Pacific Animal Wellness Services

What Pacific Animal Wellness Services does

Pacific Animal Wellness Services (PAWS Rehab) is a specialized veterinary rehabilitation clinic located in Chemainus, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, founded in 2009 as British Columbia's first stand-alone clinic dedicated solely to animal physical rehabilitation and wellness. The clinic serves two patient populations: dogs treated in-clinic at the Chemainus facility and horses treated on-farm across Vancouver Island. It operates a four-day week (Tuesday-Friday, 8am-6pm) with a 4-person team consisting of two veterinarians (Dr. Rose Alkoff, certified in veterinary acupuncture via ABVA; Dr. Tracey Griffin, certified in canine rehabilitation via CRI), one certified veterinary technician (Melanie), and one support team member (Dallas).

PAWS offers four integrated in-clinic/field modalities — acupuncture, hydrotherapy via a Ferno purpose-built canine underwater treadmill with variable speed, adjustable water depth, and underwater jets, laser therapy using SpectraVet Class 3B and MultiRadiance ActivetPro/mPL units, and physical therapy — alongside a telehealth consultation platform hosted at pawsrehab.smart.vet for follow-up care. The clinic owns specialized capital equipment and treats a wide range of conditions including post-surgical recovery, arthritis, hip dysplasia, degenerative joint disease, geriatric mobility decline, obesity, wound healing, and chronic internal medicine conditions.

The business operates a referral-only acquisition model: new patients must be referred by a primary-care veterinarian, and the clinic maintains downloadable referral forms and informational handouts (cruciate injury handouts, "What we do with cruciate patients") for the referring DVM community. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; services generate professional-services revenue from per-appointment fees, with extended initial assessments for new patients. The clinic reports being capacity-constrained with waiting lists. Distribution is exclusively direct: in-clinic for canines, on-farm for equines, plus telehealth for remote consultations. Ownership is private, founder-operated, and bootstrapped, with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or expansion beyond the Vancouver Island region.

Name

Pacific Animal Wellness Services

Legal name

Pacific Animal Wellness Services

Website

https://pawsrehab.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pacific Animal Wellness Services (PAWS Rehab) is a Chemainus, British Columbia veterinary clinic founded in 2009, providing specialized animal physical rehabilitation — hydrotherapy, acupuncture, laser therapy, and physical therapy — for dogs in-clinic and horses on-farm across Vancouver Island, operating on a veterinary referral model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy Centers (HLAMACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy (Hydrotherapy, Sports Med) (HLAMAAAJ), Veterinary Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy & Pain Management (AFAEANAL)

Keywords

• Veterinary rehabilitation services
• Canine hydrotherapy
• Veterinary acupuncture
• Animal physical therapy
• Therapeutic laser treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Chemainus

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Veterinary Rehabilitation Services: Professional veterinary services including hydrotherapy, acupuncture, laser therapy, physical therapy, and manual therapies. Services are provided during scheduled appointments at the clinic for dogs and on-farm for horses. New patients receive an initial extended consultation and assessment.
2. Telehealth Consultations: Remote veterinary consultation services offered via telehealth platform for existing clients and follow-up care.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pacific Animal Wellness Services (PAWS Rehab) is a single-location veterinary clinic that provides specialized animal physical rehabilitation and wellness services for dogs (in clinic) and horses (on farm). Its core offering is an integrated suite of hands-on treatment modalities — acupuncture, hydrotherapy on a canine underwater treadmill, laser therapy, and physical therapy — supplemented by telehealth follow-up consultations for pet owners on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Product overview

Pacific Animal Wellness Services (PAWS Rehab) operates as a specialized veterinary clinic offering an integrated suite of animal rehabilitation and wellness services. The clinic provides five core service offerings: Acupuncture (veterinary acupuncture for pain control and mobility issues), Hydrotherapy (canine underwater treadmill therapy with adjustable speed and water depth), Laser Therapy (Class 3B low-level light therapy for pain relief and healing), Physical Therapy (pre/post-operative rehabilitation, physical training, and geriatric care), and Telehealth (remote consultations). Services are designed to work complementarily, with veterinarians recommending combinations of modalities such as acupuncture, laser, and hydrotherapy particularly for geriatric patients. The clinic also maintains facility amenities including a water treadmill, examination rooms, fenced exercise yard, and therapeutic laser equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Veterinary Acupuncture Acupuncture for dogs and horses targeting impaired mobility and pain control, including hip dysplasia, arthritis, chronic pain, degenerative joint disease, and chronic internal medicine conditions. Treatment is grounded in normalizing nervous system function, improving blood flow, and reducing muscle spasm and inflammation, and is offered both as a standalone therapy and as an addition to other physiotherapy modalities.
• Canine Hydrotherapy (Underwater Treadmill) Hydrotherapy delivered through a Ferno-purpose-built canine underwater treadmill that provides a weight-reduced environment for exercise and rehabilitation. The system has variable speed, adjustable water depth, and optional underwater jets for resistance and massage, and is offered to dogs with mobility, post-surgical, and conditioning needs in-clinic.
• Therapeutic Laser Therapy Low-level light therapy using SpectraVet Class 3B and MultiRadiance ActivetPro and mPL therapeutic laser units to deliver pain relief, muscle spasm relief, reduced inflammation, improved circulation, and improved nerve function. Also applied as laser-acupuncture where needling is not appropriate, and used for wound healing, post-operative healing, and infection control in dogs and horses.
• Veterinary Physical Therapy Comprehensive rehabilitation for dogs and horses covering pre- and post-operative rehabilitation, injury recovery, physical training for working and sporting dogs, geriatric mobility and obesity control programs, and mobility assessments, delivered through hands-on manual therapies, exercise programs, and K-Taping.
• Telehealth Veterinary Consultations Remote veterinary consultations delivered via the pawsrehab.smart.vet telehealth platform, allowing existing PAWS Rehab clients to connect with the clinic's veterinarians for follow-up care, treatment guidance, and case progression without traveling to the Chemainus clinic.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ferno Veterinary SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationFerno Veterinary Systems manufactures the purpose-built canine underwater treadmill used at PAWS. Dogs walk into the dry unit and water level is slowly raised to therapeutic levels. This equipment enables the hydrotherapy services central to PAWS's rehabilitation offerings.
• SpectraVetcoreTechnology or IntegrationSpectraVet provides Class 3B therapeutic laser units used for low-level light therapy. These lasers provide pain relief, muscle spasm relief, reduced inflammation, circulation improvements, and nerve function improvements. Essential equipment for PAWS's laser therapy services.
• MultiRadiancecoreTechnology or IntegrationMultiRadiance provides ActivetPro and mPL therapeutic laser units for pain management and healing applications. Complements the SpectraVet systems for comprehensive laser therapy offerings at the clinic.
• Canine Rehabilitation Institute (CRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Tracey Griffin completed comprehensive training and examinations in canine rehabilitation and sports medicine through CRI in 2008. The clinic references CRI for additional training and certification in canine rehabilitation.
• Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists (ABVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Rose Alkoff completed comprehensive training and examination in veterinary acupuncture facilitated by ABVA in 2003. She was an ABVA member and served on their council for four years prior to moving to Canada. The clinic directs inquiries to ABVA for acupuncture information.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sound Animal Rehabilitation: Veterinary rehabilitation clinic in the Pacific Northwest (Washington state) providing underwater treadmill, laser, and manual therapy. Comparable to PAWS as a regional specialty rehab practice serving referred patients in a similar geographic and demographic context.
• Integrative Pet Care: Chicago-based veterinary rehabilitation clinic offering hydrotherapy, acupuncture, laser therapy, and physical therapy for dogs. Directly comparable to PAWS as a multi-modality specialty rehab practice, though operating at a larger scale with multiple therapists.
• Animal Rehabilitation & Wellness Center: Specialty veterinary rehabilitation center offering hydrotherapy, acupuncture, and therapeutic exercise for companion animals. Directly comparable to PAWS in service mix (hydrotherapy + acupuncture + physical therapy) and referral-driven model.

Broad incumbents

• BluePearl Pet Hospital: Large specialty and emergency veterinary hospital chain in North America. While not a stand-alone rehab clinic, its specialty service lines include physical rehabilitation, and its scale and brand presence represent the larger incumbent that specialty rehab operators may feed into or compete with.
• VCA Animal Hospitals: National network of general and specialty veterinary hospitals owned by Mars Veterinary Health. Relevant as a broad incumbent that increasingly offers rehab-adjacent services and could expand specialty rehabilitation offerings, raising competitive pressure on independent rehab clinics like PAWS.
• MedVet: Network of specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals across the U.S. Comparable as a specialty veterinary incumbent whose service portfolio overlaps with rehab-adjacent specialty care, representing a potential referral sink or competitive threat for independent rehab clinics.

Others

• Canine Rehabilitation Institute (CRI): Continuing-education institute that certifies veterinarians (CCRT) and physical therapists (CCRT) in canine rehabilitation. PAWS's Dr. Griffin obtained her CCRT here. Relevant as an ecosystem enabler and training pipeline that supports the broader specialty rehab market in which PAWS operates.
• Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists (ABVA): UK-based professional body that certifies veterinarians in veterinary acupuncture; Dr. Alkoff holds its Cert Vet Acu credential. Relevant as the certifying body in PAWS's modality mix, shaping supply of trained acupuncturists in the broader rehab market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-animal-wellness-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Animal Wellness Services