In order to serve the needs of our current clients, we have temporarily suspended acceptance of new clients. At this time we do not know when we will re-open our Hospital to new clients. We suggest checking our website regularly for updates.

To check on the status of your client account, call our reception team at (807) 345-3353, Option 0. You will be asked to provide your first/last name and phone number so that we may locate your account.

To schedule an appointment, please call our Hospital at (807) 345-3353 and press 0 to speak with a receptionist, who will help you book your pet’s next appointment. Please note that we are currently booking annual exams and vaccinations approximately one month in advance; call ahead to book.

For food orders: please visit https://www.myvetstore.ca/northwesternvet to order and prepay for your food online. Food can also be purchased over the phone or by walking into our clinic. To ensure we have inventory for all clients, please be advised that orders for 2 or more of the same item must be placed ahead of time and take approximately 5 business days to come in.

For medications: call (807) 345-3353 and leave a message on our medication voicemail. A staff member will return your call within the allotted time period to let you know when your medication is ready for pick up. Medication is filled in 3-7 days. If your medication is needed urgently, call our reception team by pressing Option 0 when calling.

We make every effort to accommodate our clients’ requests. However, there may be circumstances that prevent a certain veterinary team member from being available during your pet’s visit. Scheduling conflicts, emergency situations, and vacation schedules all play a role in their availability. Please feel free to ask for a specific veterinarian or veterinary technician when you schedule your appointment, and we will do what we can facilitate your request. If we cannot accommodate your request, rest assured that all of our team members are skilled professionals who look forward to your pet’s visit.

Although we can’t provide lengthy consultations or a diagnosis over the phone, we welcome questions from our clients. Please feel free to call or stop by anytime. If we are unable to answer your questions, we may leave a message for the doctor or if required, book an examination.

An on-call veterinarian is available 24/7 if your pet gets ill while we are closed. Please call Smart.Vet at (807) 789-5148 to have your pet triaged by a licensed RVT. If necessary, the on call veterinarian will be paged to meet you at the clinic.

Please note we do share on-call services with Highview Animal Clinic, and you may be required to go to their clinic for treatment.

Please call at least 24 hours in advance of your schedule appointment to cancel or reschedule. Failure to reschedule before 24 hours, or no-showing to your appointment, will result in your account being charged a $60+tax no show fee. This fee must be paid before any new appointments can be booked. Please do not leave voicemails or text messages to cancel appointments, as we cannot guarantee they will be seen in time and may result in a no show fee still being applied.

We offer a variety of services to our clients, from preventative and regular care such as spay/neuters, vaccinations, and food consultations, to complex surgeries and case management. Please call our clinic for up-to-date pricing information.

All our veterinarians are general practitioners that see both dogs and cats.

We do not offer services for livestock, farm animals, or exotic animals — including but not limited to rabbits, rodents (hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, etc.), reptiles, amphibians, fish, equines, cows, etc. These unique animals require a very specific sets of skills, education, and experience, and their anatomy is very different than cats or dogs. Our veterinarians are thus not equipped to see these types of animals. In some cases our team may be able to offer end-of-life care for small animals such as rabbits and rodents, but we suggest calling ahead.

For exotic pet telemedicine, call (343) 596 0686 or visit https://swiftailvet.com/ (**Please note we are not associated with Swifttail and this is a general recommendation only)

We want our patients to have the best possible outcome. This is why we sometimes make the decision to refer patients to veterinary specialists or specialty clinics when advanced training or equipment will be beneficial.

Our veterinarians make every effort to stay current and skilled in many aspects of animal health. However, board-certified specialists have extensive experience and training in a particular area of veterinary medicine or surgery. Specialty clinics and university-affiliated referral centres have specialized equipment to perform procedures that are not routinely undertaken by general practitioners. Because we are quite remote, many of our referrals are sent to Southern Ontario and the United States.

Be assured that when we refer a patient to another hospital, we continue to stay involved with his or her care, consulting with the treating specialist and often providing any needed follow-up care and rehabilitation.

When you consider the cost of prevention versus the cost of treating a disease or condition, you’ll find that treatment is often far more expensive. For example, parvovirus treatment can frequently cost 10 times more than a single parvovirus vaccination. When you keep your pet up-to-date on preventive care, you’ll know that your pet won’t have to suffer from a condition that could have been prevented or treated.

The College of Veterinarians of Ontario states that “a veterinarian may only prescribe, dispense, or administer a drug within a valid VCPR [Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship] and when they determine that they have recent and sufficient knowledge of the animal(s) or group of animals and the drug is therapeutically or prophylactically indicated.” It is policy at Northwestern Veterinary Hospital that a pet be seen within the last year in order to prescribe or dispense medication. In some cases, if your pet has been seen in the last year but a new illness/ailment is effecting them, an additional medical examination may be required to properly examine, diagnosis, and treat your pet.

To read more about the CVO’s Professional Practice Standard on prescribing a drug, click here.

At this time, we do not provide in-home euthanasia services. However, we make every effort to make both the pet and their loved ones comfortable during euthanasia on site. This may include providing grief and support resources, allowing you to enter/exit through the side, and giving you time before or after the procedure to say goodbye.

We do not provide in-home care or transportation for our patients. If your pet is having mobility issues, please call our Hospital before arriving so that we can assist you in bringing your pet into the facility.

Please drop by the Hospital during regular business hours to pay your bill. You may also call and speak with a receptionist to pay over the phone using a credit card. Invoices are due upon receipt.

We offer payment plans through a third party loan service called PetCard.

Petcard offers a simple and affordable way to finance the treatment or product your pet needs and it allows you to get it without delay. The ideal alternative to writing a cheque. Petcard’s veterinary financing programs ensure that you don’t delay the treatment your pet needs due to cost concerns by offering you a variety of financing terms with convenient monthly payments. We will pay your veterinarian in full now and you can repay us in affordable monthly payments.

We do not offer payment plans directly through our Hospital.
PetCard loans must be approved and processed prior to your pet’s surgery or care. Loan acceptance is dependent on a successful credit check and the client providing all necessary documentation. Fees and interest apply.
If you would like to get started, please visit the PetCard website or call and speak with a member of our team.

Yes, we accept a variety of pet insurance plans! A variety of brochures, as well exam day offers, are available in our reception area if you are interested in purchasing insurance for your pet. Please advise our reception team or your veterinarian if you are making a claim through your pet’s health insurance. At this time we do not offer direct billing to insurance plans; payment is due upfront and your insurance carrier will reimburse you.

Yes, we accept Status Cards. Items eligible for the PST Point-of-Sale rebate include retail products and prescription diets/treats. Per the Ministry of Finance, veterinary services are not eligible for the rebate (see link below). The individual presenting the Status Card must be present to claim the rebate. Your full name, registration #, and band # will be recorded for our records.

If you forget to present your Status Card at checkout or believe you are eligible for the Point-of-Sale rebate but did not receive it, you may submit your receipts to the Ministry of Finance directly: https://forms.mgcs.gov.on.ca/en/dataset/013-0248

The fees you pay for veterinary services take into consideration a number of factors. The largest factor is compensation for your veterinarian and veterinary team for their professional services. Veterinarians are doctors with generally a minimum of 8 years of university education; our RVTs study for a minimum of 3 years for their license. Many have studied much longer, bringing competence, knowledge, and value to your pet’s care. We also set our prices in order to stay up-to-date with the latest technology and equipment for diagnosing, treating, and caring for your pet, as well as covering general hospital expenses. We also closely follow the Ontario Veterinary Medication Association’s (OVMA) annual fee guide for veterinary facilities in Ontario.

Additionally, in Canada while we are fortunate to have universal healthcare and health insurance for humans, this may skew our view of how much medical care costs. The same examinations, procedures, and treatments for humans may cost 10 times, if not 100 times, the cost of that for pets — except we only see a portion (or none!) of the bill.

Your veterinarian will always obtain your permission prior to performing any care or service to your pet. We also strive to provide accurate estimates for all procedures. If you want to save money on your pet’s care, there are many pet insurance plans available. These plans may cover or help keep costs down for many veterinary services, prescriptions, medical conditions, and diseases. Third-party payment plans and additional funding may also be available to those who qualify.