Let Our Family Take Care of Your Family Pet
Woodgrove Animal Hospital is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Dr. Jeff Goldman and Dr. Jayne Buchan. Jeff and Jayne were classmates at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario. They graduated in 1990, receiving several awards, including the jointly presented Toronto Humane Society Award for the humane treatment of animals.
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After opening the practice in Nanaimo, Jeff and Jayne moved to Nanoose Bay to raise their two children, Alexandra and David, on a 5 acre property. Jayne’s love and experience with small ruminants prompted the family to start Arbutus Ridge, an alpaca and Nigerian Dwarf goat breeding farm, complete with cats, dogs, and even a horse.
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After graduation they moved to Vancouver Island and opened the Woodgrove Animal Hospital in Nanaimo in August of 1991 with the goal of providing high quality health care for all species of household pets. Since that time we have had the pleasure of treating a variety of animals including goldfish, pythons, hedgehogs, rabbits, pot-bellied pigs, parrots, sugar gliders, iguanas, tortoises, and even ring-tailed lemurs.
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With their children now grown up and off to university, Jeff and Jayne moved from the farm to the waterfront in Nanoose Bay where they’ve traded the alpacas and goats for sea lions and whale watching. Sharing the ocean view are their 13 year old French Bulldog Jasmine and 8 year old Golden Retriever Skye.
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We truly enjoy the challenge of working with all exotic pets including pet birds, but our true passion is keeping our canine and feline patients happy and healthy. Wildlife that is brought to us will receive free treatment and then be released back into the wild or transferred to a licensed rehabilitation centre. We are also a local drop-off hospital for the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre.
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Jolene
(RVT)
Jolene first started working for Woodgrove Animal Hospital immediately after graduating High School in 1996. She enjoyed the veterinary field so much that she enrolled in the Veterinary Technology Program at Thompson Rivers University graduating in 1999 and has a been a key member of our team for more than twenty years . Jolene is a true fixture at our hospital and has formed many deep long lasting relationships with both our patients and clients.
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An active and exuberant dog named Farley and Louie a mellow cat, keep Jolene company when she and her husband aren’t out enjoying the great outdoors by hiking through the trails in Nanoose Bay and all over Vancouver Island. Jolene is also a visual artist whose work can be seen on her website www.jolenehassard.com
Christy
(Veterinary Care Assistant)
Christy was born in Ontario and moved to Vancouver Island in July of 2022. Christy brings her impressive 25 years of experience as both a groomer and veterinary assistant to our team. Her empathy and caring attitude is much appreciated by patients and owners alike and makes Christy a valuable addition to our hospital.
She has a special fondness for large and giant breed dogs, including her newest addition, Raven, a young energetic Irish Wolfhound! However, Christy's motto has always been "big or small, I love them all."
Alexandra
(Web Design and Social Media)
Sandy
(AHT)
Sandy graduated from the Animal Health Technologist program at Thompson Rivers University in 1994 and joined our team right after graduation. She has been an important part of the Woodgrove Animal Hospital team for over twenty five years and this has given her the opportunity to follow many of our patients as they’ve grown from puppies and kittens through adulthood and into their senior years. While she loves working with many different species, Sandy has a special affinity for cats and has two of her own, Rascal and Goose.
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Along with her husband and twin daughters Sandy spends much of her spare time camping, hiking and exploring the natural wonders around Nanaimo and the surrounding area.
Lauren
(Receptionist)
Lauren is the newest member of the Woodgrove Animal Hospital team. She was born in Calgary and moved to Nanaimo in November 2021, shortly after completing her Veterinary Office Assistant Diploma at Bow Valley College. Lauren is very enthusiastic about working in the veterinary field and brings a wealth of experience in customer service to our hospital.
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In her spare time Lauren enjoys hiking, golf, and reading. While she doesn't currently have a pet, Lauren misses her much loved family cat, Rocket, who is still in Calgary with her parents.
David
(Web Design and Social Media)
Growing up on a farm, Alexandra and David have always had a deep love of animals. Whether it be alpacas, goats, hedgehogs, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, horses, or even a 5 year old Betta fish, their fondness for animals knows no bounds. Although not directly following in their parents' footsteps, both Alexandra and David continue to help out with the family business on the social media side!
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Alexandra is a professional actor, with a BFA in Theatre Performance and an MA in Acting from the UK. She is very excited to be back in Western Canada for an upcoming theatre production. David is working on his MA in International Security and Conflict Studies at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. He is an avid scuba diver, and his videos of diving with sea lions have been bought by National Geographic.
Did you know that all the animals seen on our website belong to the members of our team?