New Veterinary Team Aims to Enhance Pet Care in Emergencies

When Vets Around the Corner’s Community Veterinarian Program was sent to Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario during wildfire evacuations in July, it found significant gaps in pet care.

This highlighted the necessity for a Veterinary Emergency Preparedness and Response Team to better include pets in ongoing emergency and evacuation planning.

The team aims to build on the lessons learned from its six-week deployment, which featured a veterinary field hospital in Thunder Bay, frequent outreach to evacuation shelters, and veterinary teams dispatched directly into areas affected by wildfires.

“We’re looking to form a dedicated volunteer team of veterinary professionals who are trained and equipped to respond to emergencies and disasters throughout the province of Ontario,” said William Woodstock, chief executive officer of the organization based in Port Perry, Ont.

Woodstock, who also founded the Community Veterinarian Program and serves as board chair, noted that discussions about creating a team like the Veterinary Emergency Preparedness and Response Team had already started before their Thunder Bay deployment.

He mentioned that it turned out to be a sort of trial run for understanding what worked and what didn’t when preparing for future emergencies.

“Ultimately, what it comes down to is that there’s no framework like this in Ontario. There are no teams that are prepared or ready to deploy to emergency situations to actually take care of the pets that are part of the emergency,” Woodstock said.

Additionally, Woodstock indicated that this team will be set up not only for emergency responses but also for planned deployments into remote communities as needed.

Apart from current staff members, he said they hope to recruit many veterinarians into the team’s ranks who can deploy when available.

‘No rule book’ as a grassroots organization

“We’re not able to really ask anybody for help. We’re kind of just making it up as we go with [the] best intentions and the best knowledge that we have,” Woodstock said.

“So it’s going to take some time and we’re trying to do it so that it’s prepared properly and so that it’s not as ad hoc as what our original deployment to Thunder Bay was.”

Matawa Animal Wellness Services and Vets Around the Corner’s Community Veterinarian Program are partnering to expand veterinary care in Thunder Bay, Ont., through an August-long field hospital. A pet receives care on Aug. 5. (Nicky Shaw/CBC)

Moving forward, the program will seek funding through grants or private donations while building its team and expanding its services. It also plans on teaming up first responders with its veterinary units so they can deploy together, according to Woodstock.

Veterinarians play an essential role in healthy communities

“We worked pretty closely with them during the fires and they’re absolutely amazing,” said Erin Manahan, a director of Northern Reach Network.

“So if they can develop a team that comes up here and helps with the severe vet shortage and need, I think that’s absolutely amazing because we need it so badly.”

Pete ownership shouldn’t hinge on whether people can find a veterinarian, Manahan explained; however, that’s become reality lately.

“You need your pet seen by a vet; you need protection against diseases; sometimes you even have to put your pet down – but those services just don’t exist around here for many people nowadays,” she said.

No veterinarian in Thunder Bay or nearby areas is accepting new clients right now according to Manahan.

The populations of dogs and cats aren’t decreasing either; they’re actually increasing according to her observations.

“If they can’t find homes because there are no vets available then what’s going happen with all these animals?” Manahan questioned adding how having teams providing services such as spay/neuter could help more pets get adopted which might reduce overall populations.”

Lack of veterinarians is an issue nationwide

“Manahan hoped similar programs could establish more teams while there’s also some effort being made towards retaining veterinarians locally along with new training programs coming up.”

“Just having schools opened here should offer better chances for getting animals vetted but it’s got be approached at government level since lack of vets exists everywhere not just northwestern Ontario,” she added.”

“It’s extremely bad especially among fly-in-only communities so having groups like Vets Around The Corner where they’re mobile enough reach these places makes all difference.”

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