B.C.'s first pet radiation oncology facility open on Vancouver Island
Staff at a Saanich, B.C. veterinary hospital say people are crossing borders to its newly built site to access a cancer clinic for pets, marking a first for British Columbia.
VCA Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital is home to the province’s only radiation oncology facility for pets and will become the first to have a surgical oncologist by the summer.
Since the veterinary hospital's expanded space opened on Roderick Street in September 2021, the facility's specialty medical director says the team has helped more than 100 animals through their cancer diagnoses.
"It really is about giving [pets] the treatment that they need to live to the best of their abilities for as long as they can," said Dr. Genevieve Hammond.
The VCA Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital is pictured on Feb. 14, 2022 (CTV News)
The purpose-built cancer clinic comes with a range in price for care, from $1,000 to $15,000. Hammond says people are coming from out-of-province and even the United States to access the services.
Lisa Billesberger brought her Newfoundland poodle cross to the veterinary hospital 10 months ago, after it was found the three-year-old dog had Lymphoma.
"Within a couple of days he went from being a puppy and jumping everywhere, to he couldn’t even get out of the vehicle or up and down stairs," she said.
The large, 120-pound dog, Harry, is doing better now. He is in remission after 26 weeks of chemotherapy.
Billesberger says she’s thankful she had the option to take her pet somewhere for help that's close to home.
"We would have gone wherever needed, but with a new baby at home it just made it so much easier, and something that was a lot more feasible," she said.
Hammond says the demand for the island-based service is greater than expected.
"We have so many people that are really dedicated to their pets," she said. "They want to provide them top-of-the-line medical care and also just improve their quality of life even after a cancer diagnosis."
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