Local veterinarians create thoughtful hospital for downtown Sidney community

A brand new vet facility, which has been a labour of love for two local vets passionate about animal welfare, is tentatively set to open at the end of August in downtown Sidney.

The two founders, Dr. Mary McDowell and Dr. Ashlee Albright currently run PenVet Mobile Vet Services, which focuses on in-home palliative care and end-of-life services. Serving all of Greater Victoria, the mobile practice started last year, addressing urgent end-of-life needs for pet owners; they also provide in-home euthanasia so pets can pass in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by family and friends.

While PenVet will continue to run, McDowell and Albright have since recognized the need for a full-service hospital due to the high demand for veterinary services in the area. The new hospital aims to provide comprehensive care as a custom new-build, full-service hospital, Albright said.

“We keep hearing from clients how they can’t get in for same-day services, for urgent care needs. They can’t get into their regular vets, and a lot of surgeries, spays, and neuters, it’s a waitlist.”

“We’ve filled that accessibility need for end-of-life in-home care specifically. But we also really missed general practice work and working with all life stages.”

McDowell and Albright have a professional relationship and friendship that goes back to when they graduated together from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. 

Both founders aim to create a community-focused practice. Their shared vision is to address the shortage of veterinary professionals and support staff by fostering a supportive and empowering work environment.

“We want to be part of a community like Sidney and the Peninsula. We’re from here, we shop here, my kids are here, they deliver the [Penisula News Review], so we really wanted to build something that’s more than just a hospital. We’d like to work with the community,” Albright said.

“We also really feel like the profession right now is struggling with a shortage of veterinarians and support staff. And we really, really want to provide stability to this profession by fostering a work environment that is supportive and empowering for our local paraprofessionals.”

McDowell also said what sets them apart is they both live locally and the hospital is privately owned. “There is a big shift right now in veterinary medicine to the corporatization and sale of practices,” she said. “It’s a huge issue right now.”

McDowell is from North Saanich and Albright is from Brentwood Bay.

The new hospital is 2,200 square feet with four consultation rooms, separate wards for cats and dogs, a dentistry suite, a surgical suite and treatment rooms.

“We have custom-built this beautiful hospital, taking into account our 13 years of places that we’ve worked in and what we’ve loved and didn’t love,” Albright said.

“It’s very pet-friendly,” McDowell added. “We even have little touches like soft-closing kennels that are very soothing – they don’t make big clanging noises.”

Its location in downtown Sidney makes it easily accessible while the hospital will also maintain its mobile branch for home visits.

“It’s been a huge project to undertake and we just hope it inspires other people,” Albright said. They both also welcome people to come in for a tour. “We just love to meet people and their pets.”