An update on VMC's referral services

Small animal surgery service

After being closed for multiple months, the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC) began accepting referrals to its small animal surgery service on February 1.

With the support of several locum surgical specialists, the WCVM's small animal surgery team is managing the current caseload. The VMC thanks everyone for their patience. 
   

Clinical nutrition

The veterinary nutrition service at the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC) is not accepting external referral cases until further notice. 

Dr. Tammy Owens, the VMC's board-certified nutritionist, continues to provide nutritional support to VMC patients and is available to external veterinarians for nutrition-related advice.

Click here to access other options for nutrition services in Canada and the U.S.  

Emergency and critical care

The WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre's clinical team continues to see a high volume of cases in its emergency and critical service, which is open to referrals from western Canadian veterinarians.

In a recent news article posted on WCVM Today (the WCVM's news site), Dr. Jen Loewen points to the recent increase in pet ownership as one of the key reasons for the higher demand. 

“The VMC emergency service has been busier, especially over the past year. This is not just a VMC problem but something we’re seeing across North America,” says Loewen, a board-certified specialist in emergency and critical care at the WCVM. “As pet ownership has increased the number of vets hasn’t increased at the same rate.”

In the article, Loewen explains the WCVM's triage system that's outlined in an infographic targeting pet owners. She also emphasizes the importance of calling ahead before coming to the VMC. 

“Giving the emergency clinic a call is very helpful. If we know a case is coming in in serious condition, that helps us plan accordingly,” says Loewen. 

Click here to read full article.