Overwhelmed clinics, long waiting lists, orphan patients… The veterinary community is struggling to recover from the pandemic, raising fears for the care of animals across the province.
Already grappling with a major labor shortage, the veterinary profession faced a massive wave of adoptions in addition to enduring exponential delays during the first confinements.
In two years, at least 200,000 little four-legged companions have been added to Quebec homes, according to figures from 2021.
For the first time, more than one in two households owns a cat or a dog.
The pressure on veterinarians continues to be strong.
While 87% said they were out of breath during the first year of the pandemic, another 54% said they were experiencing psychological distress during a survey carried out in July 2021 by a researcher from UQAM.
DARK IDEAS
No less than 16% admitted to having suicidal ideation.
“Veterinary medicine itself is a sick profession,” says Dr. Lucie Hénault, co-owner of seven veterinary establishments in the Montreal region and founder of the web magazine Flair & Cie.
Across Quebec, customers have had to get used to longer delays, despite a marked improvement since the worst of the crisis, according to testimonies collected by The newspaper.
Even if only a minority of clinics still have to refuse patients, several of our interlocutors point out that the workload of professionals has increased and that demand has increased since the pandemic.
In addition, several citizens interviewed reported disturbing incidents which, in their opinion, caused their pets to suffer or were endangered, due to the difficulty in obtaining care.
The situation is more critical in remote areas, where dedicated and exhausted veterinarians are unable to respond to all requests or provide emergency service at all times.
“WE CAN’T SAVE THEM ALL”
Some of them do not hide their concerns that unfortunate situations arise.
“Every day I think about that. I say to myself, it is certain and certain that we cannot save them all, because we are not able to offer a service [d’urgence] 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We don’t have enough staff,” says Dr. Ève Paquin, who runs the only veterinary clinic in the town of Amos.
In comparison, the difficulties have faded in the metropolis, where the concentration of services is greater, assures Dr. Hénault. “In the greater Montreal area, I don’t see how anyone can’t get a same-day appointment,” she says.
The Order of Veterinary Physicians of Quebec says it is very aware of these issues and ensures that several actions are underway. The president, Dr. Gaston Rioux, believes, however, that there is no need to worry about the animals.
“We cannot deny that there may have been exceptions, problems unfortunately. But with rare exceptions, the health and well-being of our animals in Quebec are well protected,” he says.
LIKE THE HEALTH SYSTEM!
He emphasizes that the challenges of staff recruitment and retention, as well as those of accessibility to health care, are not unique to veterinary medicine.
The delays for treatments are sometimes unenviable in human medicine as well, he points out.
“I’m not really worried about animal welfare per se, but we have to adapt,” argues Dr. Angélique Perrier-Edmunds, of the Association of Veterinary Doctors of Quebec.
Bas-Saint-Laurent: 400 names on the waiting list
In the Bas-Saint-Laurent, the demand is such that the Rivière-du-Loup Veterinary Hospital has amassed on a waiting list more than 400 names of people who wish to open a file or see a veterinarian.
“The demand is high, the pressure is high, 400 names… I never had a waiting list until two years ago. I accepted everyone,” says the owner, Dr. Heidie Pomerleau.
She explains that other smaller clinics in the region have had to cease or reduce their activities due to staff health issues, which has contributed to the increase in traffic.
GO TO QUEBEC CITY
Since the beginning of the year, this situation has also led to disruptions in emergency services in the region, as certain establishments with which the Veterinary Hospital shares guards were unable to offer physical presence at the end of the year. week.
Since the face-to-face service cannot be offered two weekends out of three, owners of animals with urgent needs sometimes had to be sent to Quebec City, a two-hour drive away. “It breaks our hearts, everyone, but we had to make choices,” sighs Dr. Pomerleau.
Abitibi-Témiscamingue: “We should double the team”
In Amos, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the veterinarian Ève Paquin is sorely lacking in personnel and it is not for lack of having tried to find some.
“If we wanted to meet demand and everyone be comfortable, we would have to double our team,” says the owner of the Pile-poil veterinary clinic, the only one established in Amos.
However, this is almost impossible at the moment.
“Just to give you an idea, I had advertised in a placement agency for veterinarians [pour trouver un remplaçant] when I wanted to go on maternity leave. The announcement must have remained for months, even a year, ”she explains, saying that no candidate has come forward.
INQUIRE BEFORE ADOPT
The establishment accepts new customers, but in a trickle. “We are returning calls to unfortunately decline appointments every day […] it’s heartbreaking,” says Dr. Paquin, thinking of those who are orphans of veterinarians.
She believes that the public can help by finding out about the availability of veterinary services before proceeding with the adoption of an animal.