Dr Peter Parke


PRACTICE OWNER & VETERINARIAN

Meet Dr Peter Parke, owner and operator of Tsolum Veterinary Hospital. Peter enjoys his veterinary career caring for the local Dairy and Beef herds in the Valley, as well as all other farm animals. Peter recently expanded his practice to now include caring for the small animals of the Valley. He recently opened up our small animal clinic by the Merville General Store. He encourages everyone to stop by to say Hi!

After graduating from high school, Peter earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of British Columbia in 1987. That same year, the Parke family sold their farm, leaving Peter without a place to work. For the next few years, he worked as a dairy farm labourer in the lower mainland.

In 1990, Peter moved to Ontario to complete a Masters in Animal Breeding at the University of Guelph. He graduated in 1995 and was accepted into the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, where he focused on dairy medicine and surgery. He graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. During his studies, Peter worked dairy rotations at Cornell and Kansas State Universities and attended several North American veterinary conferences.

A move to the Comox Valley was facilitated in the fall of 2003, when Dr. Pat O’Brien was looking to retire and sell his well-established large animal practice here. Considering that he now had family living in the area, and that the veterinary practice had a solid reputation and client base, the decision to purchase the clinic was a relatively easy one. At the time, Tsolum operated out of a farm on Nelson Road.  Now, more than a dozen years after making the move, Dr Parke is proud the practice has expanded to include companion animals services and operates out a hospital in the centre of Merville.  The practice is a good match for Peter, with an excellent mixture of friendly pet owners and farmers, beautiful scenery and seemingly limitless choice of recreational pursuits.

Peter particularly enjoys working with the hard-working and independent dairy farmers of the Comox Valley.  A variety of farm designs, milking parlors, machinery, and hired hands keep the daily veterinary work very interesting! Starting in 2013, the small animal hospital was established at the Merville Store, with Peter and associates caring for a wide range of dogs and cats in this rapidly growing portion of the practice! 

A variety of species of domesticated animals are found in the Comox Valley and surrounding islands and rural properties. Horses, goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, chickens and turkeys are commonly encountered in daily travels.

Community involvement is another important part of Peter’s life. In his free time he coaches and plays on a number of teams (basketball, lacrosse, and rugby), sponsoring and judging agricultural classes at the fall fair.  He also has a small herd of beef cattle and enough chickens to keep him supplied with fresh eggs.

Peter’s mother, Lorraine, lives in an extended care complex in Campbell River. They both enjoy Sunday night visits and Doc Martin reruns. Susan, the other member of the Parke family, lives in the Comox Valley and enjoys helping coach basketball. 

Keep Smiling Everyone!

Read more about Dr. Parke’s support of the sports community in InFocus Magazine.

We work with:
Yaela Gleusteen: Wild Rose Equine Ambulatory Practice
Colin Scruton: Equerry Surgery & Sports Medicine
Anne Marie Guillemaud: Epona Equine Vet
Andrea Plaxton: Eden & Plaxton Veterinary Services