Veterinarian shortage on Vancouver Island only expected to get worse
Finding timely veterinary care in British Columbia has long been a frustration for many, and it's only getting worse as vets retire from the profession.
At the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm, staff take care of a variety of different creatures, and getting them all the medical care they need has become a challenge over the years.
“We have donkeys, sheep, alpacas, pigs, ducks, chickens and finches,” said Lynda Koenders, owner of the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm.
“We actually have to use three vet companies in order to serve our animals.”
Many clinics have moved away from serving larger animals.
“It’s a challenge to find vets,” said Koenders.
These days, even dog and cat owners can have trouble finding a vet.
“Many veterinarians' clinics previously may have had four or five veterinarians working in the practice; now they may be down to one or two,” said Craig Daniell, CEO of the BC SPCA.
Daniell says that’s mainly because of retirements. Other vets have moved to places where the cost of living is lower, and some have just chosen to leave the profession altogether.
Now B.C. is in a position where it isn't able to catch up.
“There hasn’t been enough places at veterinarian schools in Canada to meet the growing demand of our population,” said Daniell.
The province is now doubling the number of subsidized vet school spots from 20 to 40 at a university in Saskatchewan. Currently, there is no veterinary college in B.C.
“Our goal is to make veterinary care more affordable to the masses, to everybody,” said Eyal Lichtman, the CEO of the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS).
RAPS is one of the largest animal rescue organizations in the province. It also runs its own not-for-profit animal hospital.
Lichtman says what is needed is more schools.
“I think there’s five schools in total in Canada,” said Litchman. “More vets are retiring than are graduating.”
Only a few hundred veterinary students graduate across the entire country each year.
B.C.'s minister of post-secondary education says a new veterinary school is not going to happen in the province anytime soon.
“That’s a significant undertaking that would be years in the making,” said Selina Robinson.
Back at the Children’s Farm, if one of the larger animals needs a major surgery, the owner isn’t sure where she can now take it for the procedure.
“The last time we needed surgery, it was up in Mill Bay at a vet, but they are no longer doing larger animals,” said Koenders.
That means B.C.'s vet shortage could be a matter of life or death on the farm.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.