After completing her bachelor degree at UBC, Cindy moved to Ontario to study veterinary medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College. Cindy has always had an interest in birds, small mammals and reptiles and throughout vet school, she gained as much experience as possible by working at the Avian and Exotics Clinic at OVC and Campus Estate Animal Hospital in Guelph during any spare time she had.

After graduation, Cindy returned to BC and worked in small animal, mixed animal and emergency practices. After 3 years in private practice, Cindy returned to academia and completed her Zoological, Exotic, and Wildlife internship at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

In 2013, Cindy pursued ownership and took over The Coast Cat Clinic. In the following year, after renaming the clinic Capitol Hill Animal Hospital, the practice started to provide care to a variety of different animals including dogs, cats, reptiles, small mammals and birds.

Cindy shares her life with her husband, their 2 children and several furred, feathered, and scaled babies including India - a Havanese X, Bean - a Cocker Spaniel X, Mango - a peached faced lovebird, Leon John - a Crested Gecko, Pumpkin - a very adorable Syrian hamster, Hammy - a sweet Robo hamster, and many fresh water fish.

Dr. Chow is only accepting small mammal, reptile, and avian patients.

Dr. Nadine meyer, dvm

Dr. Nadine Meyer obtained her Doctor in Veterinary Medicine from the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich, Germany in 2011. Following her graduation she completed a one-year internship in avian medicine and a two-year post-doctorate degree, studying ostriches, at the LMU’s Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish.

In 2013, she eventually moved to Vancouver to unite with her husband. During the two year process of getting her North American Veterinary Accreditation she had joined and worked at several small and large animal clinics in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland including the BCSPCA Vancouver Hospital.

Dr. Meyer has a special interest in avian and small mammal medicine, thus it does not come as a surprise that she pursued working in this specific field. Prior to joining Capitol Hill Animal Hospital in the summer of 2021 she was a full-time associate veterinarian for nearly 5 years at a birds-only hospital in Vancouver, where she also collaborated with the local Exotic Bird Sanctuary Greyhaven and was greatly involved in the care for the birds rescued from the World Parrot Refuge. 

Since her move to Vancouver she has adopted three rescue pet rats (Woody, Trudy and Lucy), a rescue dog (Maja) and fostered several birds, small and large. She has been an advocate for animal welfare since her childhood, which sparked her desire to become a veterinarian and made her adopt a vegan lifestyle. 

Dr. Meyer is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Hugh upjohn, dvm

Dr. Upjohn graduated in 1979 from the Ontario Veterinary College. He enjoys handling challenging internal medicine cases, particularly cases involving exotic animal patients. As well as caring for dogs and cats, Dr. Upjohn is well trained in caring for birds, rabbits, reptiles and a wide range of exotic pets.

Dr. Upjohn is a past president of the Vancouver Academy of Veterinarians, and is a member of the following associations:

Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association
American Animal Hospital Association
CARDIOPET (Cardiovascular Consultants)
Association of Avian Veterinarians
Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians

Dr. Upjohn is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Lucy blondel, dvm

BIO coming soon!

Dr. Blondel is not currently accepting any new patients at this time.

Nicole, RVT, VTS (Clinical Practice - Canine/Feline)

Nicole graduated from Douglas College’s Veterinary Technician program in 2009 She worked at Vancouver Animal Emergency Clinic during her first year of school and became a full time member of their technician team upon graduation in 2009 until leaving to join Capitol Hill Animal Hospital in 2017.

Nicole was an active volunteer with the BCSPCA Charlie’s vet clinic on the DTES. She is also a member of the Canadian Animal Assistance Team and the Rural Area Veterinary Services, two organizations that provide much needed volunteer veterinary care to underserved communities throughout Canada and the USA. She has been on over a dozen trips since 2014. 

Nicole has adopted over 60 senior or special needs animals from SAINTS or the BCSPCA, over the years. Her current crew of misfits consists of 2 dogs: Nigel and Joey, 4 cats: Gitsy, George, Marty, Malcolm Cheddar-Lee, and a flock of finches.
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In 2018, Nicole started the 2 year process of submitting an application to the Academy of Veterinary Technician’s in Clinical Practice (AVTCP). After 2 years of hard work, Nicole passed her exam in October 2019 and is proud to have her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Clinical Practice (Canine/Feline).

As per the BCVTA requirements - Nicole receives regular continuing education (CE) in veterinary medicine.

Alice, RVT

Alice is a Registered Veterinary Technician who graduated from Douglas College in 2013 and has been working with exotics ever since. She became a part of the team at Capitol Hill Animal Hospital in September 2021.

Alice has a real passion for working with a variety of creatures - she is particularly talented at soothing and handling stressed cats and dogs. Alice strives for the gold standard of care for her patients and is constantly taking continuing education courses to stay up to date with modern medicine.

During her spare time, Alice enjoys exploring destinations with her motorcycle, snowboarding on various mountains and traveling to different countries.

She currently has a hedgehog named Throttle and a rescued cat named Levi. Alice hopes to adopt more fur babies in the near future when the time is right.

DAnielle, practice Manager

Danielle completed the Veterinary Assistant program at Granville Business College in 2009 and has been working in the veterinary field ever since. She joined Capitol Hill Animal Hospital in 2021 and shortly after became the Practice Manager. She enjoys interacting with clients and learning about their beloved animals.

Danielle has completed the Fear Free level 2 certification course and has developed positive techniques in working with animals in the clinic to maintain their safety and comfort. She also volunteered at the SPCA for 5 years and was a junior counsellor for the SPCA day camps for kids in her teenage years.

You can find Danielle enjoying the outdoors, hiking, camping, fishing and spending time by the water.

Natia, tech assistant

Simone, tech assistant

Simone joined Capitol Hill Animal Hospital in the fall of 2023. She graduated from the Veterinary Office Assistant program at Granville College in 2013 and has been in the field ever since. 

Simone has had a passion for animal care from a very young age and started volunteering at 15 years old. She volunteered at the BCSPCA and has had multiple internships at Hope for Wildlife in Nova Scotia and in the Amazon in Ecuador. Simone enjoys welcoming patients and ensuring that they are as comfortable as they can be when they enter the clinic!

In Simone's spare time, you can find her travelling, binge watching a good series, and volunteering at The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary. She currently has 2 rabbits; Toothless and Stormfly, who are avid members of the Vancouver Rabbit Agility Club.

sandra, tech assistant, client care specialist

Sandra joined Capitol Hill Animal Hospital as permanent staff in the spring of 2022 after completing the Veterinary Office Assistant program at Douglas College in 2021. She started as a client in 2017, a volunteer in 2019, and came back for her practicum in 2021 and has since been a staple to the team!

At 17 years old, Sandra’s first pet was a Syrian hamster named Millie. Since bringing Millie to Capitol Hill, Sandra knew she had an interest in small animals and exotics. She has a special place in her heart for Syrian hamsters and will often adopt ones in need.

In her time away from the hospital, you can find Sandra adventuring with her better half.

Sandra shares her life with her cat Juniper; the love of her life, her husband, her mouse; Scabbers, and her two dogs; Gunner the Pitbull, and Boston the Boston Terrier.

Colette, client care specialiast

Tamara, Client care specialist

Tamara joined Capitol Hill Animal Hospital in the spring of 2024.

More about Tamara coming soon!