Vic West Pet Hospital

Vic West Pet Hospital logo
Vic West Pet Hospital
YOUR PET'S WELL-BEING IS OUR PRIORITY

Frequently Asked Questions

First Visit and New Clients

What should I bring to my first appointment at Vic West Pet Hospital?
Bring your pet’s health records and vaccination history from any previous clinic, along with the name of whatever flea, tick and parasite prevention your pet is on right now. If your pet takes anything daily, including joint supplements or products bought elsewhere, bring the packaging so we can record it accurately rather than from memory. Filling in your registration before you arrive means more of the appointment is spent on your pet instead of on paperwork. [Link to: /new-client-registration/] If you are not sure what to bring, call us at (778) 265-4500 and reception will talk you through it.
We see dogs and cats only. The building is set up for both, with separate cat and dog exam rooms and heated exam tables for cats, so a nervous cat is not waiting nose to nose with a large dog. If you have another kind of animal, call us at (778) 265-4500 and we will point you toward a practice that can help.
We are at 526 Esquimalt Road, Victoria, British Columbia V9A 3L4, in Vic West, the neighbourhood this clinic has served since 2017. Parking is the one detail we would rather confirm than guess at, so call us at (778) 265-4500 before you set off and reception will tell you where to leave the car. You can also reach us by email at reception.vwph@gmail.com.

Appointments and Hours

How do I book an appointment at Vic West Pet Hospital?
Call us at (778) 265-4500 and our team will find you a time. Appointments are arranged by phone, and a call lets reception ask the two or three questions that decide how much time your pet’s visit needs. Our appointment page sets out what to have ready before you dial. [Link to: /book-appointment/] Please note that we close for lunch from 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm every day we are open, so the phone is not answered during that half hour.
We are open Monday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Saturday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. We close every day for lunch from 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm, so please plan around that half hour whether you are calling or coming in. We are closed on Sundays and on statutory holidays. If your pet needs attention outside those hours, read the after hours section further down this page before you set off anywhere.

Yes, during clinic hours. Call us at (778) 265-4500 as early in the day as you can, because a phone call lets our team get ready before you arrive and tell you what to watch for on the way in. Please call before coming in rather than arriving unannounced, and remember the clinic is closed from 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm each day.  Once we close for the evening, see the after hours section below.

Our Services

What veterinary services does Vic West Pet Hospital offer?
We cover ten areas of care: pet care services including wellness exams, vaccinations and microchipping; medical services; surgery; urgent care; diagnostics; dental care; end-of-life care in a comfort room with a private exit; in-home end-of-life care by house call; additional services including laser therapy and cryotherapy; and pet travel services with international health certificates. Our surgical work includes a full sterilization menu of vasectomy, castration, ovary-sparing spay, ovariectomy, and spay or OHE, so the choice fits the individual pet rather than one default procedure, along with airway surgery for flat-faced breeds covering stenotic nares, elongated soft palate and cleft palate. Diagnostics are on site, with digital X-ray, ultrasound and an in-house laboratory.

Yes, during clinic hours. We provide same-day urgent medical care, stabilization and treatment of acute illness or injury, and hospitalization when it is medically indicated. Because digital X-ray, ultrasound and our laboratory are all in the building, we can usually get from assessment to a plan in a single visit instead of sending you elsewhere for basic answers. Call us at (778) 265-4500 first so we know you are on your way.  We are a daytime practice with no overnight staffing, so anything that happens once we have closed is covered in the after hours section below.

Yes. Comprehensive dental care here includes professional cleanings, dental X-rays and surgical extractions where a tooth cannot be saved. Dental X-rays matter because a large share of dental disease sits below the gumline, where an eye and a probe simply cannot reach it. Call us at (778) 265-4500 to talk through what your pet needs and when. 

Yes. Our online store lets you order veterinary products and have them sent to your door, and it is linked from the top of every page on our website. If you would rather we set the first order up with you, call us at (778) 265-4500 and our team will walk you through it.
Yes. Our practice facility holds Full Accreditation from the College of Veterinarians of British Columbia, recorded on the College’s facility register with no limitations. Dr. Vandeep Shergill, who founded the clinic in 2017 and owns it together with Dr. Bvandeep Shergill and Dr. Harvandeep Shergill, is the designated veterinarian named on that accreditation record. All five veterinarians on our team hold a full licence with the College.

Payment and Insurance

What payment methods does Vic West Pet Hospital accept?
We would rather you heard the current list from our team than read one here that could go out of date. Call us at (778) 265-4500 before your appointment and reception will confirm exactly how you can pay, which is worth doing in advance if you are booking a surgery or a dental day.
Pet insurance normally works by reimbursement: you settle with the clinic, then send your insurer the invoice and records so they can pay you back. Which insurers we work with, and how claims are handled at our end, is worth confirming with our team rather than assuming, so call us at (778) 265-4500 before your visit. If you are still shopping for a policy, buy it before a problem appears, because insurers do not cover conditions a pet already has.

Yes. You will be given an estimate before a procedure or a course of care begins, and you are welcome to ask about any line on it before you agree to anything. We do not publish a price list on the website, because the right plan depends on the pet in front of us and on what we find. For the cost of a specific procedure, call us at (778) 265-4500 and we will go through it with you.

Preventive Care

How often should my pet have a wellness exam?
Once a year for most healthy adult dogs and cats, and every six months once a pet is around seven years old, because a great deal can change in a year at that stage of life. Puppies and kittens need a series of visits across their first few months. A wellness exam at our Victoria clinic covers a nose to tail physical, weight and body condition, a look at the teeth, and a proper conversation about what has changed at home.
Core vaccines are recommended for nearly every dog and cat, and they cover the diseases that are widespread, serious, or a risk to people. Lifestyle vaccines are the ones that depend on what your pet actually does, including boarding, daycare, trail walks and time spent outdoors on the Island. Our team assesses that at your first appointment and recommends what fits your pet’s routine rather than working from a standard list. Call us at (778) 265-4500 to book.
Mild coastal winters mean fleas stay active here for far more of the year than in most of Canada, so year-round prevention is the sensible default for indoor and outdoor pets alike. Ticks turn up in the grassy and wooded areas around Vic West and across southern Vancouver Island, and dogs who drink from puddles, ponds and streams on walks can pick up giardia. Heartworm risk on the south Island is low compared with much of the country, but it becomes relevant the moment you travel with your pet, so tell us about any trips you have planned. Call us at (778) 265-4500 and we will build a prevention plan around your individual pet.

After Hours and Emergencies

What should I do if my pet has an emergency outside your hours?
Go straight to a 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital and call them while you are on the way, so their team is ready when you arrive. Do not wait for us to open, because the problems that cannot wait genuinely cannot wait. We close at 6:00 pm on the days we are open, and we are closed on Sundays and statutory holidays. Ask us at your next visit which after-hours hospital we would send you to, so the number is on your fridge long before you ever need it.
Call us at (778) 265-4500 during our hours, or go to an emergency hospital if we are closed, for difficulty breathing, collapse, a seizure, suspected poisoning, straining without passing urine, heavy bleeding, major trauma such as a fall or a road accident, or pale gums. A male cat straining in the litter box and producing nothing is one of the fastest moving of these and becomes life threatening within hours. A deep chested dog with a swollen belly and unproductive retching needs to be seen the same hour. If you are unsure whether something qualifies, phone and describe it rather than waiting at home to find out.
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