Parksville has a new Veterinary Clinic called Fantastic Beasts Veterinary Services that not only offers standard vet care for our beloved pets, but also provides services to local animal rescues, along with a FREE once a month wellness clinic (Pawsitive Care Parksville) AND a low-cost spay/neuter program.
Justine Morrison, Rescue Division Manager with Fantastic Beasts, made time in her busy schedule to answer some questions about their operations.
1. Can you tell us a little about Fantastic Beasts, the history, location, and your priorities?
We are a vet clinic here in Parksville. We officially opened to the public in December, 2023 but began our work with animal rescue organizations back in June 2023. Our vet clinic is unique as we have 2 divisions. 1st division is a full-service traditional companion animal hospital for public clients and the other is our rescue division where we provide vet care for animal rescue groups. We believe every animal deserves quality vet care including those who have a family or those still waiting for their forever home. We want to model how a non-profit and a traditional vet care clinic can live sustainably side by side to help with all animals in need. We provide care for dogs, cats, rabbits and other pocket pets! We offer wellness appointments, spay/neuter services, and dental surgeries. We have a fully-equipped in-house diagnostic lab and x-ray capabilities.
Our mission is to provide high quality preventive veterinary medicine, train a new generation of veterinary professionals, and increase access to vet care through partnerships with non-profit organization. One of our main goals is to significantly expand access to veterinary care for both public and rescue animals within our community. As an organization deeply committed to addressing the growing challenges associated with escalating costs and other barriers to veterinary care, we recognize the urgent need to take proactive measures to ensure that all animals have access to the essential care they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
2. How do you support local animal rescues?
We have created a dedicated space, team, and schedule within our hospital for solely working with animal rescue organizations, providing high volume, high quality, primary healthcare their animals. We offer spay/neuter services, wellness and preventative care, as well as dentistry and urgent care for all our rescue partners. This division of the hospital operates under our not-for-profit, Island Rescue Veterinary Society. Many folks may not be aware but it can be very difficult for animal rescue groups to find reliable and affordable vet care for animals in their care.
In just 1 year that we began working with rescue groups, we have done over 1000 spay/neuter surgeries plus countless exams, vaccines and provided vet support every step of the way. This has resulted in animals having short stays in a shelter environment and getting adopted sooner!
3. How does Pawsitive Care Parksville’s monthly no-cost clinic work?
Pawsitive Care Parksville is a no cost preventative wellness clinic for folks who fall who would like to provide their pets with preventative care that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. This includes exam, vaccines, dewormer, flea/tick preventative, microchip and nail trims. Individuals can submit an application online at our website fbvs.ca. Acceptance is based on individual’s income tax return amount to ensure those who are on limited income/considered low income can receive these vet services for their pets. We host Pawsitive Care Parksville once a month here at our clinic and it is appointment based only. We are able to see about 28 animals per clinic and often have donated items such as bowls, food, toys, etc. to give out to folks if they are in need for some pet supplies.
This program started up in April 2024 and already has a several month long waitlist so for those interested in applying, please note that we will try to schedule you in as soon as we can!
4. Do you offer a low-cost spay/neuter program? How can people qualify?
We do! People can qualify for this program by first applying for our Pawsitive Care clinic. We will have your pet come in for their pre op exam when they come in for their Pawsitive Care appointment and from there, we can book in their spay/neuter surgery date. It’s typically 3-4 weeks after their exam.
For our friends in Nanaimo who have taken their pets to Helping Paws, they can qualify for this program as well. Please let the vet at Helping Paws know you are interested in spay/neuter and they will provide you with the right information on how to get your pet’s surgery scheduled in with us. No need for an additional exam through our clinic if your pet has already been seen at Helping Paws.
5. How can the community support you?
The biggest way the community can support us is through donations and spreading the word about our new clinic. As mentioned above, our work with animal rescues and our Pawsitive Care clinics are non profit and to continue to make this work sustainable and possible, donations are greatly beneficial to keep this work going. Any support is greatly appreciated!
If you and anyone you know are in need of a vet clinic, we are still accepting new patients! Please have a look at our website for more information or give our reception team a call.
Poverty Advocacy Nanaimo 