Special Treatment

High-tech veterinary hospital offers latest health care for dogs

By Carreen Maloney | Photographs by Carreen Maloney

The small brown poodle began to turn blue as he fell into sedation, his instinct to gasp for air temporarily dulled by drugs. Earlier X-rays had revealed a mass hanging from his tonsil; only the tiny remaining space lay between life and death. With the large tumor blocking the dog’s airway, Drs. Tatjana Mirkovic and David Francis worked calmly but quickly, searching for a path for the air tube.

The tube finally slides in, and a sigh of relief breathes through the four-person team working on the dog. With the tube now carrying air to the lungs, he is breathing better than he has in months. Mirkovic and Francis decide their best course of action is to remove the tumor. After some delicate surgery, it comes out, the size of a cherry tomato.

This Poodle is one of thousands of animals visiting Vancouver, British Columbia’s Canada West Veterinary Specialists and Critical Care Hospital (known as Canada West) each year. In 2006, the 50-bed hospital saw about 11,000 patients. Approximately 75 percent were dogs.

Potential patients must first receive referrals from family veterinarians. More than 400 veterinary clinics refer their clients to Canada West from a region that spans British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska, and Washington.