Finding Veterinary Services

If your animal companion is sick or injured, as an owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the animal examined by a licensed veterinarian. If you don't have a veterinarian, you can find one in your area. 

If your animal companion is in immediate distress and you, as the owner, are unable to afford treatment or the humane euthanasia for your animal companion, you can surrender your animal to the Ottawa Humane Society for humane euthanasia. The OHS, unfortunately, does not have the resources to provide medical help to animals with owners.

The Ottawa Humane Society believes that owners whose companion animals suffer from incurable illness are responsible either for providing suitable palliative care (that is, comfort measures, including medication, to manage pain) for that animal or, should that not be an option, for providing for the humane euthanasia of their companion animal if the animal’s suffering cannot otherwise be alleviated.

Willfully neglecting or failing to provide suitable care for an animal, regardless of the animal’s life stage or prognosis, may constitute an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada or the PAWS Act and may result in charges.

The Ottawa Humane Society believes that, because many animals do not exhibit pain in an apparent manner, the owner cannot alone make a determination of their animal’s level of suffering. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the pet owner to consult with a veterinarian regarding any decisions around palliation and/or euthanasia.

• Read more about the Ottawa Humane Society’s Position on Palliative Care.
• Read more about grieving the loss of your pet.
• Read more about explaining pet death to children.

If your pet is sick or injured, as an owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have your pet examined by a licensed veterinarian. Regular visits to a veterinarian are also important to keep your pet happy and healthy. Find out more about choosing the right vet, where to seek emergency care, and a list of some of the clinics in Ottawa currently accepting clients.

You may also want to consider purchasing pet insurance to be prepared for your pet’s unexpected medical needs.

Finding a Veterinarian

Establishing a relationship with a veterinarian is the most important step you can take as a pet owner.

While the OHS cannot recommend any veterinarian, you can search for local veterinarians through the College of Veterinarians of Ontario.

Here are a few tips to choose the right veterinarian for you:

• Ask your friends. They can offer feedback about the veterinary clinic they use.
• Consider hours of operation. If you work week days, it may be more convenient to select a clinic that has early morning, evening or weekend hours.
• If you can walk or take a quick drive to your veterinarian, it may reduce your pet’s stress when traveling to their clinic. City transit also accepts animals.
• Do you need specialty services? Not all vets have expertise with rabbits, and fearful cats may do better with a cats-only vet. Some animals are very sensitive about handling, and some vets specialize in fear-free handling. Some vets will even make house calls.