Find a veterinary pharmacy in Burnaby
Burnaby's veterinary pharmacy landscape reflects the city's role as Metro Vancouver's densely populated middle ground, where roughly 250,000 residents share space with SFU's campus population and a large East Asian expat community concentrated around Metrotown and Brentwood. PillsCard verifies seven veterinary pharmacies across the municipality, most of them attached to full-service animal hospitals rather than standalone dispensaries — a pattern typical of British Columbia, where the College of Veterinarians of BC requires prescription medications to be dispensed through a licensed veterinary practice. Clinics cluster along the Kingsway, Hastings, and Willingdon corridors, with secondary nodes near Lougheed Town Centre. Cross-border demand from Washington State pet owners remains modest but visible, particularly for compounded medications and specialty formulations that are harder to source south of the 49th.
The market is fragmented rather than chain-dominated: independent hospitals still hold most of the ground. Metrotown Animal Hospital and Central City Animal Hospital serve the high-density Metrotown core, catering to condo-dwelling cat and small-dog owners, while Hastings Veterinary Hospital and North Burnaby Pet Hospital anchor the older residential grid north of Highway 1. Kensington Animal Hospital and Capitol Hill Animal Hospital cover the leafy Capitol Hill and Kensington neighbourhoods, and Boundary Animal Hospital sits on the eastern Vancouver–Burnaby line, drawing clientele from both municipalities. None of the seven verified sites operate as 24-hour emergency centres; overnight and specialist referrals typically flow to Vancouver's dedicated emergency and specialty hospitals rather than staying within Burnaby.
Pricing & coverage
Provincial Medicare under the Canada Health Act does not cover veterinary services — Health Canada regulates veterinary drugs through the Veterinary Drugs Directorate, but companion-animal care is entirely out-of-pocket or covered by private pet insurance. In Burnaby, expect roughly CAD 90–140 for a routine wellness examination, CAD 250–450 for a full dental scaling under anaesthesia (excluding extractions), CAD 35–90 per month for flea, tick and heartworm prevention depending on animal weight, and CAD 400–900 for cat neuter and spay procedures. Compounded prescriptions carry a dispensing fee of roughly CAD 12–20 on top of the drug cost.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
Burnaby has no dedicated after-hours veterinary hospital within its own boundaries. Overnight, weekend and holiday emergencies are routed to regional facilities such as the Animal Emergency Clinic of the Fraser Valley in Langley or Vancouver's emergency and specialty hospitals along Cambie and Broadway. Most Burnaby clinics post the closest on-call referral centre on their voicemail and front-door signage. Dial 911 only for human medical emergencies — including animal bites requiring hospital treatment or suspected exposure to a rabid animal. For animal-only crises, telephone the referral hospital directly before travelling.
Frequently asked questions
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. For prescriptions, dosing decisions, or any clinical concern about your animal, consult a licensed veterinary pharmacy or veterinarian in Burnaby directly.