VCA Canada Central Saanich Animal Hospital

06/10/2026

If you had only 5 minutes to evacuate your home, would you have everything your pet needs to stay safe and healthy? 🐾🎒

Here is a quick, veterinarian-approved checklist of what to pack in a waterproof container or backpack:

🫗 Food & Water: A 7 day - 2 week supply of non-perishable food (and a manual can opener if using wet food) + plenty of fresh bottled water.

⚕️ Medical Essentials: A 2-week supply of any daily medications + a basic pet first-aid kit (gauze, vet wrap, antiseptic wipes, and tweezers).

🪪 Proof of ID & Records: Physical copies of vaccination records, your microchip registry number, and a printed photo of you with your pet (in case you are separated).

🐾 Safety Gear: An extra collar/harness with up-to-date ID tags, a sturdy leash, and a secure carrier for transport.

💩 Sanitation & Comfort: P**p bags (for dogs), a small container of litter/tray (for cats), paper towels, and a familiar blanket or toy to help soothe their anxiety.

✨ Pro-Tip: Set a repeating calendar reminder twice a year (like when the clocks change) to check expiration dates on your pet's food and medicine in the bag!

Does your pet have a go-bag ready? Tell us in the comments or drop a 🐾 if you're putting one together this weekend! 👇

06/09/2026

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈

06/04/2026

Miss Penelope came in today for a dental cleaning. She got some cuddles, full mouth dental x-rays and a scale and polish! She is a CareClub Plus member, so when her owners came to pick her up, there was no bill to pay!

To find out more about CareClub, you can speak with our team or visit https://vcacanada.com/careclub

06/03/2026

One of the coolest things about being part of a larger veterinary community is getting to share incredible stories and educational moments from across our hospitals. Today, we’ve got a fascinating look into some x-rays!

These X-rays show a pup’s paw after having a toe surgically removed due to a mast cell tumor.

While tumors are a common reason for this procedure, our teams sometimes have to perform a toe amputation due to severe infections, traumatic injuries, or painful bone disorders. It sounds like an intimidating surgery, but dogs are incredibly resilient. They adapt beautifully, and mobility is rarely impacted long-term.

In fact, this patient recovered like an absolute champ and doesn’t even notice the missing digit! 💕

X-rays like these are crucial for our medical teams to plan surgeries precisely and ensure the best possible outcome. We love seeing how quickly our furry patients bounce back and get right back to being playful pups.

Have you ever met a pet with a successful amputation story? Drop a comment and tell us about your resilient fur babes! 👇

05/29/2026

Today is Sara’s last day with us, as she is heading back to her hometown in Halifax next week. She has been an integral part of our clinic since 2020, both as a receptionist and technician assistant. You will have to excuse us for the next few weeks as we adjust to loosing our professional pet snuggler, pharmacy stocker, magical cleaning fairy, vaccine prepper and a million other roles that Sara did. We wish her all the best, and secretly hope she will be back once she remembers what an East Coast Winter feels like!

05/24/2026

Our clinic will be holding a nail trim fundraiser May 25-29th. Nail trims will be by donation, and all proceeds will go to the Canadian Animal Assistance Team’s (CAAT). Dr Clooney and Kim are both active members of CAAT, and it is an organization that is close to our hearts.

CAAT’s mission is to provide spay/neuter/vaccination services to dogs and cats in remote Canadian communities with little to no access to veterinary care. 90% of their work is in Canadian Indigenous communities. This year, CAAT has projects in the Yukon (Pelly’s Crossing and Ross River) and BC (Bella Bella and Lax kwa'laams).

If you would like to support CAAT in other ways, or just want to learn more about the organization: https://www.caat-canada.org/membership/donate/

05/22/2026

Miss Juno came in for her first visit with us today! We fell in love with her big ears and sweet personality 💕 We can’t wait to see her again for her vaccine boosters next month!

05/20/2026

🐾 👀 Are my pet’s eyes supposed to look like that? 👀🐾

As a veterinary team, we see pet parents searching for eye health advice all the time. From mysterious "eye boogers" to sudden changes in how your furry family member navigates the living room, eye health can feel incredibly stressful.

To save you a late-night Google rabbit hole, our medical team has broken down some of the top things you actually need to look out for:

👁️ The "Cloudy" Question: Notice a hazy blue or grey tint in your senior pet’s eyes? While many owners immediately worry about cataracts, it is often a normal, painless aging change called nuclear sclerosis. However, only a veterinarian can tell the difference and ensure their vision stays protected!

👁️ The Nighttime Stumble: Pets are masters at hiding vision loss. Often, the very first sign of a problem isn't physical, it’s behavioural. If your dog or cat is suddenly hesitating on the stairs, bumping into furniture in low light, or refusing to jump on the bed at night, their vision might be changing.

👁️ The Discharge Decoder: Clear or slight white tearing can be normal allergies or dust. But if you notice your pet squinting, rubbing their face, or producing yellow or green discharge, it’s a clear signal from their body that it’s time to see a professional.

Clear, comfortable eyes are vital to your pet's quality of life. If you’ve noticed any changes in your pet's eyes or behaviour, don't guess at home, let our experienced team take a look.

05/18/2026

To all our Veterinary Assistants,

🐾 You are the person holding the anxious pet close so they feel safe during an exam.
🐾 You are the one resetting the treatment room in a flash, anticipating exactly what the technician or veterinarian needs before they even ask.
🐾 Your hands are steady, your stamina is unmatched, and your impact reaches every corner of our hospitals.

From the messy, fast-paced moments of an emergency to the soft, heavy silence of a hard goodbye, you hold the floor together.

So, to every Veterinary Assistant across , we see the dirt(?💩), the sweat, the tears, and the absolute heart you pour into this job daily. And we don't just notice your work, we notice how we honestly couldn't do this without you. 💙

Happy Week!

05/14/2026