Residents explore solutions to vet shortage
By Andrea Arnold
On Saturday May 10th, 17 residents of the Robson Valley met at the Dunster hall to discuss the current lack of veterinary services throughout the valley. They were joined by Dr. Jodyne Green and her business manager from Green Mobile Veterinary Services and Dr. Isa Gasser, a McBride resident who has recently completed her schooling and is working for Westwinds Mobile Veterinary Services. Both of these veterinary practices are located in Prince George.
The group addressed goals spanning from short term to long term. An immediate need identified by the group is small animal services to keep animals up to date on vaccines, and provide a way for x-rays, blood work, general check-ups and the dispensing of medications.
Prior to the meeting, a valley resident who wished to remain anonymous told the Goat that she has had to make three out of town trips in two months for situations just like these.
“We had to go to Kamloops for an emergency as the clinic in Jasper burned and their services were limited,” she said. “Our cat needed x-rays and blood work.”
Following that trip they had to go to Jasper a few times for more routine appointments.
“My one cat has travel anxiety so she threw up and wet herself on the trip going both ways,” she said. “Normally I would have anxiety medication for her before travel, but could not get any beforehand.”
Ann Schwartz of McBride has offered her grooming building for rent, providing a location for visiting vets to see animals. Dr. Green and a representative from Westwinds have both visited the facility and agreed that it could work as a location for small animal appointments as an immediate solution.
For larger animals, there have been, and could be more mobile vet clinics hosted at private homes. Jesse and Annie Spangler in Tete Jaune have hosted a vet clinic twice.
“Last fall and again this spring, the Murdoch Veterinary Clinic from PG came to our house for an equine vet clinic. – Dr. Morgan Kelly,” she said. “We had about 10-15 horses for the clinics but their manager told me they had a lot of requests for dogs and some for cats as well.”
Spangler said that the Murdoch clinic manager also mentioned that they are looking for a place they could rent where they could do small animal vet care on a more regular basis. “They seem keen to do what they can to help the community,” said Spangler.
Prior to the meeting, McBride resident Trevor Potts wrote letters to two vets in PG that have mobile clinics, one being the Murdoch clinic, explaining the situation and extending an invitation to the valley-wide meeting that was held Saturday afternoon to discuss needs, potential solutions, and suggestions.
Murdoch’s manager Kate Peebles, responded with some promising information regarding one of their vets, Dr. Abdallah Fahmy. He is willing and able to offer cat and dog care once he has completed the final portion of his exams. The letter stated that once that happens, they will start working toward finding a location where a transient clinic can be established and they will determine what services they can offer.
She explained that the ideal location would have a small lobby and a separate small exam space. Power, water (sink), access to a bathroom, and two folding tables would be needed. She also said that although it has been discussed, retrofitting a trailer as a mobile unit is not an option for them at this time.
“Rest assured we are anxiously waiting for Dr. Famhy’s test day (and results) so we can send him out to your area.”
The second letter was sent to Green Mobile Veterinary Services Ltd, and the response came from Marilyn Ireland, Business Manager. Ireland said that a few years back they made several trips to McBride but were met with inconsistent support. The pair committed in the letter to attend the meeting.
Following the meeting, Goat Editor Spencer Hall was able to talk to Dr. Green directly.
“We would have a full day booked, but then the day before we were coming out, half of them would cancel,” said Dr. Green. “I didn’t feel that we were getting a sustained response to be able to make it a feasible option.”
Dr. Green said that she wanted to attend the meeting to provide the veterinarian perspective, give some guidance, so that the group is well informed to be able to address and manage the situation. Having owned her own business for 15 years, Dr. Green was able to provide not just insight to the vet aspects of the problem, but also the business side. She sees it as a veterinary distribution issue, which she says is a national problem. Rural areas do not usually have enough work to sustain more than one vet, but it is a huge commitment as permanent on-call emergency responsibilities are also included.
“Anything I ever enter into I want to be committed to the long term. This will take commitment from both sides. The community has to be committed to supporting veterinarians, whether it’s myself or someone else that is coming into the community.”
Dr Jodyne Green, Green Mobile Veterinary Services
She feels that the shortage of medically trained personnel in rural communities for both humans and animals is a big problem. She thinks that one idea is to get people, in this case veterinarians, into these communities so they can see what the communities have to offer. The experience of getting that sense of community can help bring them to these areas and help keep them long term.
Dr. Green has committed to providing a level of limited service to Robson Valley residents in the near future. The exact timing is unknown. She first must find a time period within her working schedule to be available to come provide some immediate services that are needed: vaccines, medications, minor health concerns. Going forward, Dr. Green wants to build relationships with pet owners in the Robson Valley to provide veterinary services on a continuous basis.
“Anything I ever enter into I want to be committed to the long term,” she said. “This will take commitment from both sides. The community has to be committed to supporting veterinarians, whether it’s myself or someone else that is coming into the community.”
She also addressed the importance of keeping vaccines up to date. Not only is it important for preventing outbreaks of contagious diseases, it is also a requirement in most boarding facilities.
She encouraged residents to establish relationships with vets outside the valley, and to be prepared to travel in order to do the best thing for your animal.
Westwinds Mobile Veterinary services have been visiting the valley for several years, providing large animal care, as well as some small animal appointments to either one central location or directly to people’s homes.
There are many people who are concerned about their animals, of all sizes, in the in between times.
“We definitely need a vet in the valley,” said Valemount resident Gavin Mracek. “We have a lot of animals and ranching is hard enough. Without a vet as backup it is extremely risky now.”
For people who have working dogs that are a part of their livelihood, the thought of an errant stick or a run in with the wrong kind of fence is extremely stressful.
Doug and Samatha Palmer have made the trip from McBride to PG to the Murdoch clinic.
“We have working dogs, and minor cuts and injuries are common enough,” she said “But five or six hours for a simple thing or an antibiotic is a challenge and a deterrent. God forbid an actual emergency came up — which is only a matter of time —two hours away is too far.”
People who have had to say goodbye to their furry family members have had to experience several hours in vehicles during the sad time.
Dunster resident Shara Gustafson recently went through this experience.
“We had to drive all the way to Hinton to euthanize our sweet 15 year old dog,” she said. “It was a long 2.5 hours back home with her lifeless body in the car. It sucked.”
Looking hopeful
Those gathered on Saturday, along with the help from Dr. Green and Dr. Gasser created lists of what is needed to not only open, but maintain a successful clinic. They discussed possible locations – the large building at the intersection of HIghway 16 and Main street in McBride, and the previous vet clinic in Valemount, weighing both pros and cons of each. They also talked about the feasibility of kitting out a mobile clinic.
The issue of funding was also discussed. The suggestion that the Villages of McBride and Valemount own the clinics and vets rent the space was presented. Grants, and contributions from local donors could help with the cost. Donations of supplies, skills, labour and discounts would also provide a way to set up a site for reduced cost.
At this time, the Goat does not have information as to the timing of any upcoming mobile vet services, but will inform readers once more information becomes available. If you have questions about what services are available by the clinics mentioned above, please contact the clinics directly.
