Northern Manitoba vet shortage leaves animals out in the cold
Thompson's only vet set to close her doors at the end of December
Northern Manitoba's biggest city will be ringing in the new year with the closure of its only veterinary clinic.
Keri Hudson Reykdal will be closing the doors of her North of 55 Veterinary Services in Thompson, Man., on Dec. 31. Hudson Reykdal, the city's only veterinarian, says she has been planning to leave the city for the last two years so she can move home to Ashern.
Since she made the announcement, recruitment efforts have failed to secure a new vet to take her place.
Hudson Reykdal currently has more than 5,300 patients and sees around 400 animals a month. She says the community will be scrambling for care once her doors close.
"There will be a crisis," she said. "I'm hoping at that point it's going to create more spur to either get a vet that's like, 'OK, I gotta go help,' or the city to say this is now our problem … or the community to come together and find a solution."
Hudson Reykdal is working with Northern Pet Care — a non-profit group trying to recruit veterinarians to work in Thompson. She says they need at least two vets in the community.
Thompson resident Erica Massart doesn't want to think about what might happen if her dog Petra needs vet care in the future.
"It's just terrifying to think that part of your family may not have health care," she says. "That's an unfortunate and very sad thing."
Working on recruitment
Northern Pet Care chair Sarah Driediger says her dog Hero has multiple health issues and needs consistent vet care. She says Hudson Reykdal was a lifesaver when she came to the community four years ago because she offered stability.
Northern Pet Care formed two years ago to help with vet recruitment. Driediger said they want to find a long-term solution to ensure animals in the north get the care they need.
"We're all fighting ... we all have pets, we're all terrified of what it could be without having regular vet care," Driediger said.
Northern Pet Care needs a head vet to purchase and run any clinic that opens with the option of bringing in locums to fill any service gaps. The group wants to run as much of the business as they legally can by helping with recruitment and operations so vets can focus on animal care.
They also need to fundraise to the tune of at least $1.5 million, Driediger said. One of their goals is to buy the building and the equipment at North of 55 to make it easier to recruit.
Another long-term plan is to create a fund offering scholarships and grants for veterinary programming to help train people from the community to work for the community.
Meanwhile, recruitment remains an uphill battle because vets are in high demand across the country, she said.
"No one can force a vet to be here full-time. So it's just finding the right person that wants to be up here," Driediger said.
Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook says many businesses struggle to recruit staff. The city is lobbying the provincial and federal governments to help with programs such as recruiting foreign workers.
Groups like Northern Pet Care and the Thompson Humane Society are working to fill veterinarian gaps, she says, but the city is limited in what it can do to help.
Todd Harwood, who has two dogs, worries about how not having a vet will affect his pets as they get older and need more care. He's concerned it will be hard to find someone who is the right fit.
Recruitment and retention is challenging in Thompson, Harwood said. As a school principal, he thinks the lack of vet care could limit his ability to enlist new teachers for the region.
"I've had discussions currently with staff, young teachers," he said. While they "love the lifestyle" in Thompson, they tell him, "'If there's no vet here, we're probably leaving.'"
Highway safety a concern
When the doors close in January, Hudson Reykdal says she'll temporarily visit Thompson four days a month to check in on around 120 patients that need monthly care.
A part of the reason she's only going four days a month is because Highway 6 is a dangerous highway, Hudson Reykdal said. She recently had an accident on the highway.
This makes the closure a public safety issue because some people will need to drive to Winnipeg or The Pas if there's an emergency, she says.
"That increases risk a lot, especially in the wintertime when the roads are bad," she said. "I think that's something people need to consider too, is the safety of all these people that are going to have to travel for care."
The lack of vet care has Massart questioning her family's future in Thompson. She now worries about what to do when there's an emergency and she has to drive for eight hours to Winnipeg.
"That's going to be the worst trip ever.... I'm not going to allow my dog to suffer. I will be making the trip," Massart said.
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