Frequently Asked Questions

Emergencies:

No appointment is required. Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital accepts emergencies 24/7.

If your pet is experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please bring them directly to the hospital. If you have time and it is safe for you to do so, please call the hospital at 604-514-8383 to let us know you are on the way.

See our emergencies FAQs to find out more about when to seek emergency services for your pet.

Specialty Appointments:

There are two ways to get a referral to our hospital:

1. From your primary veterinarian
   1. This ensures the proper transfer of medical information. Once your veterinarian has sent a referral, we will contact you to set up an appointment.
2. Contact us directly
   1. If you are unable to obtain a referral, or do not have a veterinarian, please contact us at 604-514-8383 or send us an email to info@bbvsh.com.

Recheck Appointments:

After your pet’s first consultation or surgery, follow-up appointments may be required. When your pet is discharged, we will provide you with a schedule of when to return for recheck appointments. Please also see our FAQs for each specialty service, below.

Drop-off Appointments:

Bandage changes, radiographs, some blood tests, infectious patients, and some recheck appointments are all “drop off” appointments.

Drop off appointments are best done in the morning, but arrangements can be made for a later time in the day. This gives the staff time to see the patient and fit them into the day in between appointments. Someone will call you to arrange a pickup time once your pet has been seen.

• Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital is open for emergencies 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.
• Board-certified Veterinary Specialists are generally available for appointments during regular business hours, Monday to Friday. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Hours may vary depending on the specialty service. Please contact us at 604-514-8383 or send us an email to info@bbvsh.com to confirm specific specialty service hours.
• Board-certified Veterinary Specialists are also on-call after hours as required (call-in fee applies).

• All referrals and medical records are reviewed by the specialty services to ensure that your appointment is with the proper service and doctor and at an appropriate time. Therefore, It is best for the liaison for the specific specialty service to make the appointment for you.

• We will do our best to accommodate your pet as soon as possible.
• Availability varies for each of our specialty departments, depending on service capacity and urgency of the pets’ condition. In general, you can expect to wait 1-3 weeks for a specialty appointment.
• Specialty service appointments are generally available Monday through Friday.

• Usually, you will be asked to fill in new patient registration forms and medical history forms, which can be found on our registrations page.

• Note: We have two entrances to the hospital. The employee entrance is on 173rd St. The main entrance is around the corner and up the ramp off 104a avenue.
• Parking is available outside our main entrance in our parking lot, as well as on 104a Avenue and 173rd Street.
• Please see our contact page for a map and directions.

Emergency exam:

• Emergency exam fee is $300.30 (tax included), which includes physical exam, blood pressure, and FAST scan (brief ultrasound of body cavities, if indicated).
• After the initial exam, the emergency veterinarian will give you a written estimate of costs for any recommended diagnostics, procedures, and treatments. If you elect to proceed with the recommendations, a 75% deposit will be required prior to treatment. You always have the option to accept or decline some or all of the recommendations.

Specialty appointments:

• The initial exam fee varies depending on the specialty service that your pet will be seeing.
• After the initial exam, the specialist will give you a written estimate of costs for any recommended diagnostics, procedures, and treatments. If you elect to proceed with the recommendations, a 75% deposit will be required prior to treatment. You always have the option to accept or decline some or all of the recommendations.

• Please see our pricing page for more specific information on pricing. Please note that these costs are subject to change.

• A 75% deposit will be required to proceed with treatment after you have consulted with the vet. Payment is due at the time of service.
• We accept cash, debit card, VISA, Mastercard, American Express.
• We do not accept personal cheques. We do accept certified cheques.
• Financing through ScratchPay or Petcard is accepted; applications also available at front desk.

• We have the capability to directly process your Trupanion claim for direct to hospital payment.
• We can submit to other insurance providers on your behalf.

• Specialty and emergency veterinary medicine tends to be more expensive than your family vet. This is because we provide our patients with specialized care, which means we have hospital-grade equipment and experienced staff who can handle even the most critical, complex traumas and life-threatening emergencies, as well as specialists who can handle any medical or surgical issue.
• These unique aspects of our hospital give us the ability to help our patients with an end goal of better outcomes for our patients, with fewer chance of complications.
• Our fees cover the costs of:
  • Advanced specialty equipment like CT scanners and an MRI.
  • The staff to take care of pets 24/7.
  • The development and implementation of new procedures that are beneficial to our patients.

• Watch this video to learn more about pricing and value of our services.

• We will contact your family veterinarian for your pet’s most recent medical records.
• Please bring a list of all the veterinary clinics your pet has seen for the presenting problem.
• Please make sure you list of all current medications (as well as any supplements) – including strength of the medication and how often you are giving the medication – on the medical history form you fill out prior to your pet’s appointment.
• Please bring the medications and any special diet that may be required for your pet in case they need to stay overnight at the hospital.
• Please bring your pet unless otherwise advised by the service.
• Please see our  Registration page for more information and forms.

• If you are a new client, please arrive 10-15 minutes early for specialty appointments to check-in.
• After check-in, a veterinary assistant or technologist will take your pet to the services’ exam area for vitals and a physical exam by the specialist.
• After the exam, the specialist will discuss diagnostic and therapeutic options with you and provide a written cost estimate.
• If you elect to proceed with any diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, a 75% deposit is required prior to treatment.
• The length of the consultation varies depending on your pet’s needs, but initial consults may take an hour or more and rechecks may take half an hour or more.
• Additional information regarding what to expect at your appointment can be found under “Specialty Appointments” on the FAQ page.

• You will only need to fill out the registration form once.
• However, you do need to fill out a medical history form for each appointment because your pet’s physical condition may have changed.

• Medications can legally only be refilled for patients who have a current (within the last year) veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
• Some patients, depending on their condition, will require frequent rechecks and/or bloodwork before additional medication refills can be prescribed.
• The number of medication refills allowed will be shown on your prescription.
• If you have refills available:
  • Please call your pet’s specialty service at least 2 working days prior to the medication running out. It will be left at the front desk for pick up at your convenience.
  • Some specialty services are not available Fridays, so be sure to allow enough time for them to respond.
  • If you do not call the specialty service prior to running out of medication, the prescription will need to be filled by the emergency service, and it is likely there will be a long wait.
• If you do not have refills available:
  • You must contact the specialty service during their normal hours at least 7 working days prior to the last refill running out. They will let you know whether this medication can be refilled without a recheck appointment.
  • If your pet needs an emergency refill of a medication, and your specialist/doctor is not in the hospital, the emergency doctor may not, in some cases, be able to refill the medication without an emergency exam, for which an ER fee will be charged.
• Please note:
  • Compounded medications and Controlled Drugs take longer to refill, and you should contact the Service at least 10 days prior to the prescription running out.
  • Written controlled drug prescriptions are only valid for 5 days; they must be picked up from BBVSH and filled at a pharmacy right away.

Specialty Appointments: Please read the FAQs applicable to the specialty department you are seeing (for example, if you are coming for an oncology appointment, please read the “Oncology Appointments FAQs” on the FAQ page) for more specific information related to those appointments and rechecks.

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At Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital, we know that some of the hardest moments in pet ownership come when you’re faced with questions about comfort, treatment, or end-of-life care. These decisions are deeply personal, and the right choice is the one that feels right for you and your beloved pet.

Establishing a quality of life (QoL) framework can bring clarity and compassion to these conversations—helping you, your family, and your veterinary team focus on what matters most: your pet’s comfort, joy, and dignity.

A thoughtful QoL framework also gives everyone a shared language for noticing changes, discussing priorities, and making decisions that truly honor your pet’s well-being. It ensures that anyone caring for your pet—whether at home, in hospital, or while you’re away—can make consistent, compassionate choices aligned with your values.

To find out more about Quality of Life and the framework and tools we use for our clients, please read our blog.