By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—A recent article by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) shined a spotlight on a growing problem: the declining availability of veterinarians to service rural and agricultural communities in Ontario.
The Haldimand Press reached out to local veterinarians for a better understanding of some of the challenges they face, and how remote work differs from working at a clinic.
Dr. Emily Zakrajsek works out of Talbot Road Veterinary Services, based out of Delhi, but commutes to Haldimand for work at Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue in Hagersville. Dr. Stephanie Campbell-Heron of Dunnville runs Green Heron Veterinary Services, servicing a variety of rural clientele.
On the OFA’s concerns related to a shortage of available veterinarians, Zakrajsek offered, “This is absolutely true. There is a huge shortage of vets Canada-wide and especially in large animal medicine…. We generally turn away up to 10 new clients a day looking for farm services because we are just too swamped.”
Heron added, “Burnout is real, and it takes our efficiency away, so we are reluctant to do even the limited amount we can do. Scaling back seems to be the option, but I haven’t taken it yet. There is, of course, the possibility of expanding, but that has challenges all its own.”
Both vets said that working remotely presents a series of challenges compared to clinical vet work. Heron explained, “I don’t have the same resources. No in-house bloodwork, no x-rays … and these are critical to diagnosing many conditions.… I am also working alone standing out in the sun, rain, or snow all day, every day unless I am in my vehicle.”
Zakrasjek added, “These visits can be more challenging due to weather, decreased sterility of working areas, the inability for gas anesthesia, and overall less staff for handling animals. Light and warmth aren’t guaranteed, and some places don’t even have a barn or shelter that’s feasible to work in. Hot water isn’t always available, nor is electricity.”
In addition to these challenges, Zakrasjek listed some realities about vet work in a rural area: “There are often fewer emergency/referral centres to send clients to for advanced care and in my case as a solo veterinarian, there isn’t always other vets to reach out to for brainstorming purposes…. As a mobile-only practice at this time, we also can’t hospitalize our patients or perform advanced surgeries as we are working in people’s homes.”
Heron said that while the hospitality she encounters on the job is heartening, working remotely presents financial difficulties in addition to logistical ones. She explained, “I can only see so many calls in a day – one an hour on average, whereas a clinic can see two, three, or even sometimes four an hour per vet.”
Both of the vets respond to a variety of calls on a given day. Zakrajsek listed some of the more ‘out-there’ calls she’s had, including a dog that ate a screw, a duck with frost-bitten feet, a cat that had been giving birth for three days straight, and, as she described it, “A horse that ripped open its face without there being a single trace of where/how.”
More common issues she faces include downed animals who cannot get back up, including horses and cows, equine lameness, dental work, lacerations, and helping with the birthing process.
For Heron, typical services include at-home puppy vaccines, euthanasia, and a full-service equine clinic. Some of the horse-related issues she faces regularly include colic, lameness, infectious disease, and parasites.
When asked about some of the benefits of rural work, and why future veterinarians should consider coming to Haldimand, the two vets gave very different answers.
Heron bluntly said, “Personally, I would not recommend it. The hours are insane and I am working until midnight most nights, doing the paperwork.”
She elaborated, “It can be soul crushing to have patients die and have no life experience to put this in perspective. I regularly get notifications of vets who have taken their own lives, and the ones that have done so in Ontario have been rural vets like me.”
She called Haldimand a ‘tough field’: “Lots of driving, and therefore time you aren’t making money. People with unrealistic ideas of what that means as far as fees, so often I have issues with non-payment. The people are generally lovely, but … I am regularly called away from what personal time I try to have,” she said, lamenting her kayak sitting at home “bleaching in the sun.”
It’s not all gloomy though, as Heron said the connection to her community can be very gratifying: “I meet some fabulous people and have some great conversations about animals. People genuinely love their animals, and I am rarely faced with situations where I think the animal is needlessly suffering.”
Zakrajsek has a more positive outlook on the profession, stating, “Because we’re a rural community, we get to know our clients and patients on a more personal level than in large city clinics. This makes all the success stories more satisfying and makes the empathy for the sad results come more naturally, because you’re truly connected to the patients. There’s also nothing quite like the unpredictability of being a rural vet! I’ve gotten some strange calls over the years and every time I think I’ve seen it all something else happens!”
