VCA Canada Central Saanich Animal Hospital

12/09/2025

🎄🐾 Keeping the Holidays Merry and Bright for Your Furry Friends! 🐾🎄

The is here, bringing joy, family, and unfortunately, a few extra risks for our beloved ! We want everyone to enjoy the festivities safely.

We encourage you to stay mindful this holiday season and keep the emergencies under wraps by watching out for these common :

🚫 Top 3 Holiday Hazards to Watch For 🚫

🎁 Tinsel, Ribbons & Decorations: If ingested, string-like objects (like tinsel or glass ornaments) can cause severe linear foreign bodies, which are a serious emergency requiring surgery. Keep them out of reach!

🍫 Toxic Foods: While chocolate, xylitol (found in some sugar-free treats), and grapes/raisins, are talked about, the problem isn't just the toxins, but the fatty overload. A single small piece of turkey skin, ham fat, or gravy can be enough. Keep human food tables inaccessible.

🌿 Plants: Holiday plants like Lilies (highly toxic to cats!) and even Poinsettias can cause varying degrees of stomach upset or poisoning if chewed on.

Remember, accidents can happen even with the best precautions. We know your pet is your greatest companion, and our dedicated team is here for the whole family.

If you ever need anything, suspect your pet has ingested something harmful, or have any urgent questions, give us a call right away.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

12/08/2025

🐾 Meet | Ian - What Will He Think of Next 🐾

It’s no secret that is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also demanding. At VCA Canada, we truly believe that caring for our teams is just as important as caring for life's greatest companions.

That's where comes in. Our annual competition that encourages associates to submit brilliant, transformative ideas for our organization, and this year, a powerful concept focused on wellness hit home.

Ian, a of 32 years, submitted a powerful idea for an expanded Associate .

Ian has personally found that "exercise, activity, and mindfulness help create the right chemistry for you to be the best that you can be and have longevity to continue to contribute to this wonderful vocation. This is why I submitted the idea of an expanded associate wellness program through VCA Next to help our associates look after their own well-being through meditation, yoga, and physical activity.

VCA Next shows that VCA Canada is a true leader in the field, and to continue to be a leader, we need to make sure we are fostering a harmony between work and personal life. For our Associates, we want to attract and retain the best teams and promoting and supporting their mental and physical well-being allows them to thrive in this profession. VCA Next encourages all Associates to think about and bring forward ideas on how we can be better everyday in every way, taking care of all creatures, great and small"

Thank you, Ian, for reminding us that self-care is the best care! 🙌

12/07/2025

Some of the smiling faces from Holiday Hats Day Two!

12/06/2025

12/05/2025

Guess Who's Back? is officially BACK! 🎉

We're excited to say every other Friday we are bringing back the best and brightest as they share their incredible hands-on clinical experiences that are shaping their skills and defining their awesome career paths.

This week, we're spotlighting an incredibly passionate student who spent their summer diving deep into the world of emergency medicine at VCA Canada Guardian Veterinary Centre in .

🌟 Spotlight On: Jaden S. | DVM Student, University of Calgary 🌟

"Following my second year of vet school, I was particularly drawn to emergency medicine and sought an intensive, hands-on clinical experience in this field.

Working at Guardian Vet Centre this summer provided a genuine appreciation for the level of compassion and dedication required from all staff in a high-volume emergency environment. The welcoming and supportive team consistently encouraged my inquiries, making it an exceptional learning environment.

I was privileged to participate in life-saving procedures and practice a wide array of clinical skills essential for my future career. My time spent shadowing both emergency veterinarians and specialists in surgery and internal medicine underscored the importance of collaborative medicine. I gained a deeper respect for the time and commitment necessary to excel in specialized veterinary fields.

This incredibly rewarding experience confirmed my interest in pursuing emergency medicine. I highly recommend this clinic to any student seeking focused, high-impact exposure to emergency veterinary care."

Jaden's experience is a powerful reminder of how rewarding specialized mentorship can be. We can't wait to see you thrive!

12/04/2025

Miss Kenya snuck some quick Holiday Hat photos in this morning before her spay!

If you are wanting some holiday photos done, we still have a few spots left on Saturday!

12/02/2025

As the holidays approach, we want to notify you of our holiday hours. Please ensure you have adequate supplies of medication and food for the holidays, as there are often shipping delays on orders arriving to the clinic due to our suppliers holiday hours. A good rule of thumb is to allow 5-7 business days for refills!

12/01/2025

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: We’re Upping the Ante! 🚨

Your generousity leading up to tomorrow has been nothing short of amazing, and we feel compelled to match your energy!

To keep the incredible momentum going, and ensure every single dollar you give works even harder, we are adding an additional $5,000 to our Giving Tuesday matching pool!

That’s $5,000 more reasons for your dollar to go twice as far for Humane Canada this giving season!

Double your impact for animals 👉 https://bit.ly/4orZVmO

11/29/2025

🐾 : Meet Maliki 🐾

Maliki came to our VCA Canada Forest Lawn Animal Hospital team after living with a small mass for nearly a year. In the month before his visit, the mass grew rapidly, ulcerated, and reached nearly 20 cm in diameter. By the time he arrived, it required immediate surgical intervention.

The procedure was complex. Myxosarcomas present unique challenges (they lack distinct margins), making complete removal difficult. Our team worked carefully to excise the mass and close the incision without tension, ensuring Maliki’s comfort and recovery.

Since his successful surgery, Maliki has returned for staple removal and is doing well. While the team over at Forest Lawn will continue to monitor the site for recurrence, the encouraging news is that this type of tumor rarely spreads to other locations.

Stories like Maliki’s are possible because of the generosity behind our program. This community giveback fund helps pet parents when they need it most, ensuring that pets like Maliki receive the care they deserve.💙

11/27/2025

👁️🐾 Did you know vision loss in pets can be hard to spot? 🐾👁️

and are amazing at adapting! They use their sharp hearing, powerful sense of smell, and memory of their home to compensate when their eyesight starts to fade. That’s why changes in vision often go unnoticed at first.

Here are some simple ways to make life safer and easier for your furry friend.
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11/21/2025

Ever wonder how your dog says “I love you” without words? It’s in the way they lean against you, follow you from room to room, or bring their favorite toy to you. Sometimes it’s just that look, the one that says you’re their whole world.

These little moments are their love letters. 💌🐶

👉 Watch the reel to spot the sweetest signs your pup is showing love.

Tag a fellow dog parent who knows this feeling! 🐕💙