FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EQUINE HOSPITAL

It is unfortunately not possible to obtain any advice by phone if your animal is not actually a patient at the CHUV. We suggest that you either contact your regular veterinarian or call to make an appointment for a consultation.

You must first be referred by your regular veterinarian before making an appointment with our specialists. Once your veterinarian has agreed to refer your animal, you may call to make an appointment. Our team will then be happy to give you all the necessary information for your appointment.

In the case of an emergency, you can come in with your animal without an appointment through the emergency service.

Please contact the reception desk of the CHUV as soon as possible at 450-778-8100.

See the online map.

If you arrive for an emergency out of regular hospital hours, you must ring the bell at door number 47. It may take up to a few minutes before someone responds.

You can park anywhere along des Vétérinaires avenue. Other parking spaces require a permit from the University of Montreal without which a parking ticket will be issued

Free visitors parking permits are available at the admissions desk of the Equine Hospital for owners with trailers and parking is available near door #47.

A restaurant (Presse Café) is located a few steps away from the CHUV, at 1500 des Vétérinaires Avenue. Opening hours are from 7 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday.

For more information concerning dining and accommodations, we recommend that you visit the Tourism Saint-Hyacinthe website.

First, a senior student, supervised by a veterinarian, will meet with the owner. The student will complete a physical exam in one of the consultation rooms and take your animal’s full medical history. Your animal will then be taken to the consulting specialty service.

Please take note, that for logistical and biosecurity reasons, owner access is limited to the consultation and waiting rooms. Therefore, as your animal is taken to the consulting specialty service, you will be accompanied to the waiting room.

You must first obtain an appointment to be able to meet with a specialist. For an emergency, it is impossible for us to foresee the waiting time, which may vary from a few minutes to a few hours, since priority is given to the more unstable cases

A resident appointed to the consulting service will take the time to go through the details related to your animal’s condition as well as answer all of your questions. During your animal’s hospital stay, a resident will contact you on a regular basis to keep you informed of its condition. Communications usually take place in the afternoon or at the end of the day. You may also call at any time to obtain information concerning your animal if you are worried. Our team will get back to you as soon as they become available.

As for the specialist, he will contact your regular veterinarian to inform them of any developments concerning your animal’s medical condition

Since we are part of a teaching establishment, students will be implicated in the examination and treatment of your animal. At all times, students are supervised by a qualified veterinarian.

Only the owner is authorized to visit their hospitalised animal in our establishment. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Visiting hours for hospitalised animals are between 1 pm and 7 pm from Monday to Friday and 10 am to noon on weekends and holidays, for up to two hours at a time. The management reserves the right to change the visiting hours at any time and without prejudice

For biosecurity reasons and in conjunction with the rules established by the CHUV, owners are not permitted to visit contagious animals in isolation.

Please note that during visits, it is strictly forbidden to wander in any hallways or rooms other than those necessary to get you to where your pet is hospitalized.  It is also strictly forbidden to take pictures inside the hospital without prior authorization from the administration.

A degree in veterinary medicine demands 5 full time years of studies. The title of doctor does not convey the right to practice veterinary medicine. To be able to practice in Quebec, the veterinarian must pass the exams required by the College of Veterinarians of Quebec.

Internship

An intern is a qualified veterinarian who is completing a 53 week full time advanced training course, in applied veterinary sciences, in a selected field of interest (small animal, bovine, equine and zoological) under the supervision of specialists.

Residency

The ultimate step for the veterinarian wishing to become a specialist is the residency program, a three year full time graduate training program, leading to a diploma of specialised studies in veterinary medicine. There are many residency programs recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association such as anesthesiology, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, internal medicine, neurology, oncology and ophthalmology. The resident must finally complete a series of exams with one of the recognized American or European associations to earn the status of Diplomat.

For more information regarding training in veterinary medicine, please refer to the University of Montreal’s admissions website.

The veterinary technician ensures technical support to the patients at the CHUV. The technician will prepare the animals for and assist the veterinarian during medical and surgical procedures. The technician also provides care to the animals as prescribed by the veterinarian. The technician may meet with an owner to collect pertinent information regarding their animal and convey it to the professional.

The animal attendant transports, prepares and distributes food to the animals as well as handles, restrains and displaces them. The attendant finally, cleans and disinfects cages, washes food and water bowls and any other accessory.

Following your animal’s initial assessment, a detailed estimate of costs for procedures and treatment will be presented to you. This estimate does not, however, include costs for medication.

Since this is only an estimate, the amount can vary with any change in your animal’s status during hospitalisation since other procedures may be necessary therefore adding additional costs. It is therefore possible that the final bill be different from the initial statement. However, daily contact with your animal’s veterinarian will allow you to keep up to date with any change in your animal’s condition as well as associated costs.

We encourage you to ask the attending veterinarian for regular updates concerning costs related to any diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that your animal has received

For animals that are to hospitalised, a deposit of 500$ to 1000$ will be requested upon admission. This amount can be paid in cash or with a credit or debit card. Following the initial deposit, sums of 1000$ will be withdrawn from your credit card for all costs exceeding the initial estimate. You will therefore be required to fill out a withdrawal authorisation form upon admission that will be valid during the current visit only. All remaining fees must be paid in full at the time of your animal’s discharge.

For animals admitted as an emergency, a deposit of 500$ is required (1000$ if the animal is from another province or country) if no major medical or surgical intervention is expected. Without payment, no intervention will be performed other than lodging and minimal care. For surgical cases, an additional deposit is required immediately or on the following business day.

In the case of an emergency out of regular working hours, the person in charge of cash receipts will contact you the following day to obtain either a deposit by credit card or to finalise the full payment of you bill.

If your animal is not hospitalised following its visit, you must pay your bill in full before leaving the hospital.

Please take note that owners that call on the services of a transporter to bring their animal to the CHUV are not excused from these payment policies.

Financing with AccordD from Desjardins is available at the CHUV. You can find out about this service by asking any member of our team.

Although the CHUV is part of a university teaching institution that has the mission of training future veterinarians, your animal will be treated by experienced generalists and renowned specialists. For these reasons, our prices are sensibly the same as in other specialized establishments to the exception of our professional fees that are not taxable.

You can obtain a detailed invoice of care and procedures your pet received by simply asking the receptionist. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your bill, it will be our pleasure to answer any of them.

Please note that as of June 8, 2020, infection prevention and control fees of 11.50 $ will be automatically billed for all types of appointments (excluding purchases at the Veterinary Boutique and at the CHUV pharmacy).

These amounts will be dedicated to activities related to infection prevention and control.

What is biosecurity?

Biosecurity refers to the combination of measures aimed at reducing the risks associated with the introduction or transmission of infectious agents between animals and people (zoonotic diseases *). In a veterinary hospital, it is an essential element in providing excellent veterinary care and ensuring the protection of human health and the environment.

A major study carried out in the United States in human health establishments (Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control or SENIC, 1970-1976) on the effects of the implementation of infection control programs reports a reduction of 32 % of the rate of nosocomial infections ** during this period.

* Zoonotic disease: any infectious disease transmissible between animals and humans and vice versa.

** Nosocomial infection: any infection acquired during hospitalization in a health care center (human or veterinary), which was not present or during incubation at the patient’s admission.

Initiatives to be undertaken through the Infection Prevention and Control Fund

• Improvement of infrastructure
• Development of training and communication material
• Purchasing of new equipment and products (detergents, disinfectants) related to infection control
• Development of monitoring tools
• Emergency response fund

For safety, biosecurity and practical reasons, we ask that you not bring any personal equipment. Only your horse’s halter will be allowed in the hospital.

The Equine Hospital offers hay and meal (Purina products) to all its patients. If you wish, it is always possible for you to bring your own feed. Please do not hesitate to discuss it with our animal care attendants.

The CHUV has its own pharmacy. You can therefore leave the hospital with all the necessary medication for your animal.

You can renew a prescription online, by phone at 450-773-8521 ext. 8322 or in person directly at the CHUV’s pharmacy.

Please note that any shipment of medication by Purolator requires a signature from the person receiving the package.

Many choices are offered to you:

If you wish, you may take your animal’s remains home with you. However, we recommend that you contact your municipality beforehand as certain regulations may apply to the disposal.

Individual cremation is offered through private companies with extra cost.

It is sometimes possible during the regular school year, to donate the remains to the University of Montreal’s Student Comity for Animal Welfare.

You may also wish to have your animal’s remains submitted for a post-mortem examination with extra cost.

And finally, your animal’s remains can be cremated with a group of animals.

Many insurance companies offer coverage for horses. We recommend you do your own research with these insurance suppliers.

Certain groups of students of college or university levels with joint interests may visit the CHUV. For more information please contact us at communications@chuv.umontreal.ca.

The CHUV being a hospital and a teaching institution as well as a work place, we cannot honor demands from the public. If you wish to find out more about our institution, we strongly encourage you to visit our website or to watch the episodes of “Hôpital vétérinaire” available on the TV5 website.

To obtain a copy of your animal’s record, you must contact our archives at 450-773-8521 ext. 8334. The CHUV disposes of a maximum of 20 days following the deposition of your demand to provide you with your copy. Associated costs will be given at the time of your request.

Medical file copy request