Equine farm and companion animal house calls to central vancouver island
Clinic phone: 250 – 667 – 5534
About us
Winchelsea Veterinary Services (WVS) opened its doors as a mobile veterinary clinic, with service to clients in the Central Vancouver Island region, in 2011. We work with a variety of animal species, from horses and donkeys through cats, dogs, sheep, goats, poultry and fish. Dr. Stitt assists the Animal Care Committees of local Universities, participates on the CVMA-SBCV Animal Welfare Committee, and holds a Title 50 Certificate to facilitate transfer of farmed fish and their gametes to the USA.
Winchelsea Veterinary Services is not set up to care for cattle. Llamas, alpacas, pigs and exotic animals (parrots, ferrets, pocket pets etc.) are seen under exceptional circumstances only.
Veterinary Tales
Join LegoVet on stop-motion animated adventures looking at the life and experiences of a mobile veterinarian!
Book an Appointment
Use our online forms to schedule appointments, request prescription refills, or ask questions about the health of your pet(s).
Our Team
Meet the people who answer your phone calls, emails and text messages, and who then arrive at your home and farm to help care for your pets
Our Services
Winchelsea Veterinary Services is a mixed-animal, mobile clinic that serves the Central Vancouver Island region. We offer preventative, emergency and palliative care to established clients, and clients with direct referrals from veterinary colleagues.
Our practice area extends from Port Alberni to Ladysmith, with outreach to Lasqueti Island, Protection Island, Gabriola Island, Bowser, Duncan and Bamfield. Service outside of this area is on a case-by-case basis.
Click on the links below to find out more about our services.
Routine Services
This page provides answers to some common questions about routine services offered by the Winchelsea Veterinary Services team.
Palliative and End of Life
Link here for information on Palliative and End of Life services offered by Winchelsea Veterinary Services.
Emergency Services
Find out more about the emergency service offered by Winchelsea Veterinary Services, for established clients and direct referrals.
What are your business hours?
Monday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Tuesday: Urgent/same day appointments only
Wednesday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday: 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm
Friday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday: Urgent/same day appointments only
What communities do you serve?
Winchelsea Veterinary Services is based out of Nanaimo. We frequently travel between Port Alberni and Ladysmith, with outreach to Lasqueti Island, Protection Island, Gabriola Island, Bowser, Duncan and Bamfield. Service outside of this area is on a case-by-case basis.
To see the communities we work in, please link to our Service Area page.
Are you accepting new clients?
Winchelsea Veterinary Services may accept new clients on a case-by-case basis, e.g. as direct referrals from veterinary colleagues for palliative and end-of-life care.
WVS works closely with both small animal and large animal veterinarians within our service area to ensure adequate coverage when colleagues are unavailable due to illness, injury or time-off. Clients seen as a courtesy for our colleagues will be transferred back to their regular veterinarian when it is appropriate to do so.
Do you charge urgent/same day services fees?
Please note that urgent/same day service is currently reserved for established clients (i.e. WVS has attended to one of your pets within the preceding 24 months) and direct referrals from veterinary colleagues. Animals that cannot be transported to a 24-hour emergency clinic will be prioritized.
Appointments booked for same day service between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm on a weekday can expect an urgent/after-hours surcharge of $80.
Appointments where a veterinarian arrives on-site between 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm on weekdays, and between 8:30 am and 10:00 pm on weekends, can expect an urgent/after-hours surcharge of $160.
Appointments where a veterinarian arrives on-site between 10:00 pm and 8:30 am the following day can expect an urgent/after-hours surcharge of $300.
Is anyone available to talk to me after-hours?
The clinic phone is monitored on weekdays between 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm, and on weekends and holidays between 8:30 am and 10:00 pm. However, the clinic phone is generally turned off between 10:00 pm and 8:30 am the following morning.
To assist with urgent care triage, after-hours calls to the clinic phone will be greeted by an AI Phone Agent. This system records messages and triages requests; it may prompt for specific information, but does not provide medical advice, guarantee a callback, or confirm appointment dates and times. Messages recorded by the AI Phone Agent are sent to the on-call veterinarian to review.
An effort will be made to return urgent/emergency calls received before 10:00 pm from established clients (i.e. WVS has attended to one of your pets within the preceding 24 months) and direct referrals from veterinary colleagues. Calls received after 10:00 pm, or from prospective/new clients, will generally receive a follow-up on the next day. Call-backs for non-urgent requests (e.g. prescription requests, new appointment, or changes to established appointments) will occur on the following business day.
Please note that the on-call veterinarian reserves the right to charge for telemedicine consultations. Any such fees would be waived in the event that an after-hours phone consult results in an after-hours house/farm visit.
What can I expect for billing and payment?
WVS accepts payment at the time of service. We do not offer credit or deferred payment schedules except for established clients with whom we have a good track record.
Our point of sale terminal accepts debit cards, VISA and MasterCard. Although clients can use American Express, other forms of payment (including cash) are preferred.
eTransfers are accepted from established clients with whom we have a good track record, or from clients that reside in regions where our point of sale terminal cannot connect to cellular service.
Policies
Clinic policies support WVS’s long-term capacity to help the animals that cannot be transported to a clinic setting.
Contact us
The clinic phone number is 250-667-5534
To email us, please use one of the three forms available on the Book an Appointment page. Click on the link below: