The McVitie veterinary assistance program aims to assist low-income individuals by providing funding to treat pets with essential health care issues. Essential health care is considered to be treatment without which the ill or injured animal will die or require humane euthanasia.
To qualify for veterinary assistance, applicants must:
- be able to provide evidence of low-income status, and be unable to afford all or some of the costs of emergency care via savings or credit.
- be a resident of British Columbia.
- submit an application prior to treatment
- provide a history and photos of the pet as part of the application process.
- only request financial assistance once in a year for up to two pets per household, and twice in the lifetime of each pet.
- agree to follow the directions of the veterinarian regarding after care.
Please note: The Vancouver Humane Society screens applications according to a set of criteria. Funding is not guaranteed and will be provided directly to the veterinary clinic. The amount that the Vancouver Humane Society may be able to contribute will depend entirely on the funds available. You may need to work out a payment plan with the veterinary clinic to pay for the remainder of what is not funded by the Vancouver Humane Society.
Phone: 604-336-1390 (voicemail only)
Email: mcvitie@vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca
Hours of program: The Program Coordinator typically works between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Program decisions are not made on weekends or statutory holidays, including Easter Monday.
Apply for services
To apply for veterinary assistance funding, submit an application below.
Emergency Veterinarians
Thank you for contacting the Vancouver Humane Society’s McVitie Veterinary Assistance Program. Our programs are typically staffed from 9-4 Monday-Friday and are closed all statutory holidays. Staff will process your application within one business day of receiving it.
If your pet is in critical distress outside of our business hours, consider contacting the BC SPCA Animal Helpline at 1-855-622-7722.
If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency, you can also call a vet in your area. This is a partial list of after hours vets in BC:
Atlas Animal Hospital (Vancouver) 604-301-0300
Mountainside Animal Hospital (North Vancouver) 604-973-1247
Mainland Animal Emergency Clinic (Surrey) 604-588-4000
Animal Emergency Clinic of the Fraser Valley (Langley) 604-514-1711
Abbotsford Valley Animal Emergency Clinic (Abbotsford) 604-850-0911
Merritt Veterinary Hospital (Merritt) *250-378-7815
Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital (Victoria) 250-475-2495
Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital (Nanaimo) 250-933-0913
Westview Veterinary Hospital (Powell River)* 604-485-5111
Sechelt Animal Hospital (Sunshine Coast)* 604-885-2309
Kamloops Veterinary On Call Group (Kamloops)* 250-374-5649
Prince George Veterinary On Call Group (Prince George) PLEASE NOTE, THIS SERVICE IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM 8AM TO 10PM * 1-250-563-1541
Fairfield Animal Hospital (Kelowna) 250-860-6550
Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital (Prince Rupert)* 250-627-1161
For urgent financial assistance, you may choose to apply for financing through www.petcard.ca (this is an interest-bearing loan through a private business that is not affiliated with the Vancouver Humane Society.)
*After Hours Vet On Call
