Call us: 778-655-7900
It is our philosophy that a veterinarian's first duty is to be an advocate for the animals. The welfare of your pet is our first concern. Every member on the Vancouver East Veterinary team is here because they are dedicated to caring for animals and the people who love them. We try to create a clinic environment that has all the warmth and support of a local, family practice, and also functions on-par with university and specialist hospitals.
Several years ago, while working on a research project with some human orthopaedic surgery residents, I got into a discussion on patient welfare. One surgeon from Glasgow told me that in school they're told to treat every patient "with the same care as you would want your dear old gran' treated." I believe that this is no less true in veterinary medicine, and I try to apply this attitude to every patient entrusted to our care.
Dr. Burstyn graduated from the University of British Columbia, and went on to graduate with first class honours from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, Australia. He worked as a veterinary technician in the emergency room of a specialty hospital while studying to become a veterinarian. After graduation Dr. Burstyn worked as an emergency/critical care doctor, pursued advanced training through a rotating internship in internal medicine and surgery, and was a research scientist with an orthopedic surgery laboratory at UBC. Dr. Burstyn’s clinical interests are focused on surgery and feline medicine. As a veterinarian passionate about cat welfare, he is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and regularly attends the American College of Veterinary Surgeons symposium. Dr. Burstyn has published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and has presented at the annual society for neuroscience meeting.
Always an innovator, Dr. Burstyn was the first veterinary surgeon to offer minimally invasive surgery on a routine basis in Western Canada. Having started offering this option exclusively to our clients in 2010, Dr. Burstyn now provides a province-wide referral service for minimally invasive surgery, and is still the only veterinarian in BC to routinely perform a wide variety of procedures using minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Burstyn lives with 2 cats: Mr. Pirate, whom he raised from a 5 day old kitten, and Trinity, a cat who lost her leg after being hit by a car and was subsequently adopted by Dr. Burstyn when her owners refused to care for her. His professional approach can be summarized as “Kindness, Compassion, and Evidence Based Medicine.”
After working in the veterinary industry for 37 years, Dr. Shura is now a client favourite at our Vancouver East location. His big personality and infectious enthusiasm are unmistakable. As part of his esteemed career Dr. Shura is especially proud his years as the primary care-giver for the Vancouver Police Canine Department, and Vancouver Fire Department canines. The Whistler Avalanche dogs were also some of his favourite patients over the years. These days Dr. Shura can be heard practising his spanish around the clinic in between patients, with his dog Dima by his side.
Bio Coming Soon!
Danielle is an adventurous spirit who has travelled the world volunteering in sanctuaries for injured wildlife everywhere from Africa and Asia to right here in B.C! Now we’re lucky enough to have her manning our reception desk, and holding your pet’s paw when they’re going through a rough time.
Bio coming soon!
Our practice manager extraordinaire has been taking care of things behind the scenes since 2015. She’s a tiny package of big ideas, endless energy and love for all creatures, big and small. She is also our in-house translator for our clients who speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese and Japanese. When she’s not travelling the world with her awesome teddy bears you can find her at various music venues around town grooving to all kinds of funky beats:)
It wouldn’t be a Vancouver clinic without at least one Australian on the team! Rhian is our client care, marketing, and social media guru. Growing up with goats, peacocks, cockatoos, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs and even a giant pig it seems inevitable that she would end up working with animals. Rhian and her two dogs Chewbacca and Trinity are constantly shuffling between our clinics with their collective air of enthusiasm and energy, so you’re bound to run into her at some point! You’ll always see Rhian with a smile and some treats (for both pets and people) taking adorable pictures for our Facebook or Instagram account. Follow us at helpful_vancouver_vet!