La Ronge veterinary clinic a success
The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) is dedicated to making a difference for animals and their owners in a community where the closest veterinarian is 250-kilometres away.
By Kyrsten StringerPet owners from La Ronge, Sask. and other surrounding communities brought a record 186 animals to the college’s spay, neuter and wellness clinic in May 2017, which was run by the WCVM and the Northern Animal Rescue community group.
The WCVM has been holding clinics in La Ronge since 2014, when they conducted a trial run of the program. This year the 64 volunteers saw the most animals yet, with 98 surgeries and 88 wellness exams performed at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre, a hockey rink temporarily transformed into a veterinary hospital.
At the WCVM remote clinics, animals are dewormed and vaccinated for their general health, and then either spayed or neutered to help reduce the roaming pet population in the area. The volunteers also offer vet check-ups and update vaccinations.
This clinic is part of a two-week rotation for veterinary students in their fourth year of study. The rotation is supervised by Drs. Jordan Woodsworth and Karen Sheehan, both clinical associates at the WCVM’s Veterinary Medical Centre. Students gain valuable clinical experience working alongside their supervisors and volunteer veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists from across Saskatchewan, rotating between surgery, anesthesia and wellness examinations.
A combination of teamwork and collaboration between the WCVM and the community of La Ronge make remote clinics like this one a success.
WCVM students and volunteers will return to La Ronge for a second clinic Aug. 18–20.
Watch highlights from the recent clinic in La Ronge below, or on the college's Vimeo channel.