Animal Emergency And Specialty Hospital

Last week we made the hardest decision to help our little Chance cross over the Rainbow bridge. In my hometown of Gatineau, we could not be with him as he made his transition, so we brought him to this animal hospital. Even though I was extremely emotional and devastated, Dr. Pelot was very kind and empathetic and helped our beloved little dog cross the Rainbow bridge peacefully. She gave us time with him before and afterwards. I did not feel rushed or that we were just a number. A few days later, we received a very touching, handwritten sympathy card, along with Chance's tiny pawprint and a lock of his beautiful blond fur. We were treated with kindness, compassion and care and I so appreciate the gentleness of Dr. Pelot. Thank you for being such a wonderful vet, Dr. Pelot. Please don't lose your compassion. It's what makes you special. Read Less

My 16 year old cat, must have slipped and scraped his shoulder, had been flushing with water, was not sure if it was infected. Contacted his regular vet and they are booked till end of June and recommended I go to this emergency hospital. It is covid time, so I was in car waiting. Everything was very organized, the staff was friendly and efficient. Thank you for looking at him and putting my mind at ease. Read Less

We received absolutely DISGUSTING treatment from this hospital. DO NOT bring your pets here. After waiting 24 hours for help for our very sick dog they told us they what they “think” is wrong with her. After $900.00 to not know what is wrong with my dog and 9 hours of waiting in the car to be seen by a vet I am extremely disgusted with their lack of professionalism and courtesy towards their PAYING patients. PLEASE go somewhere else!!! Read Less

I thought my furbaby had a tick and rushed her to this hospital on a Sunday night after 10pm. The kind lady that dealt with us, rushed us in the room with the form and was examining my furbaby at the same time. It was a very fast and pleasant experience. For the first time I felt like someone genuinely cared and wasn’t after the money. Thank you again to the kind lady that helped us! :) Read Less

Nice place and good service but if you get blood work done it cost over 200 and you have to be very patience for the results I have been waiting for 3 days an no awnser yet, you call and the same answer yes the vet will contact you shortly, if they don’t have time to call they should get the tech to lern to read results and let them tell you and if it’s something serious than they can call themselves. Read Less

A child's rocking chair now sits empty. A beautiful big red 11 year old gentle cat, our son, our Rocky, sat in that chair every day. No one else would, none of our five other indoor rescues.The married couple in the next picture are Montana, his green eyed beautiful sister, and Sylvester, an gentle bear of an 8 year old black cat. Over the years, they've been married, divorced and remarried. You'd just have to be there to understand. They are dying. Rocky is gone, thanks to the ineptitude of every last person at this hospital. There isn't anyone blameless at all. We paid approximately $3000 over three days. He had blood work and an ultrasound. IV liquids and feeding. At the end of it, they still couldn't give us a firm diagnosis. Maybe a bladder infection, kidney infection. He was given antibiotics but not for any specific purpose because after three days and $3000, not a single person in that clinic could made a diagnosis. He started to rebound and was on the mend for 8 days before becoming even more sick. We went to our local vet who diagnosed kidney issues within 15 minutes of being there. His kidneys were abnormally small for his size indicating severe kidney disease. Didn't cost $3000 for a real diagnosis. Two days later Rocky died in our arms. The day before, his sister and another female cat of ours started displaying symptoms of a cold. Severe sneezing, running eyes. Our other female, Foxy, started recovering almost immediately, but Montana continued to worsen. We took her to our competent vet who diagnosed her with a URI. Upper Respiratory Infection. Due to the timeline, if was felt that she contracted it from Rocky's visit to this hospital. Rocky's had his favorite blanket with him during his hospital stay. We were given it back, UNWASHED, when we left. To sum up, every single cat in our household has been infected with this disease. Two are close to death, my wonderful married couple, Rocky's Sister and Sylvester, Pepe's brother. Pepe is also sick but appears to be recovering. If you choose to take your animal to this hospital, good luck and make sure you have a lawyer first. Read Less

A child's rocking chair now sits empty. A beautiful big red 11 year old gentle cat, our son, our Rocky, sat in that chair every day. No one else would, none of our five other indoor rescues.The married couple are  Montana, his green eyed beautiful sister, and Sylvester, an gentle bear of an 8 year old black cat. Over the years, they've been married, divorced and remarried. You'd just have to be there to understand. They are dying.Rocky is gone, thanks to the ineptitude of every last person at this hospital. There isn't anyone blameless at all. We paid approximately $3000 over three days. He had blood work and an ultrasound. IV liquids and feeding. At the end of it, they still couldn't give us a firm diagnosis. Maybe a bladder infection, kidney infection. He was given antibiotics but not for any specific purpose because after three days and $3000, not a single person in that clinic could made a diagnosis. He started to rebound and was on the mend for 8 days before becoming even more sick.We went to our local vet who diagnosed kidney issues within 15 minutes of being there. His kidneys were abnormally small for his size indicating severe kidney disease. Didn't cost $3000 for a real diagnosis. Two days later Rocky died in our arms. The day before, his sister and another female cat of ours started displaying symptoms of a cold. Severe sneezing, running eyes. Our other female,  Foxy, started recovering almost immediately, but Montana continued to worsen. We took her to our competent vet who diagnosed her with a URI. Upper Respiratory Infection. Due to the timeline, if was felt that she contracted it from Rocky's visit to this hospital. Rocky's had his favorite blanket with him during his hospital stay. We were given it back, UNWASHED, when we left. To sum up, every single cat in our household has been infected with this disease. Two are close to death, my wonderful married couple, Rocky's Sister and Sylvester, Pepe's brother. Pepe is also sick but appears to be recovering. If you choose to take your animal to this hospital, good luck and make sure you have a lawyer first. Read Less

Not horrible service but not great either. Went in with my 1 1/2 year old cat who was not being himself (not eating, drinking, hiding and lethargic). The first woman who did his triage check was great and very kind and the reception lady was amazing. The vet who helped us wasn't horrible but could have been better. I asked her to keep me updated on costs as I did not want any surprises when I got my bill. She right away suggested 3 different treatments. Blood work, x-ray and ultrasound. I asked her to start just with bloodwork and see what we could see with that. My cat came back with a positive test result for pancreatitis. She then started pushing for more tests (x-rays, etc.), which I found were not necessary at the time as we knew he had pancreatitis and my bill was already almost 600$ for just the check in and blood work (inflated prices much$$?) and he was already seeming better than he was a day before. She then suggested in hospital care and not outpatient which I did not think would be great for my already very nervous cat. I knew being admitted would also be much pricier (which if it was absolutely necessary I would have spent the money). She did not seem impressed that I did not want to spend the extra money, knowing full well my nervous kitty would do much better at home, surrounded by a familiar environment without other animals. By the end of my visit (709$ later$$$), I brought my cat home. I was happy that he was getting the medication he needed, and was already feeling much better but extremely disappointed by the push to do more unnecessary tests, and then reading my notes I was given that stated that I refused further tests and having him admitted due to cost restraints. My decision had NOTHING to do with cost restraints, as I would spend any kind of money for my cat to have the treatment he needed. I denied further testing as the blood work had already come back positive for pancreatitis, and he just had a small fever (39.8). There was no use in traumatizing my already very nervous and hesitant cat more, to get back answers that we already knew the answers to. I had questions about the pancreatitis, and if there was anything to look out for, any dietary restrictions, etc. and received no answers back. When i read notes, it was also noted that there was signs of dental disease which wasn't even brought up to me when I was there. Brought him for a check up at a regular vet today, to be told that I made the right decision by not doing further testing and he is already doing great and back to his normal self. Note to vet: don't try and take advantage of people coming in with their sick animals. It is already stressful enough without being pushed into further spending when it is not necessary for the time being and NO, I did not deny these further tests because of cost restraints. Read Less

We came in because our dog had eaten a six-foot leather dog leash. They advised us to bring him in so they could induce vomiting. Staff were caring, compassionate, professional and efficient. We were very pleased with the service and would highly recommend them. Read Less

Found my GSD had eaten dark chocolate and rushed her to the OCVEH. The staff were very friendly and caring and treated her promptly. These life savers quick action prevented my Athena from what could have been severe toxicity. I wish I could keep Dr. Lynne Blackburn on speed dial for any future emergency! Thanks to everyone for all you did for my fur baby. Read Less

the most un-compassionate and rudest service I have ever received when having to deal with something related to my pet. I don't understand how people like this can be in this field, and display 0 emotion or care. I do not recommend going here for emergency care. Read Less

If I could give a 0 I would. The lack of communication between myself, the internal medicine specialist Dr. Saati and emergency vet Dr. Vachon makes me question the quality of care this clinic provides. My dog was operated on while they both knew the type of surgery he needed should of been performed by a board certified surgeon. Dr. Vachon openly admitted to me on the phone that she did not feel comfortable performing the surgery but did it anyway. Not once was I consulted by either doctor regarding the success or failure possibilities of this type of surgery or the opportunity to be referred to a board certified surgeon. I question their credentials, their ethics, and honestly their common sense. I am currently in a heated discussion with their clinic director who is based in Montreal. I am concerned this clinic may not practice under Ontario Veterinary policies and procedures. They truly seem to be more concerned with money than animal welfare. After having him transferred to Alta Vista Animal Hospital he was treated properly by a board certified surgeon and has made a full and quick recovery. Their carelessness could of cost my dog his life. One of the ladies I spoke to in their main office in Montreal said that because of what has happened to my dog their are new policies and procedures in place. I question why something so simple was not already in effect. A family doctor wouldn’t operate on someone who requires a heart surgery- so why is an emergency vet cutting open a dog who needed to be seen by a board certified surgeon? So many valid questions to be answered yet nothing but excuses and money grabbing from their main office. I’ve been more than kind to them in communication and am just looking for a resolution that makes sense- but it’s clear that money is more important to them than anyone’s pet. Read Less

I called this hospital at night, to ask one single question. Our vet put my dog on antibiotics, which she supposed to eat with food twice a day. In the morning she still was eating a little (treats only) but she got worth during the day. At night she stopped react on any food and I could not call my vet at night. So the question was should I continue to give her antibiotics or stop them. They answered that we are not their patients and hang up on me. And this is emergency animal hospital? I do not know what kind of people work there. They must hate animals and like only money, I would not trust them with my pet ever. Read Less

Our dog had her leg operated on 5 days earlier by our vet. While we were checking her leg she seemed to be more sensitive than before. Since our vet was closed we opted to go to this after hours hospital to have it checked out. We were greeted immediately and then shown to a room. A tech did a precheck of our dog and said the vet would be in as soon as possible. The wait was long but being an emergency hospital we did understand. Lynne Blackburn, the vet on duty, came in and did a fantastic job checking out our dog and reassuring us she is ok. We were surprised how reasonable the fee for the exam, new dressing and more pain medicine was. We would definitely go back if we need after hour care again. Read Less

We recently had to bring our cat in late at night. The staff were helpful, supportive, informative and so empathetic. We really appreciated how well they looked after our cat and how they went above and beyond to give him best treatment and to help us through the ordeal. They are awesome! A big thank you in particular to Dr Lynne who is amazing and really helped us with her kindness and expert knowledge. She made one of the hardest ordeals of our lives easier. Read Less

Brought our dog in to be seen, took over 45mins for anyone to see us or acknowledge us in the waiting room. Our dog was symptomatic upon arrival, with the delay of being seen and the dogs adrenaline of being at a vet when we were seen it was like the 5 mins a doctor sees you and all looks well. The symptoms I described were dismissed and I asked for blood work. I was told by the emerge vet that nothing would show if he's not symptomatic. I insisted and was told it's not recommended and not advised but definitely come back when he is symptomatic and they'd be happy to! Of course they'd be happy to, it was a 300$ exam to tell me our dog was fine and come back for more!! A week went by with no symptoms except a bit less energy, brought him to his reg vet and with chest xray and blood work our dog had 1 platlet, low hemoglobin etc and there was so much fluid in his abdo cavity I'm astonished he was still able to breathe. This did not develop overnight. Total dismissal. I would not recomend them. Read Less

I did not have a good experience at all with one of the vets at this hospital this past weekend.  I brought my cat in, who was very sick, and the male vet (Dr. Gottlieb) that I saw was not very nice to talk to.  He was not able to give me a reasonable solution. I felt like he was trying to take advantage of me instead. He also spoke very loudly, which was very stressful to me and my pet.  I have been through this experience before, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but he went overboard and tried to sell me services that were extremely outrageous.  His first quote was over $2300.  My cat is 15 yrs. old, and I knew he might not survive, so I wanted to take it one step at a time but he not only was not able to accommodate me, but when I inquired about any other options, that would be considered reasonable and affordable, instead of the long list of services he was proposing, he said it was not possible or advisable.  His second quote was $1200, which was still twice as much as what I've paid before for the same situation.  Ironically though, when I asked to speak to his manager, she gave me a quote which was 50% less than what he had quoted me the second time, and she suggested doing the exact thing that he said would not do any good.  That's enough to make you question just how many people does he try to take advantage of, during this very stressful and vulnerable time.  If I had not been through this before, I would not have known any better.  I will never go back there.  It was an awful experience. Read Less

My cat needed emergency care the other night and we took him here. We were scared we were going to have to skip paying rent this month (joke, but seriously) fortunately the service they provided and the fee they charged was very reasonable. Also, their service was quick and all the staff was extremely kind and welcoming. Read Less

The Animal Emergency Clinic on Lola was incredibly helpful when our dog was very ill and we wanted to only test for curable sicknesses (i.e. no ct scan for cancer, but rule out other ones).  The vet very much took our finances in consideration in making decisions and ultimately on a lark suggested one $60 test that showed a fairly rare but treatable condition and saved his life.  It was expensive overall because he needed to stay for 2 nights after that but when you consider they had him there almost 3 full days with a full morphine iv and high dose antibiotics, it really wasn't that crazy.  They also have a very nice grief room, very clean in the reception and 'people-oriented' areas (not really a dog smell), and can easily transfer to Alta Vista for surgeries/conditions they don't handle.  I hate going to our regular vet and find the costs outrageous, but I felt like it was worth it with them.  They truly cared, they treated you with humanity and kindness, in our case we were even able to see him after he was admitted (and bring him to where he was spending the night).  They even had coffee which was a lifesaver after 12 hours there (since we hoped he wouldn't be admitted).  I'd go there again in a heartbeat. Read Less

I had to put my cat down on Christmas. The process went well, but we asked to get the paw print they screw up! It does not look nice what so ever! I am extremely disappointed. They should take these things more seriously. I wanted to get the print tattooed but now I can't. Thanks guys. Read Less

Last week we had to put our dog down. Staff came out with a stretcher and carried our sweet boy in for us. They were very empathetic and considerate. Price is the same as most other vets in Ottawa. Thank you for being so kind!Read Less

Had very positive experience in this hospital. Went in the middle of the night and was greeted with respect and compassion. After thorough examination left with pain medication and a further appointment. Had to go back a week later for CT Scan and MRI and consultation with neurologist all done with the greatest professionalism and attentive caring. And had to finally go again two days later for final exit done with the greatest respect and compassion. I am totally thankful for all the care that was deliverd to my beloved dog in this hospital and greatly recommend it. Thank you to all the personnel and to Drs Vachon and Jull who delivered their expertise with great applomb and knowledge. And thank you to Emily and Eric and all the other attendants. You made my pain almost acceptable... Marthe Ledoux ottawa Read Less

Our story...two weeks ago, we rushed our 17 years old beloved Toutoune to the Animal Emergency Hospital. She had suddenly started breathing like a dog and had lost the capability of walking. All this in like 30 mins. Our Vet clinic was closed and we where refered to them. The service was remarkable. We where taken care of right when we walked in and placed in a very cozy environment. The staff where kind and understanding. We had to take the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to our baby. Dr. Vachon told us that there was not much that could've been done to save her. We miss her dearly and cry her everyday. I would like to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU to all of the Animal Emergency Ottawa Family that where there on Nov. 19th, 2016 for helping us through this difficult time. Isabelle Read Less

One of our dogs required emergency treatment at OCVEH. She was very very ill. The total bill I will not disclose as this matter is solely about "usury" (excessive, unnecessary and illegal interest charges) and not the care she received. After 1 month had passed since her treatment and our pet insurance had already paid OCVEH over two-thirds of our total bill, we were late in making the remaining payment for a number of reasons, mostly of a compassionate nature, which we explained fully in e-mails and over the phone. They still charged us a late payment charge amounting to almost one-third of our total bill (for being late 1 month only)! Although, the next month I sent cheques to cover the amount we owed, plus the exorbitant 1 month late payment charge (i.e. interest), I received a second letter in the mail, with a second late payment charge (interest) in the very same amount as the first for being late even though we had provided what I believe to be valid, compassionate reasons for our late payment, which had now been addressed as I state above. So, bottom line is OCVEH charged us a 30% late payment charge over a 2-month period (not per annum), which added over $100 to our outstanding bill, which in completely illegal according to our neighbor who works for the Department of Justice as a lawyer and verified our situation with her peers and superiors to confirm what we are stating here. This usury does not include a practice sorely lacking in compassion and professionalism.There is a 'character limit' to these comments, so we will provide another after this one is posted to describe our situation in further detail so that it never ever happens again to another client and genuine animal-loving people, who treat their animals like they would their own children. Read Less

We attended the clinic on a Saturday night. We described breathing issues and neurological issues with our young dog. We were taken in right away and told someone would triage our dog soon. It was 35 minutes before anyone walked into the room. They had two people ahead of us, one dog with hives and I am not sure about the other dog but sounded like something to do with stitches. We felt our dog should have been given priority or at least triaged. I have worked myself with animals for 13 years and I was actually appalled at the lack of compassion here. My dog was having balance problems and not once did they look in her ears (and I really should have asked but I forgot). The Vet was Dr Jackie Perot and although I felt she was knowledgeable her bedside manner was terrible and I found her intimidating, not the way I wanted to feel. Comments like "let me finish my train of thought" and not allowing me to talk when I was stressed myself was NOT cool. They did blood work and at the end of three hours and 541 dollars we were sent home with a wait and see. The Ottawa Animal Hospital on Carling is 97.00 for the emergency fee whereas here it is $174.00 (maybe that is why they were not busy). I am not sure I would go back but then again its a rotating Vet clinic so I may end up with someone else. I hope whoever owns this reads this and realizes what is going on. Read Less

We visited for the first time this week with our beloved shepherd-- Dr Blackburn was kind, calming, and helpful. Her technicians were caring and accommodating, understanding that we needed to stay by his side. (This I understand is hard to do when you have procedures to accomplish and emotional worried owners hovering close by!) They all worked with us to give the best care to our boy. We are very grateful! Although his diagnoses of adrenal cancer was not what we hoped, we are pleased to report that after two days of intensive care at Alta Vista, he is back home with us and eating again, playing with his toys and enjoying the woods. Thank you, ladies. Well done. Laura, Ron and Pagan. Read Less

Visited for the first time, and everyone there was very nice. They went above and beyond to help. Dr. Blackburn really took her time to do the diagnoses and answered all my questions in detail and wrote the most detailed patient record. I am grateful for the kindness and attention they gave to my little vulnerable one. Read Less

We visited this animal hospital for the first time a week ago when our cat Boots suddenly collapsed at home, and our regular veterinary hospital was closed. Even though Boots passed away even before we got there, Dr Pelot and her staff were all extremely compassionate, respectful, and supportive through this loss. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done for us during this hard time. Read Less

Today we came with our dog Toby who could not walk. Although our news and diagnosis was not what we wanted to hear, we are very thankful to the staff for their compassion and support. Such a wonderful caring, honost group of people. I have had other dogs taken to other emergency centers and the support and honosty could not compare. This will be our go to animal hospital from now on. We are extremely greatful. Read Less

Our outcome was not a happy outcome... BUT Dr. Pelot and actually all the staff were incredible. They were respectful, non judgemental, took charge where needed but also allowed us to say goodbye to our little athlete. I did especially appreciated the clarity of Dr. Pelot assessment. Am I devastated that I lost one of my best friend, yes, am I grateful he was able to leave this world without unnecessary suffering absolutely. THANK YOU. Isabelle and Gord Read Less

I was so impressed by the professionalism, thoroughness and care given by Dr. Pelot and the vet techs at our recent visit. They helped me make an informed decision and took a great weight off my mind. Picea is still healing up but I know she's being well looked after. Read Less

One of my biggest issues with many vets is it can be like pulling teeth to get more than just the basic info. Not the case here. We got all of the information there was in caring for our girl, all of our options and risks and benefits of each, along with all questions answered fully. Very happy with our experience here. Thanks guys! Read Less