Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital certified as VECCS Level 1, only second in Canada

Specialty and emergency critical care hospital in Langley earns the highest level of certification from the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, making it just the second in Canada with the designation

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Pet owners living south of the Fraser River now have a Level 1 certified 24-hour emergency animal hospital right in their backyard.

Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital (BBVSH), a specialty, emergency & critical care hospital in Langley, BC, has been certified as a Level I Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Facility by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS). To achieve this certification, the highest of VECCS' three levels, the hospital had to establish that it was properly staffed, trained, and equipped to handle any major emergency ? particularly those considered life-threatening ? experienced by dogs and cats.

BBVSH is only the second veterinary hospital in Canada to achieve such a designation and the only hospital south of the Fraser River that can claim this fact.

Much like the LEED certification provides a degree of confidence that a building is energy efficient and healthy for humans, the VECCS certification signals to pet owners that a hospital's staff has the credentials and the physical resources to effectively deal with any crisis around the clock.

"Our vision is to provide pet owners in BC an emergency and specialty hospital that can give their pet the same level of medical care that one would find at a human hospital," said Dr. Geoffrey Hutchinson, BBVSH's co-owner and a surgeon, "The VECCS Level 1 certification, as well as our VetCOT designation as a Provisional Trauma Center, is a huge achievement for our team and a vote of confidence for pet owners who are seeking medical care for their pet."

The hospital has invested in on-site specialized technology ? such as a ventilator, high-flow oxygen, 1.5T MRI, 64-slice CT scanner and a C-arm fluoroscopy (enables live video images during procedures, such as surgery) ? to support their criticalists and emergency veterinarians.

"For people whose pet is a member of the family, there's nothing that matters more than that pet's well-being," said Dr. Tiffany Jagodich, a criticalist and BBVSH's medical trauma director, "What ultimately matters to pet owners living south of the Fraser River about our VECCS Level 1 certification is knowing that they have a nearby hospital that can handle those time-sensitive situations when their pet's life is on the line."

ABOUT

Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital (BBVSH) is a specialty, emergency and critical care veterinary hospital based in Langley that serves the Vancouver Lower Mainland. BBVSH provides specialized veterinary medical care, provided by board-certified specialists, as well as certified 24/7 emergency vet services. BBVSH is a certified VECCS Level 1 facility and a VetCOT Provisional Trauma Center. More info: bbvsh.com.

SOURCE Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital