Borderview Veterinary Hospital

We have trusted them for almost 20 years. Staff are caring and compassionate and I have no trouble recommending them to anyone.

We’re new to the clinic and have had a wonderful experience so far! Dr. McTaggart and his team have been absolutely lovely to work with. We recently brought all three of our pets in for their annual checkups, and I really appreciated how transparent they were about costs. Everyone was so kind and gentle with the animals. We also brought our corgi in recently after she had some back pain, and Dr. McTaggart was incredible. He literally sat on the floor with us while examining her, took his time, and patiently answered all of our questions. His team followed up with multiple check-in calls and even went the extra mile to make sure she received a very specific medication. Our pets are our babies, and it means so much to have a vet clinic that shows such genuine care and compassion. Highly recommend!

Editing this review to include my ORIGINAL review I tried to post 3 years ago but it got taken down for some reason. We took our dog in on a Tuesday morning around 8:30am because she had difficulty breathing. After being admitted and checked, the vet told us that she had heart issues, potentially due to plaque build up on her teeth. They then put her on oxygen and sent us home to wait as they ran their tests. Around 1-2 hours later, the vet called and told us that she had an enlarged heart. However, the vet also said that her vitals were stable and that her blood cell count and kidneys were great. We were then told that she will be kept on oxygen until she stabilizes and then they will try to administer a specific heart medication. We were told that she would be kept on oxygen until the clinic’s closing time and if she hasn’t stabilized by then, she would be transported to the animal hospital for further assessment and help. Around 11am, we got another call letting us know that she started bleeding from her nose because of the medication and that there was nothing else they could do and that we have to put her down. How could things spiral so out of control within 30 minutes if all of her vitals were fine?! Did the vet rush to give her the medicine before she was stabilized? What I don’t understand is that, they said they would transport her to the hospital if she didn’t stabilize, and I would consider bleeding due to a medication not being stable. So why didn’t they do that before making the decision that the ONLY option was to just end her life without trying? Let’s now move onto their compassion (or lack there of) and how I thought they handled the whole situation. We got to the clinic to say our goodbyes, there was no one else in the clinic but us so why were we rushed? No one should feel rushed when they are saying their last goodbye to a family member. We got in and the vet quickly explained what was going on and as we were in the middle of saying our goodbyes, she interrupts us and asked us to pick out her urn. I found that rather disrespectful as our dog hasn’t even passed yet and we had just got there. Severe lack of tact. Absolutely DISGUSTING. I understand an urn is needed but the could’ve waited until the end. That is the first issue. Secondly, I can see the vet with the syringe in hand itching to get it over with while we were still saying our goodbyes. Our dog was already sedated so she wasn’t feeling any pain at the moment, as confirmed by the vet. A moment like that was not something to be rushed. If they didn’t think they had enough time to do everything they needed to do, they shouldn’t have taken us. We would’ve taken our dog somewhere else and maybe, just maybe she would be alive right now. Lastly, after our dog passed, she so quickly wrapped her in a blanket like she was just a piece of trash being taken out and we were escorted out of the examination room. Everything about that day was super rushed and didn’t seem well thought through. Fast forward to when we went to pick up her urn, upon checking all over, we were not given an impression of her paw print as the vet said they would do. We later on found out that they mailed us a copy of her paw print in ink but we wanted an actual physical cast. They then told us that the physical impression is an extra cost, which we would’ve gladly paid for but it was NEVER offered to us. Not sure who this Jonathan McTaggart is but he’s apparently the owner of this practice. We wouldn’t know though since he was not present during this whole situation (July 26th 2022). I didn’t even know he owned this place until he responded to a more recent review I put up to see if it would even go through. We thought it was an all female run clinic because that’s who was present on that dreadful day that Foxy was unrightfully taken from us. Just a bunch of women hanging out and not showing compassion at all. When we do get another dog, we will never take our dog to this place.

Back in 2022, we brought our seven year old, small breed dog into this veterinary hospital as she was experiencing a small cough that was affecting her breathing. The veterinarian had us drop her off at 8:30AM and we were told that she would be stabilized on oxygen (to assist her less than perfect breathing) until 5:00PM while they administered specific drugs in an attempt to ease her symptoms. Following the vet's examination of our dog, we were told that she had an enlarged heart and that the aforementioned drugs could potentially help her issues. We were also told that if the drugs failed to help her, she would be transported to another veterinarian hospital for further assistance. At approximately 11:00AM or so, we received a phone call explaining that the drugs the vet had administered caused our dog to suffer a nose bleed and that there was nothing else that they could do for her, scarcely explaining as to why they would now have to put her down. Imagine that. Bringing your dog in to get to the bottom of a cough, only to have her last rights read two hours later. I've had some nosebleeds before, but I've lived to type about them. First and foremost, what happened to the original plan of transporting our dog to another veterinarian hospital once their initial drug trial failed to work? Another, more capable veterinarian could have potentially saved our dog before this Borderview amateur jumped to dooming conclusions in some sort of haphazard panic. Secondly, why was she not continuously stabilized on oxygen following the nose bleed? We were told she would be on oxygen until 5:00PM, not 11:00AM. When we arrived to say our final goodbyes to our dog, the veterinarian in question (along with her assistant) showed next to little emotion throughout the process, along with going so far as to rush our final moments with our dog, consistently repeating "okay, okay" (in a "wrap it up, pal" tone) as we were paying respects to our departed family member. The rest of this "hospital" was completely empty while we were there, along with the entirety of the parking lot, leaving little explanation for as to why we were hurried out of the building. Unsurprisingly, the staff were more than ready to collect a gross amount of money for the process as they led us out the front doors. I have no problem with paying for appropriate, well performed services, but at least fake some sympathy for me when I pass over my credit card after an event such as this has just transpired. As I was leaving the establishment in tears, the veterinarian's assistant had to unlock the front doors for me to leave. I thanked her for opening the doors as she replied "No problem!" in a timbre not unlike that of a Walmart greeter. Again, I don't expect the death of my dog to ruin your day, but at least read the room and fake some compassion for me. The entire process was disgusting. In the past, I've had to put another dog down and the experience couldn't have been any more different. These Borderview folks will have you paying for falsity and a rushed job. As this incident occurred back in the year 2022, this clinic will conveniently be unable to recollect the aforementioned event, but the painful memories of the experience remain for both myself and my family. I wish I had taken my dog anywhere, legitimately anywhere, else. Avoid this slum at any possible expense. I did attempt to upload this very review, over three years ago, but my review never seemed to have been publicly published. Strange. We will see if this one sees the light of day in 2025.

Thank you to the Borderview staff for always putting my dog’s needs first. My dog is very nervous and it’s a struggle getting him to relax. The staff are patient with me while I ask questions, convey my concerns and are empathetic towards me as an owner. I leave the vet feeling relieved every time. Recently they have aided with learning all about a basket mussel and how to use it safely and productively. They also handed out a piece of paper/email with step by step details everything “basket mussel”. I appreciate all the assistance. I feel confident taking my dog here for years to come.