The things families ask, answered plainly.

It depends on where you are and what the week looks like. Same day and next day visits are often possible, and scheduled visits can be booked further ahead. Please phone rather than email if the timing matters, because the phone is always answered faster.

H.E.A.R.T. travels the corridor from Ladysmith to Campbell River, including Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Bowser, Fanny Bay, Union Bay, Royston, Courtenay and Comox. For urgent care visits the fee includes travel from Ladysmith to Courtenay, with a $50 to $100 surcharge beyond that. If you are just outside, phone and ask.

Usually between forty five minutes and an hour and a half. The medical part is short. Most of the time is conversation beforehand and quiet time afterwards, and you set the length of both.

No. A sedative injection is given first, and your pet is deeply asleep before the final injection is given. You will often see them relax more completely than they have in a long time. The final step takes effect within seconds.

Yes, and most people are. You can also step out for any part of it. There is no right way to do this and nobody will judge whatever you choose.

Yes. Children usually cope better with being included than with being sent away and told very little. We are happy to talk beforehand about how to explain it in words that suit their age.

Many families let other animals in afterwards to see and smell their friend. Some react clearly, some do not appear to at all. It seems to help them, and it costs nothing to offer.

Then book a quality of life consultation instead. It is a full hour with no euthanasia planned, and you are entitled to have a veterinarian look at your pet and tell you honestly what they see, with no decision attached.

No. Cremation aftercare is entirely optional. You may arrange it yourself or take your pet into your own care. It changes nothing about the visit itself.

Somewhere comfortable for your pet, ideally with a blanket or old towels underneath, and a plan for who will be present. Nothing else. Your pet does not need to be moved, lifted or restrained.

Yes. Rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, ferrets and birds are all cared for, and exotic cremation aftercare is available. Please phone to talk about your particular animal.

Yes, and it helps a great deal. Email them to records@heartvet.ca and Dr. Atkinson-Spinks will have read them before she arrives, which means more of the visit is spent with your pet instead of gathering history. Bloodwork, imaging reports, discharge summaries and a list of current medications are the useful ones. A clear photograph of a printed page is perfectly fine.

Gladly. H.E.A.R.T. works alongside your primary clinic rather than replacing it, and keeping your regular veterinarian informed is part of good continuity of care.

Yes. From mid-September there is a dedicated comfort room at Bear’s Buddies and Once Upon a Tail Farm for families who would rather not have the memory attached to their own house. Ask about it when you call.

No. H.E.A.R.T. is a scheduled mobile practice without surgical, imaging or intensive care facilities. If your pet is collapsed, bleeding heavily, struggling to breathe or seizing, go straight to your nearest emergency veterinary hospital.

A house call with euthanasia is $495 plus GST, and a quality of life consultation is $375 plus GST. Cremation aftercare is optional and priced by size. Full details are on the pricing and aftercare pages, and you will always know your total before we come.