• The WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre is a teaching hospital for WVCM veterinary students and for students enrolled in the veterinary technology program at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technologies (SIAST). Teaching does take additional time, but the VMC clinical team members work hard to provide prompt, efficient service within a teaching environment.
  
  
• Students participate in most aspects of examining and treating our patients under the immediate supervision of licensed veterinarians and board-certified veterinary specialists. While teaching is essential to our facility, the well being of our patients is the highest priority for VMC clinical teams.

We are the referral centre for all western Canadian veterinarians. Many of our cases are complex: we often need to order additional diagnostic testing or consult with others about diagnoses and treatment plans for patients. These activities can take more time, and in some cases, you may need to leave your animal for the day or even longer at the VMC. Or, if your animal has been seen by a Field Service team, you may need to bring your animal in for additional testing.

For most regular appointments, here are general steps that our clinical team will follow:

• A senior veterinary student will ask questions about your animal's medical history and then perform an initial assessment of your animal with the assistance of one or more veterinary technologists. A veterinarian will accompany the student or join in during the assessment.

• The scope of your animal's health issue determines what we do next. If it's a straightforward procedure such as a castration, we will discuss the steps with you and then ask you to return later to pick up your animal after it has recovered and once it's safe to travel.

• If your animal's health issue is more serious or complex, the senior clinician will perform a more detailed physical examination with the assistance of veterinary students and residents. After discussing the case, the clinical team will talk to you about the option of further testing and whether those tests can be done on the same day or if your animal needs to be hospitalized for further testing or additional care.

• When an animal's health issue isn't straightforward, the clinical team may need to work through the case and decide what needs to be done in stages. For example, if your horse is lame, it may take several hours or even a full day to determine the source of lameness and to confirm what tests are necessary to confirm a diagnosis and a treatment plan.  

• Once our evaluation and care is complete, we will write a summary of our findings, give our instructions for home care and discuss them with you before you leave. If your regular veterinarian has referred your pet to the WCVM Large Animal Clinic, we will email a copy of the summary directly to your veterinarian's clinic. 

• We know your time is valuable. We will do our best to address your animal's health issues in a timely fashion and to accommodate your schedule. If you need to leave, we will send you a more complete summary by email the next day or when all test results have been collected. We can also make arrangements to call you or to send the summary to you by regular mail.

Your pet's appointment may vary depending on the type of clinical service. But generally, here are the steps that our clinical team will follow for your pet's visit to the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre.

• A senior veterinary student will meet you at the Small Animal Clinic reception and bring you and your pet to a vacant examination room.
  
  
• The veterinary student will ask questions about your pet's medical history and then perform an initial physical assessment of your pet with the assistance of a veterinary technologist.
  
  
• You and your pet will be left alone in the examination room for a short period of time while the veterinary student discusses your pet's health issues with a supervising veterinarian. A clinical associate or veterinary specialist, along with the veterinary student, will rejoin you in the room and discuss your pet's health concerns.  
  
  
• Sometimes it's easier to perform a complete physical examination with additional help. The veterinary student may ask to bring your pet to the clinic's treatment room for examination by the veterinary clinician with the help of other students and veterinary technologists.
  
  
• The veterinarian and the veterinary student will return with your pet to the examination room to go over the initial assessment with you and to give you their diagnostic recommendations. They may suggest additional diagnostic tests such as blood tests, radiographs or an ultrasound examination.
  
  
• If you agree to further diagnostic testing, you may be asked to leave your pet at the Small Animal Clinic for a certain period of time. For more extensive diagnostic testing or procedures that require general anesthesia, your pet may need to stay overnight at the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre.   
  
  
• Once our evaluation is complete, we will write a summary of our findings and recommendations and discuss them with you before you leave. If your regular veterinarian has referred your pet to the WCVM Small Animal Clinic, we will email a copy of the summary directly to your veterinarian's clinic. 
  
  
• We realize that your time is valuable. We will do our best to address your pet's health issues in a timely fashion and to accommodate your schedule. If you need to leave, we will send you a more complete summary by email the next day or when all of the test results have been collected. We can also make arrangements to call you or to send the summary to you by regular mail.

Before your Appointment

• If possible, please arrange to have the animal(s) that will be examined in a corral, pen or stall for easier access.
• Please arrange to be at your farm or acreage to meet the Field Service team. If you can't be there, please ask someone who is familiar with the case to be on site to answer questions about the animal(s) and to assist.

Your animal's appointment may vary depending on the type of clinical service. But generally, here are the steps that our clinical team will follow.

• One of our field service veterinarians, accompanied by one or more senior veterinary students, will arrive at your acreage or farm for your animal's appointment.
  
  
• The clinical team will ask questions about the patient's medical history and conduct a physical examination. After discussing the potential issues, the team will give you their diagnosis and propose a treatment plan. They may suggest additional diagnostic tests such as blood tests or radiographs.
  
  
• If you agree to further diagnostic testing or treatment, the clinical team will do as much as possible on site. If they recommend specific diagnostic testing such as a CT scan or an equine standing MRI, you will be asked to contact the Large Animal Clinic reception desk to make an appointment.
  
  
• If the animal(s) can be treated at your farm or acreage, the field service team will begin treatment and then leave detailed instructions on animal care along with contact information so you can call with further questions or issues. 

If your animal's treatment plan includes medication, the field service veterinarian will dispense medication to you on the farm or write a prescription for you to pick up at the Veterinary Medical Centre's pharmacy.

• The field service veterinarian will communicate appropriate follow-up for your animal to ensure a good response to the treatment plan. 

Payment

After your Field Service visit, the Veterinary Medical Centre will send an invoice to you by mail (payment due in 30 days). See your payment options. 

Small Animals

• Avian, exotic and wildlife medicine and surgery
• Dentistry
• Dermatology
• Elective surgery
• Emergency
• Internal medicine
• Neurology
• Nutrition
• Oncology
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedic surgery
• Rehabilitation
• Soft tissue surgery
• Wellness

Horses

• Equine colic
• Equine colitis (acute diarrhea)
• Equine field service
• Equine gastroscopy
• Equine respiratory examination (work-up)
• Sick foals (ambulatory or critically-ill foals)
• Endocrine testing in horses: PPID (previously known as Cushing's disease)
• Endocrine testing in horses: equine metabolic syndrome

Ruminants

• Ruminant field service