King Animal Hospital: Multidisciplinary Referral & Emergency Hospital
King City, ON

In the township of King City, Ontario – approximately 40 kms north of Toronto - Canada’s leading campus for veterinary care, research, and education is nearing completion. King Animal Hospital (KAH) is an initiative being spearheaded by Dog Tails Rescue and Sanctuary who have operated a world-renowned, 50-acre sanctuary and animal rescue in the Township since 2014. KAH, a precedent-setting referral hospital for companion animals and equines, will be an evolution of this work and will merge the highest-possible standards of emergency care, therapy, rehabilitation, and naturopathy. The campus is offering highly-specialized services not currently available anywhere else in Canada. Ongoing work for a full campus of care is set to make King City one of the world’s leading destinations for veterinary care, research, and education.

A New State of the Art Animal Hospital

For the main hospital building (60,000 sf) – PRISM Partners engaged Cumulus for a peer review of the building’s clinical program. Selected for our wealth of knowledge designing human-focused healthcare environments, we were tasked with ensuring that the planned hospital program far exceeded traditional standards of veterinary facilities and achieved human standards of infection control. With this new goal defined Cumulus was engaged to lead the full clinical fit-out of the hospital’s 4 story interior. We worked alongside Kelly Wearstler Interiors who led the vision for non-clinical spaces.

The core design challenge was in the scale and complexity that the program required. With much of the equipment, such as MRIs, CT scanners, hydrotheraphy tanks and pools, intended for large equine animals, typical spatial and load challenges were amplified. In addition, as KAH’s planned service offerings required equipment that has yet to be utilized in Canadian veterinary care, there were few built precedents to draw from.

KAH was officially accredited by the Council of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario in January of 2024. The main hospital is scheduled to be fully open in May 2024, with the completion of the wider campus later in the year.

A Full Campus of Care

Cumulus is currently leading the development of the surrounding KAH campus which includes the addition of a world-class dog boarding and quarantine facility, a hay storage barn, operations garage, equine stables and administration building. Envisioned as a significant departure from traditional dog kennel typologies, KAH reimagines compassionate care by offering comfort, dignity, and palliative care for the most challenging and complex canine patients until end-of-life.

Project Team
Hospital Clinical Fit-Out & Campus Buildings: Cumulus Architects
Base Building Design: Richard Wengle Architect Inc.
Interior Design: Kelly Wearstler Interiors
Electrical Engineering: MBII
Mechanical Engineering: HHAngus
Structural Engineering: Entuitive, MTE Consulting
Envelope: Best Consultants
Civil: BaseTech Consulting
Cost: Hanscomb
Client: Prism Partners Inc. on behalf of Dog Tails Rescue & Sanctuary
Contractor: The Dalton Company

Program
12 Exam Rooms
8 Operating Rooms
Laboratory & Pharmacy
MDRD Sterilization Room
Diagnostics (Small Animal): 3T MRI, 128 slice CT, C-Arm Fluoroscopy, Digital X-ray, Ultrasound, Endoscopy
Diagnostics (Equine): 1.5T Recumbent MRI, 64 slice standing CT, C-Arm Fluoroscopy, Digital X-ray, Ultrasound, Endoscopy
Rehabilitation (Small Animal): Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber, Hydrotherapy Pool, Underwater Treadmills, Laser Therapy
Rehabilitation (Equine): Underwater Treadmill, Laser Therapy, 
5,800 sf indoor arena
Cat Ward
Outdoor Paddocks for Horses
Outdoor Green Space for Dogs
Rubberized Heated Outdoor Ramp for Horses and Trailers
Auditorium for Knowledge Exchange and Continuing Education
Dog Boarding and Quarantine Facility
Hay Storage Barn
Operations Garage
Equine Stables
Administration Building