Yellowknife woman couldn't find emergency vet care to euthanize her ailing dog

Running out of options, Whitney Burr said she considered using a gun to euthanize her ailing dog. 

Earlier that morning, the Yellowknife woman desperately drove around the city trying to find an after-hours vet that could help her. Instead, her pet ended up dying in the backseat of her truck.  

"I could just tell she wasn't breathing anymore…it was very obvious she was no longer there," said Burr about Nikkita, the eight-year-old dog. 

Nikkita had been dying of lung cancer, and had stopped moving and eating. Burr began to worry when Nikkita's symptoms took a turn for the worse and her dog began struggling to breathe. 

She knew she had to put her dog down, but couldn't find a vet that could provide after-hours support. 

"It's really frustrating that we can't get that care … when things go wrong, it's not usually during business hours," she said. 

"I'm just very disappointed in the veterinary care here," she said. 

Burr had tried calling her vet at the Great Slave Animal Hospital, even though she knew they don't offer after-hour service. The facility's website says it suspended after-hours care more than a year ago. 

Burr then tried the Yellowknife Veterinary Clinic, but said she was told they couldn't help without having the dog's medical records — which were still with her original vet. 

She also tried the local SPCA, but it wasn't equipped to deal with veterinary emergencies.

Finally she decided to drive home and euthanize Nikkita herself, but when she got home she found the animal was already dead. 

"I'm upset that she had to suffer for two hours," she said. 

Both the Great Slave Animal Hospital and the Yellowknife Veterinary Clinic declined to comment to CBC News. 

Despite her anger at not being able to receive care, Burr is still sympathetic toward the pressure on veterinarians. 

"I understand they need to have a life too… if you only have one vet working at a clinic, like, you can't expect them to work 24 hours," she said. 

Burnout

In Yellowknife there are three ways people can access veterinary care: through the Great Slave Animal Hospital, the Yellowknife Veterinary Clinic, or from Michelle Tuma, a vet who offers virtual appointments and house calls across the North. 

Tuma said there's a shortage of veterinary staff across Canada that developed around the pandemic, but says it's been an ongoing problem in the North. 

"Can you imagine being on call 24/7 in a small town where you are being expected to save the  lives of people's pets? It can be a lot to carry," she said. 

She said veterinarians are burning out across industry which has led to extreme staffing shortages and reduced hours at clinics. 

Tuma herself has had to travel to Edmonton when her own dog was sick, to access care. 

She said what happened with Burr's dog is similar to what she's seen working with people over the phone in remote communities where there are no vet clinics available. 

"You know, I'm on the phone with an owner as their pet is passing away and there's nothing, there's nothing that we can do — and it's a really tricky and complex situation," she said. 

She said Burr not having access to care for her dog was very unfortunate. 

"That was very, very, very sad and you know, not something that any pet owner should go through," she said.