that she was initially responding to treatment. Her numbers were improving. There was no sign that it wasn't working. "You're cruel. Euthanise." I was burning alive from stress. The phone calls were starting to make me ill--every morning it was my alarm clock. I was just trying to bide my time until I could transfer her to the other vet clinic. Every morning was a fight to get anything but a conversation about the bill and an accusation that I was abusing my only friend. The appointment to move her couldn't come soon enough. The night we were going to bring her home before her morning transfer, they said: "We will not release her." They said this to us an hour before we were going to come pick her up. I'd been waiting all day. She was "too sick to go home" despite us having been in contact with them multiple times that day, with this not having been said prior, and us having confirmed pick-up. The night that I'd envisioned, maybe the last night with my best friend in my arms, was taken away from me. The next morning, I got the worst call of my life. "You have to meet with Animal Control at the clinic at 8 am." They had called Animal Control on me the day that she was to be moved to the other clinic. Other reviews mention being treated like criminals. I agree. Nothing compares to trying your best to give your pet medical care and being turned in as an ANIMAL ABUSER. Walking into the clinic to face them felt like walking to the gallows for a crime I didn't commit. They unhooked her from the IV and made a grand statement that it was like life support and would kill her (something that the other vet told me later was not true) and brought her to me in a viewing room. I had taken her there as a skinny, elderly girl. She was enormous and swollen with water. The other vet had said to make sure to tell them not to overhydrate her--they had. She couldn't sit up. They had NEVER ONCE TOLD ME, IN ALL THOSE CALLS, THAT SHE HAD PHYSICALLY DETERIORATED. The Animal Control officer was there to make sure "the animal was disposed of." I could do nothing but fight to have her euthanised at the other clinic. I would have died before letting them do it. The other clinic was kind. The vet hugged me. She assured me that I had done everything right by her; everything I could. She had quit the Pembina Vet Hospital for many of these reasons. My cat died in my arms with the Officer there to sign off on her death. It broke my heart. I needed sleeping pills for months to get over the nightmares from the calls and accusations of abuse. Save yourselves. Save your pets. Read Less

I paid almost $400 this morning to basically have them tell me that my 18yo diabetic cat had extremely low blood sugar (which we all already knew since he was in diabetic shock) and to put him down. $110 of that was the charge for an iv that they didnt use other than as an easy way to inject him to euthanize him. They use people's grief and desperation to tale advantage financially, and have been known for this for years. I wish there was another option for 24h veterinary in this city . Read Less

I notice a lot of bad reviews, particularly in regard to pricing and payment. Any vet is required to produce an estimate before treatment can be done and most vets require the payment at the end of a visit in full. I find the pricing here to be very reasonable and appreciate that they only require half as a deposit. The doctors are wonderful and experienced but fortunately don't sugarcoat things. We felt comfortable knowing they would provide the treatment we needed effectively. This place is also an emergency 24 hour facility that can get busy at the drop of a dime with very critical situations. The hospital manages to prioritize very effectively and while our baby is the most important thing to us, I wouldn't be upset if staff was busy treating someone else's baby who needs the attention more. The staff has been unbelievably kind and accomodating to us. I can't even imagine how tolling a job like this could be on someone's mental health. I'm so grateful to this place. Our pup is on her second night here and she's showing signs of improvement after what we were told was a certain death. I couldn't be more grateful. If I were to give constructive criticism I would suggest a bit of a facility upgrade. The building itself is a bit old and the sounds of doors, water and footsteps echo through the walls, floors and ceilings. That's a tall order but it would be very positive for the aura and comfort of the clinic. Cheers to all our pets! And if vet bills are a concern, we pay $35/month on petplan pet insurance and we're very grateful to do so. Absolutely worth it to anyone who would need veterinary care at any point. Read Less

I do not recommend this vet hospital. The vet/owner is only concerned with making money and more money. My dog suffered unnecessarily but he kept filling up his pockets. It turned out that her condition was not complex and could have been treated early on. I hate that my pet died in this manor. Read Less

Thank you to Pembina Veterinary Hospital for the superior care that you provided for my baby. The doctors were fabulous. We are very grateful to you and your staff. My boy just jumped on his bed (his palace), something that he could not do before we attended which is a very good sign. Thank you for all the wonderful work you do, given the pressure that you are under. Read Less

If I could give a 0 star rating I would. I brought my dog in with a leg injury. They were not accurate as to what would be required to be done. They demanded immediate payment before any work was done. They are more concerned about prompt payment then your pet. In an emergency situation you will have no choice but to go here and it's unfortunate. The receptionist couldn't do simple math and because I was pointing her mistakes ( with my bill) she started being belligerent and angry. In the end I had to pay 4000.00 and all the work/surgeries they said would be done never got done. All they did was bandage his leg and keep him locked up for 3 weeks.Read Less

Just took my cat to the hospital after I noticed something wrong. They took him in and took care of him right away. He is now in my arms at home after two days of being in the hospital. The staff was so caring, allowing me to visit my baby, and helpful by answering all my questions. They told me to call anytime if I have any questions and I will definitely do that! Read Less

Wouldn't go back unless it was an emergency considering it's the only 24/7 vet. The man working the front desk was more worried about the payment rather than my dog. They didn't have a proper IV machine and they kept my dog in a room in the back with his IV just hanging out of a cage. The Doctor we were dealing with had left, so nobody could tell us our dogs condition, they had no idea how he was doing. Pembina didn't give him the proper care he needed and if we kept him there it would've been fatal. Alpine Animal Hospital ordered in medication that he needed, while the ER vet told us he didn't need any more medication. We transferred him as soon as our regular vet opened. Read Less

Overall good experience, had an emergency late Saturday evening. The staff and Doctor were straight forward. By 10pm my dog was in surgey, the doctor himself called around 11:30pm that the surgey went well and she would be good. Thank you all. Read Less

I have been to Pembina vet and have found the staff and doctors to be very kind and considerate and very compassionate. My daughter and I have had to put one of our older cats down it was very upsetting and we all cried including DR Choptain . So to say that the staff has no compassion or understanding is completely ridiculous. This is a hospital after all and a very busy one at that. Read Less

I had brought my dog in to be looked at as we noticed he had a head to toe rash on his body. Our normal vet was not open so we picked this place because it was the only option. I brought my dog in and while the receptionist wasn't rude, she wasn't friendly either. The vet was busy in the back running a test on my dog and I was sitting in the lobby with my husband. I saw a car pull up and out jumped a lady who buzzed at the door as it was locked after a certain time. The receptionist deliberately waited to answer the door even though she wasn't doing anything and when she finally opened the door the poor woman started crying and saying her dog was sick and that she was from out of town and that she had called before. The receptionist let her in and said "As I told you I'm not sure if we can see your dog right now". Meanwhile the husband had their dog in his arms and was buzzing at the door trying to get in. The receptionist ignored him as well and then asked the woman "what are you crying for"????? This should have been my first warning sign of what this place is like but I felt like I was between a rock and a hard place, I needed someone to care for my dog and this was my only option. I finally got called in and she said we did a couple of tests but we still don't know what's wrong with him but I need you to leave your dog here and we will run some more tests tomorrow as we need to monitor him. I didn't want to leave him but I was worried for him. On the way out she said don't forget to see the receptionist about your bill. I was like ok, and remembered thinking that's odd about making a payment since you haven't done anything yet but I'll pay whatever. I go to the receptionist and before I even get there she says, "you need to make a payment". It went on like this for two days, I came every day to visit my dog and each day they basically told me they thought it was one thing but they just needed to do another test or give him this treatment. Whenever I called to see how he was during the day I could hear him barking in the background. Every time I came to visit him and I'm not joking about this they would ask me as soon as I left the vet's office if I could make a payment even though I made a payment each previous day for any treatment they did that day. Finally my own vet was open and he said to bring our dog to him so I called the vet and told them I was going to pick my dog up. I could not hear my dog barking this time but they said I could pick him up and didn't mention anything. I came to the vet to pick him up and the vet came into the room, I can still remember her face, it was sad and full of pity. I said "where is my dog?", she said "well he's not doing that good", I said "what?, why didn't anyone call me? he was fine this morning" I told her I just wanted my dog and to get him for me. She brought him to me and he was barely breathing and was limp. I asked her what was wrong with him and she said he took a turn for the worse and that I should put him down. I was beside myself and said I just want to leave here with my dog so he could see my vet. She gave me our dog and my husband took him outside. I went to pay the bill and my husband came back in and said, "honey, he needs to go, he's suffering". We went back to the vet and asked her to put him down, no matter how I felt about this place I didn't want my poor dog to suffer. It was one the worst day of my life, I had no idea he was this bad, no one called me and I still to this day don't know exactly what he died from, in the end the vet said basically it was blood Cancer??? So now my husband went to the car crying, I'm crying but I had to go pay the final bill then the receptionist said here's your bill and here's your medication for your dog???? I'm like "what?, medication for my dead dog? Are you kidding?". She then says "oh, you know what I'll just credit you for this, don't worry". Don't worry, are you kidding me? Moral of the story, never take your pet to this vet!!! Read Less

Overall had a good experience - my bunny was getting good care, just not quite as friendly as some other places. Super expensive for emergency overnight exams. I also appreciate that they take on injured wildlife for transfer to the wildlife rehab centre! Read Less

We thought our mini schnauzer had been poisoned or was having a stroke, so rushed here on Sunday morning. We were greeted by a warm, calm smile and then didn't wait very long to see a vet. It was not as we feared and we were reassured as our fur baby was treated. My only complaint about this place is that it's a long drive from Transcona! Thank you for your kind, considerate care. Read Less

The support staff there are mostly rude and not knowledgeable. They are also not professional and do not have proper telephone etiquette. I have been bringing my dog there for years, and after all the money I spent there on veterinary visits, purchasing food and other over the counter supplies you would think that the doctor would take a minute to come to the telephone. Or call me back. Instead, I was put on hold several times while the receptionist ran back and forth speaking to the vet on my behalf. And all I was looking for was some advice. They will do anything just to take your money. Any good vet should be available to give some guidance and advice over the phone. Read Less

Well if you call being laughed at by who ever answered the phone good customer service I'm sorry your wrong it was amazing had no appointment for today but you can come in after hours at higher rate when I said I'll go some other place after giving them 1000 for dental work 3 weeks earlier I get put on hold than told oh my an appointment just came available. Yea right some money better than none I guess the all mighty dollar well his and gals found a real place that cares about my dog thanks corridan animal hospital great caring vet and staff Read Less

I took my cat their during after hours and they were all very wonderful. It was so sad having to bring her in but the staff were compassionate and honest and took care of all of us. Thank you for giving us a great experience in such a hard time. Read Less

I am so grateful this place is here! I've been in twice for emergencies late at night. They have taken excellent care of my furry family members, and been very upfront with what they could and couldn't do for our exotic animals. I found all of the staff to be very kind and compassionate. They were upfront about the costs of services - which are of course expensive (how anyone expects low cost emergency veterinary care is a mystery to me). Read Less

Although not my regular vet I decided to keep my cat under their care as she was a fast moving case and continuity was important. The treatment and care was excellent from both the emergency clinic and Pembina vet clinic. Unfortunately despite the best of care my cat had a terminal condition and had to be euthanized. Everyone was very sympathetic and were genuine in their feelings for my sweet cat which I truly appreciated. Read Less

I bring all of my pets here for everything. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly and will do their utmost best to help out your ill pets. One of my older kittens last year had FIP. We didn't know it at that time because of general symptoms, but our vet made sure she was comfortable and that we did everything we possibly could. Real effort was put into trying to solve the very non-specific symptoms; she even reached out to specialists. We were also able to do all these varying tests and diagnostics in clinic, which you wouldn't necessarily be able to at other clinics. Unfortunately FIP is fatal and we had to let her cross the rainbow bridge, but it helps knowing that everything we could have done we did. Our latest 'adventure' here was with our pregnant Newfoundland. We ultrasounded upon her due date and it was discovered that the fetal heart rates were lower than they should have been and the puppies' lives were at stake with a natural whelp. Pembina Veterinary Hospital acted quickly and got them out safely and mama was well-looked after, too. It takes a lot of teamwork and cooperation to do this and it's because of the staff at Pembina Vet that all 9 were revived and survived. THESE are the people I trust to look after all our cats and newfs - they receive the best care possible by knowledgeable, passionate staff. Of the past clinics I have been to, none have surpassed my experiences here.Read Less

I took my 12 year old dog there for an emergency purpose for the very first time because she was lethargic and very ill. Some of the staff there were nice and some were really rushing to get things done. Long story short, we signed for a huge bill to try to get my dog in for surgery even though we know she's dieing. My family and I consider her as part of our family. So when the decision was made by the family, we expected the worst so we wanted to say goodbye before she goes in. A staff rushingly took her away but we wanted to take some time with her while she's still conscious. The staff put her in the kennel after we asked if we can say bye to her. They took us to the back where she was but inside the kennel. The staff didn't even bother taking her out of her kennel for us to give her hugs and kisses. My family and I were crying as she's getting stressed inside the kennel wanting to get out. I felt so bad that she would feel that we're abandoning her. A few hours went by and we got a call from the doctor that they found cancerous mast cells all over her organs, so we decided for the worst. They did inform us that she's fast asleep from the anesthesia and will not be able to wake her up unless they finish the surgery. When we got there, they put us all in a room first before going to see her and we didn't know what was happening because all we wanted was to see her. A staff came in and gave us a run through about urns and prints and all that. I was quite angry about that which took us another 10 minutes or so from our dieing baby. Would any family member appreciate any doctors to put them in a room first and decide the funeral arrangements before going to see their loved one to say goodbye? I'm sorry but my dogs aren't JUST dogs, they are MY children and I treat them as my own. For them to do that was heartbreaking for my family and I and they are all about the money. I wish at least they offered to hold those decisions after we said our goodbyes. My compassion and love for my dogs felt very disrespected at that point. There were a lot of last minute decisions that day and I wish my family and I had more time with her before she was put in for treatment. We are still grieving for her loss since we've had her as a puppy. She made such a difference.Read Less