Vca Canada Pretoria Animal Hospital

The best experience you will ever have if that's possible for an animal hospital! All the staff are very friendly and helpful and always go that extra step to make you and your loved one feel welcomed. Dr. Tracy Young ROCKS as a Vet and all around good person as well as the other vets. I would highly recommend Pretoria Pet Hospital for all you animal needs and care. Update on this review: very disappointed with Pretoria when are golden re injured his leg our normal vet was not on but we were taken back that afterwards she knew our dog was in and she never once called us to check up on him and would not even see us when were were there for follow up appointment. We stopped going to Pretoria and found a better vet closer to us but also found out as well that our once friendly vet did not tell our new vet all the truths about what medication to give our dog as well as length of time for medication...Shame on you for this. Read Less

Never had a bad experience here and I've been going for 3 years with 4 different pets. They've had various issues and I've seen various vets. None that I didn't feel comfortable leaving my pet in their hands. The receptionists are also exceptional! They make me happy going in and leaving. Read Less

Very poor clinic, are not upfront about charges and often recommend unnecessary treatments. Could almost see the dollar signs in the vets eyes when they found out I had pet insurance. Would not recommend and will not be returning Read Less

I went here recently to bring my newly adopted cat in for a consultation and rabies shot. I saw Dr. Fortier and she was awesome, as was all the staff! I made my appointment online, which was super easy! I didn’t wait long and it seemed like all the staff really care about the animals they see! Would for sure recommend to others ! Also a super convenient location! Read Less

I visited this vet twice in fall of 2017 when I first adopted my dog, and while the service was friendly I switched vets for a variety of reasons. I am glad I did, as recently my dog was diagnosed with Lyme disease. When I had asked the Pretoria vets about treating/vaccinating my dog against Lyme during our visits, I was advised against it/was not presented with information about options. While not causal, I am just very disappointed that this happened and wish I had found our new vet earlier so this didn't happen/would have been less likely to happen. Read Less

Everyone is so friendly and professional here! We recently took our puppy in for his vaccinations. They clearly explained each vaccine, if it’s necessary, and when he should get it. We were also given tons of useful information and recommendations for local puppy classes, dog walkers, etc. Read Less

Our experience was just amazing! The staff is really lovely and cares about you and your pet. Everything is done to ensure your pet isn't anxious during the visit and the staff is super helpful. We left with a happy cat, tons of great advice and some goodies. I would definitely recommend that clinic! Read Less

I find the technicians and front desk staff really great! I also had some very, very helpful behavioural advice from Dr. Mossop, and Dr. Fortier has been really nice. However, I also recently had the dental work "sell" - all of a sudden she apparently needed major dental work. I heard that the clinic was bought by a large American company, so perhaps the vets are getting pushed to increase revenue through dental work. Too bad, as the vets and technicians there are really nice. Read Less

Similar to a previous reviewer, we really liked this clinic 5-6 years ago, but have been much less impressed of late. Our senior dog was diagnosed as diabetic a year ago. They gave us a lesson on insulin injections and a pamphlet and sent us on our way. Nobody took the time to emphasize how challenging/upsetting it would be to get her regulated - that's a conversation that should have happened from the onset. Later on, instead of calling to chat about how things were going, they consistently threatened to withhold her insulin prescription unless we brought her in for a full work-up...even though she was stable and feeling well. (would have been too stressful for our old, blind dog to stay 11 hours in their clinic) Never saw/spoke to the same receptionist/technician or vet twice in a row. They could really improve how they communicate with clients. Read Less

The team at the Pretoria Pet hospital are kind and compassionate people who clearly love animals. I always feel welcome, never wait with an appointment and have been very pleased with the service. My cat doesn't love it as much...LOL Read Less

WE LOVE Dr. Tracy Young!!! And she loves animals. I have a dog that has and is very expensive for all the illnesses hes had in his life, and injuries etc, and she has been the best Vet my Dog, Rosco and I could ask for. Its clear that she cares, she never jumps to euthanization (as some of the other vets there that we have seen, tend to do), but has feilded my questions, gently when I have enquired about end of life care. she is very supportive and I couldn't be happier with the care she has given us. Read Less

We have 3 cats and went here for years. After finally visiting a new vet we realized just how bad the service is here and the money we lost to misdiagnoses. The big one: dental work. We would often bring in the cats for one issue and it would never get addressed. On the other hand they are big advocates of dental work and surgery. After visiting a legitimate vet we have had all our misdiagnoses resolved and healthy cats. Not only that but the money we spent on dental work was shown to be unnecessary. I did some reading and found that vets will use dental work as a cash grab. Pretoria Hospital seems to fall right into that category. We are angry and incredibly disappointed in the lack of professionalism here. Read Less

I can't say enough about how great they all are. We have When our older dog had fought the good fight and was ready to shuffle off this mortal coil we were blessed to have a wonderful angel in the form of a Pretoria vet come to our home where she was able to euthanize our brave boy in his own home surrounded by his favourite toys and blankets as well as his puppy friend and his many bird friends singing him on his way. We have 2 happy healthy dogs now who owe their continued good health to the wonderful staff at Pretoria. Read Less

After taking my dog to Pretoria for three years, and being generally happy with the care she received we took her to Beechwood animal hospital to get a second opinion on whether or not she would need surgery recommended by Pretoria. While yes she does indeed need the surgery, the vet at Beechwood also diagnosed her with a previously unheard heart murmur, a Pretoria vet had listened to her heart a two weeks before and either heard nothing or told us nothing. Read Less

This clinic is amazing! A little over a year ago my cat had lost a lot of weight and had developed a limp. At the time I was so terrified of the worst case and I had recently moved to Ottawa so I did not have a new vet. I chose Pretoria because of all of the other glowing reviews and they did not let me down! They managed to get my cat in super fast and diagnosed him almost on the spot (with some testing done afterwards to confirm). They were very understanding of my financial constraints when I questioned the costs of treatment and did not seem judgmental at all which I very much appreciated. Despite many trying experiences trying to get urine samples from my cat (which he did not behave well with at all!) they were still exceptionally patient and kind. Today my cat is back to full health and I am so grateful to the wonderful staff at Pretoria - they are amazing! Read Less

The vets at Pretoria take wonderful care of our cats. Not only are they friendly, knowledgeable and able to explain even complicated things well, they are not pushy. We always feel that we are firmly part of the decisions about our cats and that we are being offered a range of well-considered options. We recommend them to all the pet owners we know! Read Less

Pretoria Pet Hospital should be the first places Centertown residents consider when looking for a vet to care for their four legged friends. I've taken our dog to Pretoria Pet Hospital for almost 2 years now and it has been a very good experience. I've visited them on numerous occasions; ranging from normals visits for vaccinations to an emergency visit when our puppy ate something that made him keep vomiting. Every time we've  been treated with respect by the competent and courteous staff. Pretoria is in a great location. It is close to the canal path and Bank street so it is an easy walk for anyone who lives downtown. Being able to walk to the vet is important if you don't own a car as many taxi drivers will refuse service if your pet doesn't fit in a carrier and waiting for a pet taxi during an emergency is stressful. If you do have a car, they only have street parking but the street has very few business so I don't think you'll run into problems finding a spot. We did some price comparing  when looking to get our dog neutered. We found Pretoria to be competitive with others vet in Ottawa but but on the higher end of estimates. For vaccinations Pretoria cost the same amount as the other places we were considering and was more convenient. The staff is incredibly friendly and accommodating. During our visits we've seen four of the five veterinarians and they've all been wonderful. In fact, I like them so much I don't even bother requesting a specific vet when booking an appointment. The vet techs and assistants have all been very friendly and good at their jobs. They do a great job of getting our dog, who is weary of strangers, to let him take his temperature and check him out. The receptionists have all been very nice as well. They always call the day before our appointment to confirm appointments and actually call back if you leave a message. In addition, if you just have a question they'll check with a vet and call you back.  This is great when you have a "my pet just _____ do I need to bring him in"" question. One time our dog managed to break off part of a knuckle bone and swallowed it. A short while later he started vomiting 5-6 times in a short period so I called Pretoria to see what they recommended. The reception was very helpful and were able to get me in to see a doctor within an hour to have our dog checked out. The vet did an examination and gave a prescription for two things to help him pass the bone chunks and keep down water. She said if that didn't work by tomorrow we should being him in for xrays and possibly surgery (all done in office). The total cost for the vet trip including medicine was around $180 and our dog recovered wonderfully after he took the medicine.Downtown is lucky to have such a great pet hospital. Yes, it is a little more expensive than some other options out in the suburbs but it is convenient and has a wonderful staff. Read Less

When it was time for my cat Max to leave me,  Pretoria got me in to a private room as quickly as possible, they took the time to examine him to be sure I was right about what was necessary. They left me in no doubt that I was making the right decision. They brought me the paperwork ahead of time and made sure I paid for only what I needed while giving me all my options. They told me what they were going to do step by step and never made me feel rushed along. They gave me the option of a discrete exit, away from other pet owners who were coming in with pets they were likely to leave with. Most importantly, they allowed Max to die in his favourite place - my arms. Nothing but time will make this loss better but Pretoria veterinarians, technicians and staff made it easier. It's times like these when you know you've got the right place for your pets. Thank you Pretoria! Read Less

The veterinarians, technicians, and all other employees at Pretoria have been extremely helpful when addressing the needs of my puppy. They call in a timely manner and always answer questions professionally (even the annoying ones). I highly recommend any pet owners looking for a vet to consider Pretoria. Read Less