1. At what age should I first bring my new puppy or kitten to the veterinary clinic?
2. Do I need to make an appointment, or can I just "walk in"?
3. What should I do if I have an emergency?
4. How often should my pet get a check up?
5. At what age should I get my pet spayed or neutered?
6. Why should I get my pet spayed or neutered?
7. Do I have to have my animal vaccinated?
8. Can I get an estimate of the costs?
9. Can I drop my animal off for an examination and come back later to pick him/her up?
10. Can I get a diagnosis over the phone without having to bring my animal to the veterinary clinic?
11. Can I get medication for my animal without bringing him/her in to the clinic?
13. What forms of payment do you accept?
14. Do you have a payment plan?
15. What is the best brand of food for my pet?
At what age should I first bring my new puppy or kitten to the veterinary clinic?
The best age to first bring your new puppy or kitten to the veterinary clinic is at about 8 weeks old. If you acquired your pet earlier than this age, keep in mind that the change from being with mother and littermates can be stressful for a young animal. Watch them carefully during this period to make sure they are kept warm and are taking in sufficient fluid & nutrition, and that they are not having any issues such as vomiting, diarrhea or lethargy. Of course, if you have any concerns at all in these early days it is prudent to at least give us a call at 250-286-1129 and discuss your concerns.
It's a good thing to let your new pet settle in to your home for a few days before bringing them to the veterinarian. This gives you a chance to observe the puppy of kitten for a while so that you can make a list of questions you may have for the veterinarian. It is important to bring along any history you have regarding the animal such as birthdate, previous vaccinations, worming or flea treatment history etc. when you come in for that first appointment.
Do I need to make an appointment, or can I just "walk in"?
We require that you phone ahead and book an appointment for a consultation with the veterinarian. This is as much for your convenience as for ours. For example if you walk in without an appointment, Dr. Neilson may already be busy with another client, be in surgery, or even be off the premises altogether. Phoning ahead also helps us to schedule sufficient time for your particular situation, which will vary depending on the nature of the problem.
It is especially important to phone ahead if you have an emergency (after rendering appropriate first aid). This allows us to be ready for your arrival at the clinic, or alternatively to advise you if Dr. Neilson is not available. If you arrive at the clinic in an emergency without having phoned ahead, you may have made your pet's situation worse by wasting precious time.
It is perfectly OK to just walk in to the clinic without an appointment to pick up non-prescription items such as food, flea products, wormer, etc., to get an estimate for services, or if you have a general question that we can try to help you with.
What should I do if I have an emergency?
First of all don't panic, as it never helps. Remember your first aid and apply it to your pet. Stop any profuse bleeding with a pressure bandage. Be careful, because even the best natured animal that you think you know well may bite or otherwise behave abnormally when injured. You may need to muzzle your pet to render first aid.
Next - PHONE AHEAD TO THE CLINIC !!! Our phone number is 250-286-1129. This is important as you can then give us information as to the nature of the emergency so we can be more prepared for your arrival, and our receptionist can let you know whether Dr. Neilson is available to help, or if you should contact another veterinary clinic to assist you.
If you are calling about an emergency outside of normal business hours you will get a voice message. Please listen carefully to the message and follow the directions given. If you leave a message, Dr. Neilson will make every attempt to return your call as quickly as possible. Remember that in order for Dr. Neilson to return your call, you have to stay off the line. Also, Dr. Neilson may be delayed in returning your call if your phone system does not accept calls from anonymous numbers.
Sometimes, for a variety of reasons (failure of technology, Dr. Neilson already busy in surgery, etc.....) you may not get a prompt return call. If this is the case, it may be best to seek assistance from another veterinary hospital, depending on the nature of the emergency. If necessary you can always call the Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital in Nanaimo at 1-877-773-7079, where there is a veterinarian on site 24 hours a day.
How often should my pet get a check up?
Your young puppy or kitten should visit the veterinarian for a physical examination and vaccination at least twice - usually at about 8 weeks old and again at about 12 weeks old. After that, we recommend an annual physical examination. Annual physical exams are important in order to help detect signs of disease early. Some signs of disease may be quite subtle and may go completely undetected by the pet owner. It is always better to detect a disease condition sooner rather than later.
As your pet ages, Dr. Neilson may recommend more frequent checkups. Most really geriatric animals should be seen at least two or three times per year. Just as for people, there is generally an increased requirement for health care services later in life, so your older animal may need more frequent visits to the veterinarian.
Of course, if you have any concerns regarding your pet's health in between the regular annual visit, at least give us a call at 250-286-1129 during regular business hours to discuss your concerns. We're always happy to try to answer your questions on the phone. Please understand though that a telephone consultation can only be general in nature and to get to the bottom of your specific animal's problem you may need to book an appointment so they can be examined by the veterinarian.
At what age should I get my pet spayed or neutered?
Unless you are planning on breeding your pet (a project not to be undertaken lightly), we recommend getting them spayed or neutered at about six months of age.
Many animal rescue organizations will spay and neuter kittens and puppies as young as eight weeks old because they do not want to contribute to the indiscriminate breeding of animals and to the population of unwanted, neglected or abandoned animal. Spaying or neutering animals that young does have some less than desirable physiological consequences though, such as delayed closure of bone growth plates and others.
Occasionally there are reasons to wait longer than six months of age in order to spay or neuter your pet. These include congenital abnormalities of the external genitals and other medical problems that may require resolution prior to the elective surgery.
Why should I get my pet spayed or neutered?
There are three main categories of reasons that people get their animals spayed or neutered:
- animal population control
- behavioural modification (to prevent hypersexuality, roaming, aggression, territorial urine marking and others)
- prevention of medical problems later in life (prostate gland disease, perianal gland tumours, testicular cancer, breast cancer & pyometra)
For a more complete article discussing spaying and neutering click here
Do I have to have my animal vaccinated?
Whether or not you get your pet vaccinated of course is up to you, but we very strongly recommend it. Veterinarians almost universally agree that the safest and most effective way to prevent some very serious and even fatal viral and bacterial diseases is through timely vaccination of puppies and kittens - generally at about 8 and 12 weeks of age. If you didn't get your pet vaccinated at this young age, it is still best to have them vaccinated at least a week prior to being admitted to the hospital for any elective procedure. In fact it is required at Greenwood Animal Hospital that your pet must be current on certain vaccines (those diseases that could easily be transmitted in the hospital setting) prior to being admitted to the hospital for any elective procedure. This is for the protection not only of your pet, but those of others that may be in the hospital at that time.
While they do occur, adverse reactions to the modern vaccines are rare, and serious adverse reactions are even rarer. Certainly, the risk to your pet of not having the most important vaccinations is far greater than the risks associated with getting the vaccines.
Vaccines should only be administered to animals that are healthy, so don't plan on waiting until you have a problem and getting your pet vaccinated then - it's not an advisable course of action, and the veterinarian is not likely to recommend vaccinating your pet at that time.
For a more complete article discussing how often you should get your pet vaccinated click here
Can I get an estimate of the costs?
At Greenwood Animal Hospital we are always happy to give you an estimate of costs. In fact, we appreciate it when you ask for one. We know that everyone has to live within a budget, and that no one wants an unexpectedly high veterinary bill. As a consumer of veterinary services, what you need to understand is that for some things we can be quite accurate in our estimate, while for other things we cannot. For example it is much easier to estimate the cost for a routine elective surgery like a spay or neuter in a young healthy animal that we are familiar with than it is for the same surgery in a mature animal that we have never seen in our practice previously, and that may have some other medical problems. It would be more difficult still to give an estimate in a case where your animal had an abdominal problem and required an exploratory surgery. In such cases we do our best to give you a "range" estimate of cost, but it is inherently more difficult to be exact.
People choose their veterinarian for a variety of different reasons - for example: competency, years of experience, because of a friend's recommendation, location relative to their home......., and cost. For some, cost is the most important factor, and for others it is almost irrelevant. If cost is one of those factors that is very important to you, please ask for a quote before services are rendered. Also, if cost is very important to you, we encourage you to be a good consumer and shop around at other veterinary practices. We think our prices are very competitive.
Can I drop my animal off for an examination and come back later to pick him/her up?
The short answer to this question is that no, you can't do this. If you have a veterinary problem with your animal it is important for you to be there, at least for the initial examination. The "signalment" and history of the problem is very important in trying to determine the nature of the problem, so the veterinarian will have plenty of questions for you, the owner. Human physicians have the benefit of patients that can communicate verbally (generally), but you are the one that speaks for your animal. We may need your assistance not only to get the history of the problem, but also to actually physically handle your animal for the examination. Also, most pets are less distressed when they are with their owner than when left at the scary veterinary clinic. It boils down to this - you need to be able to commit just a small amount of time for your pet's veterinary care. A routine examination takes just 20 to 30 minutes. Surely your pet is worth that much of your time?
If you have previously arranged for a particular procedure on your pet such as a surgery or dental procedure, laboratory test or X-rays, then you will have a prearranged drop off time, and we won't delay you. For some nervous or aggressive animals having procedures that require sedation or anaesthesia, it may still be better for them if you wait with them until they become sedate.
Can I get a diagnosis over the phone without having to bring my animal to the veterinary clinic?
While we are always happy to get your phone call and discuss your concerns in a general way, a definitive diagnosis cannot be made over the phone.
Can I get medication for my animal without bringing him/her in to the clinic?
Prescription medications can only be dispensed when there is a valid veterinary - client - patient relationship. This means that the veterinarian must be familiar with the current health status and condition of the animal. At the very least this means that your animal must have been examined by the veterinarian within the past year.
Do you board animals?
We do not board animals at Greenwood Animal Hospital. We do hospitalize animals that need medical or post surgical care overnight, and all of our facilities are reserved for this purpose alone.
What forms of payment do you accept?
Greenwood Animal Hospital accepts cash, Interac, Visa & Mastercard. We do not accept personal cheques. 
If you need to arrange financing for a veterinary procedure contact PetCard Canada veterinary financing by clicking here.
Do you have a payment plan?
Payment is expected in full at the time services are rendered. If you require financing please talk with your financial institution or arrange a line of credit with PetCard Canada by clicking here.