October 4–10, 2026 is Animal Health Week, an annual national campaign organized by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) to promote animal health and responsible animal ownership across Canada.
At Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital (BBVSH), Animal Health Week is an opportunity to celebrate something we see every day: keeping animals healthy — and helping them when they become sick or injured — takes a team.
That team begins at home, with the people who know and love their pets best. It includes family veterinarians who provide preventive care, recognize changes in health and guide families through every stage of their pet’s life. And when an animal becomes critically ill, suffers a serious injury or develops a condition requiring specialized care, that team can become much larger.
At BBVSH, it includes emergency veterinarians, board-certified criticalists and specialists, registered veterinary technologists (RVTs), veterinary assistants, client service representatives and the many people working throughout the hospital to support patients, families and one another.
From Everyday Care to Specialized Medicine
Responsible pet ownership plays an important role in lifelong health. Regular veterinary care, appropriate nutrition and exercise, vaccinations and parasite prevention, dental care, and paying attention to changes in behaviour or health can all help pets live healthier lives.
Your family veterinarian is at the centre of much of that care.
Specialty medicine becomes part of the picture when a pet develops a complex condition that requires additional training, diagnostics or treatment. At BBVSH, board-certified veterinary specialists have completed extensive education and training in a particular area of veterinary medicine, such as Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Cardiology, Oncology, Diagnostic Imaging, Dentistry, Behaviour Medicine or Emergency and Critical Care.
That depth of knowledge matters, but specialty medicine is rarely the work of one person or one discipline. A patient may arrive through Emergency, have diagnostic imaging performed, need input from another specialty and receive around-the-clock nursing care — all while the BBVSH team communicates with the pet’s family and referring veterinarian.
It is the team around the patient that makes that care possible.
When an Emergency Changes Everything
Responsible pet ownership also means knowing when something can’t wait.
BBVSH Surrey’s Emergency and Critical Care department is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our board-certified criticalists care for pets with life-threatening illness and injury, working alongside emergency veterinarians, RVTs and veterinary assistants and with specialists on staff and on call when a patient needs more complex medical or surgical care.
BBVSH is a VECCS Level 1 certified facility and VetCOT Level II Trauma Centre, reflecting the hospital’s staffing, resources and readiness to manage critical emergencies and trauma.
For families, an emergency can turn an ordinary day into one filled with difficult decisions very quickly. Behind every patient is a team assessing, monitoring, treating, communicating and adapting as that patient’s needs change.
Every Role Matters
Some members of the veterinary team diagnose disease or perform surgery. Others monitor anesthesia, administer medications, run laboratory tests, assist with imaging, care for hospitalized patients, coordinate appointments, answer worried phone calls, maintain equipment, keep treatment areas ready or help families understand what happens next.
Some are the people you meet. Others may care for your pet throughout the night without ever meeting you.
Each has a role in the same goal: supporting the health, comfort and wellbeing of the animal in their care.
And that teamwork extends beyond our hospital. We work closely with family veterinarians throughout BC, sharing information and coordinating care so that patients can move between primary and specialty care as their needs change.
A Thank You to the People Behind the Care
Animal Health Week gives us a chance to say something we don’t say often enough.
To our BBVSH team: thank you.
Thank you to the specialists and emergency veterinarians making difficult medical decisions. To our RVTs and veterinary assistants caring for patients hour after hour. To the people answering phones, welcoming worried families and coordinating care. And to everyone working behind the scenes to keep a 24-hour specialty and emergency hospital running.
The work can be demanding. It can also mean being there for an animal and their family during some of the most important moments they share.
And on behalf of the pet owners who have trusted us with members of their families: thank you for choosing to do this work.
Animal Health Is a Shared Responsibility
Animal Health Week is also a reminder that veterinary teams and pet owners are partners in animal health.
Know what is normal for your pet. Keep up with preventive and routine veterinary care. Ask questions. Seek help when something changes. And when your family veterinarian recommends specialty care, know that they remain an important part of your pet’s healthcare team.
From the everyday decisions that help keep pets healthy to the people who step in when something goes seriously wrong, animal health is something we build together.
This Animal Health Week, we’re celebrating all of them — the people who love animals, the people who care for them, and the teams who are there when moments matter.
Animal Health Week FAQs
What is Animal Health Week in Canada?
Animal Health Week is an annual national campaign organized by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). It promotes animal health and responsible animal ownership while recognizing the people involved in caring for animals across Canada.
When is Animal Health Week 2026?
Animal Health Week 2026 takes place October 4–10, 2026. The observance is held annually in Canada through the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
What does responsible pet ownership mean for animal health?
Responsible pet ownership includes providing appropriate nutrition and exercise, routine veterinary care, vaccinations and parasite prevention, dental care, and paying attention to changes in your pet’s health or behaviour. It also means knowing when to seek veterinary care if something doesn’t seem right.
What is a board-certified veterinary specialist?
A board-certified veterinary specialist is a veterinarian who has completed extensive additional education and clinical training in a specific area of veterinary medicine and has met the certification requirements of a recognized veterinary specialty college. At BBVSH Surrey, board-certified specialists work across multiple areas of veterinary medicine, including Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Cardiology, Oncology, Diagnostic Imaging, Dentistry, Behaviour Medicine, and Emergency and Critical Care.
When might my pet need a veterinary specialist?
Your family veterinarian may recommend specialty care when your pet has a complex illness or injury, needs advanced diagnostics or treatment, or would benefit from the additional training of a veterinarian specializing in a particular area of medicine. Specialty veterinarians often work in collaboration with the pet’s family veterinarian throughout diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.
What is a veterinary criticalist?
A veterinary criticalist is a veterinarian who has completed advanced specialty training and board certification in Emergency and Critical Care. Criticalists care for animals with serious or life-threatening illnesses and injuries and may oversee patients requiring intensive monitoring and treatment in the ICU.
Who is part of a specialty and emergency veterinary team?
Specialty and emergency veterinary care involves many people. Depending on the patient, the team may include emergency veterinarians, board-certified specialists and criticalists, registered veterinary technologists (RVTs), veterinary assistants, client service representatives and other hospital team members. Each contributes to patient care and supports pet owners throughout their pet’s hospital stay.
How do family veterinarians and veterinary specialists work together?
Family veterinarians provide much of a pet’s preventive, routine and ongoing healthcare and may refer a patient when specialized diagnostics or treatment are needed. Specialty hospitals communicate and share information with referring veterinarians so care can be coordinated as a patient’s needs change.
What makes an animal emergency require specialty or critical care?
Some emergencies involve serious injuries, life-threatening illness or complex medical or surgical needs that require advanced monitoring, diagnostics or treatment. At BBVSH Surrey, board-certified criticalists work alongside emergency veterinarians, RVTs and veterinary assistants, with other specialists on staff and on call when additional specialty care is needed.
Is BBVSH Surrey open for veterinary emergencies 24 hours a day?
Yes. Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Surrey is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for veterinary emergencies. BBVSH is a VECCS Level 1 certified facility and VetCOT Level II Trauma Centre, with board-certified criticalists and other specialists available to support patients with complex or life-threatening medical and surgical needs.
Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital is located at 10436 173 St, Surrey, BC V4N 5H3 (Get Directions)
