VCA Canada Calgary Animal Referral & Emergency Centre (CARE)

I cannot say enough about the care our dog received at CARE this past spring. Our senior fur-child needed thyroid surgery (removal) and spent a few days in the ICU afterward. Dr. Dominic and his team were excellent from initial consult to post-op discharge and follow-up; communicating with us regularly and guiding us through the process. Calgarians are incredibly lucky to have such a specialized animal hospital. We are forever grateful to Dr. Dominic and the entire team at CARE who looked out for our sweet boy, who is now fully recovered and living his best life again. Thank you!!

I am frustrated to have to write this review because in the past I have received excellent care from the staff and vets at the CARE Center. Staff need to double check prescriptions before they send them to regular clinics. I've been waiting 3 days for a medication desperately needed by my cat who is not eating and is receiving end of life care. The prescription sent to my regular clinic was wrong 3 times! This prevented me from picking up the medication I waited all day for. Thankfully my regular vet filled it anyways after the 3rd incorrect prescription was sent. I was very frustrated and angry. Please make sure correct prescriptions are sent.

Every time I have brought our pets here (for fairly serious problems) we got exceptional care for our pets. They were expertly diagnosed and treated. The staff and vets are friendly and informative. My dogs agree.

Took awesome care of my baby. So helpful with how to manage his pain and diabetes in his old age. Front staff and the Vets are awesome. I appreciate all the help.

I am very happy with the dental surgery thatDr. Robert Campbell performed on my dog, Poppy! She had to have the last 4 of her teeth removed and I was concerned she wouldn’t cope being toothless. But everyone at the hospital reassured me and took amazing care of my beautiful Poppy. She did so well the day of surgery and wasn’t afraid of the staff. Poppy is a rescue and was treated badly for the first 7 years of her life so I was so relieved that the surgery didn’t trigger past trauma. The very next day she walked and ate and slept normally so I highly recommend bringing your pet here for kind and professional care. Thankyou to everyone who helped Poppy through a difficult day!

The staff here is always accommodating. I appreciate the time they take to explain everything during an emergency situation. We have used them a few times when our regular vet was closed. My only complaint is the parking isn't great, but that doesn't take away from the service and care you get from this team. I don't wish anyone to have to use an animal ER, but if you do, use this location!

Brought my kitty Mama Cass in. She had been hiding away and was screaming in pain when picked up. She was taken into a back room and examined by a vet and I was told that there was nothing wrong with her although that didn't make sense since she found being picked up painful so I requested pain medication for her feeling the diagnosis was wrong. Brought her back home and gave her the pain meds. About a week later an abscess at the base of her tail formed and burst and I caught her licking at it and visibly saw mucus and blood discharge which I treated with warm compresses. Apparently she had been in a cat fight and was bitten on the base of the tail as she sometimes goes outside and this was quite possible. I am disappointed with the vets at CARE. X-rays and blood tests which were suggested, would have revealed nothing and cost more (I refused) but a thorough exam would have discovered the bite mark and she should have had antibiotics, a cat collar so she wouldn't lick her wound as well as the pain medication. Examining her again I discovered another bite mark on her rump, scabbing over. Wish I'd been able to accompany her to the examining room as I might have pointed out to the vet where the pain seemed to be coming from. I phoned, asking if I could bring her back in for another exam and was told I would have to pay again although they were the ones who had made the mistake. I had already paid $260 so did not bring her back. I did get a phone call and an apology. Two stars for at least giving me some pain medication to give her. Kitty is the one who suffered silently as cats always do. Luckily she has completely recovered and back to her sassy self again. Will try to avoid this place in future - my confidence in these vets is shaky at this point.

Unfortunately, we could not take our sweet boy home with us after he was admitted with advanced cancer. We had to make the painful decision to let him go. However, the staff were incredible and so compassionate. They treated him so well and with a lot of dignity. They took amazing care and tried their best for my boy. Thank you for making his last couple days as comfortable as possible considering his condition.

The entire CARE Centre team is fantastic and highly recommended! They were always so helpful, caring and supportive during my dog's time there. A special shout out to the oncology team who have been nothing short of amazing during my dog's three year journey through cancer. I cannot thank them enough for the care and compassion they showed her and me as well.

My baby died 2 weeks ago of a heart attack on Sunday night. We brought him in to get cremated. We were both in tears just having lost our little one after 13.5 years. They treated us with such kindness and handled things so smoothly. They did a fantastic job and I will never forget.