Phone us. You do not need to have decided anything.
Calls are answered by Dr. Atkinson-Spinks herself. If she is with a family she will call you back, so please leave a message with your name, your pet's name and a number.
How to reach us
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Telephone
(250) 900-5335
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General inquiries
hello@heartvet.ca
Questions, bookings and anything you are not sure who to
send to.
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Medical records
records@heartvet.ca
Send your pet's history here before a visit. Bloodwork,
imaging reports, discharge notes and current medications all help. A photograph of a
printed page is fine.
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Dr. Atkinson-Spinks directly
dr.a@heartvet.ca
Straight to the veterinarian, for anything you would rather
not put through the general inbox.
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Websiteheartvet.ca
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Service area
Ladysmith to Campbell River, Vancouver Island
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Visits
By appointment, seven days a week
What helps us when you call
- Your pet's name, species, age and rough weight
- What has changed, and when it started
- Any diagnosis and the medications they are currently on
- Your town, and whether there are stairs or access difficulties
- Your regular veterinary clinic
If you do not have all of this, call anyway. We will work it out together.
If you already hold records from another clinic, email them ahead to records@heartvet.ca. It means more of the visit can be spent with your pet rather than gathering history.
In an emergency, do not wait for us. H.E.A.R.T. is a scheduled mobile practice, not a 24 hour emergency hospital. If your pet is collapsed, bleeding heavily, struggling to breathe or seizing, please go directly to your nearest emergency veterinary hospital.
Where we travel.
H.E.A.R.T. covers the corridor from Ladysmith north to Campbell River, including Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Bowser, Fanny Bay, Union Bay, Royston, Courtenay and Comox.
For urgent care visits, travel from Ladysmith to Courtenay is included in the fee. Beyond that a surcharge of $50 to $100 applies depending on distance, and you will be told the exact figure before you agree to anything.
If you are just outside this area, phone and ask. We will tell you honestly whether we can get to you, and help you find someone who can if we cannot.
The comfort room.
Some families would rather not attach this memory to their own living room, and some are in a rental, a care facility or a shared home where it is not practical.
For them we are building a dedicated comfort room at Bear’s Buddies and Once Upon a Tail Farm: a private, quiet space with soft seating, warm light, a wood stove and no clinical equipment in sight. It is as unhurried as a visit at home.
The room is being decorated now and we expect it to be ready by mid-September. Please ask about it when you call, and we will tell you exactly where things stand.
Referring veterinarians
If you are a clinic on the island and would like to refer a hospice, palliative or end of life patient, or would like acupuncture and laser therapy available to your clients as a co-management option, Dr. Atkinson-Spinks would be glad to hear from you. Visit notes are returned to the referring practice as a matter of course.