B.C. veterinarians who formed co-op get national recognition for going all out

For veterinarians like Jasmine Hardy, no two days are the same and the pressure on the entire industry to make sure animals are cared for is constant.

"It's just a very high-stress job, and we have a lot of pressure on us to always be available to provide services," said Hardy, who works at Tanglefoot Veterinary Services in Cranbrook, B.C.

But, one year after forming a veterinary co-operative consisting of seven clinics in the province's southeast, Hardy says the pressure is lifting.

"It's definitely increased my quality of life, the quality of life of the rest of the staff, and I know all of the clinics in the co-op are feeling the same," she said.

The East Kootenay Veterinary Group was formed in June 2022 out of necessity, bringing together seven clinics in Cranbrook, Kimberley, Invermere, Fernie and Creston as staff faced burnout from the number of round-the-clock calls.

The partnership ensures that at least one veterinarian is available to take emergencies each night so staff at any one clinic are not overwhelmed like they used to be.

Tanglefoot manager Jeff Cooper says the co-operative is working.

"The vast majority of clients have responded really positively and said, you know, we understand why you need to do this," he said.

"People were getting burnt out. We were going to lose staff, really key staff … it just about killed some of our staff, I think."

The implementation of a triage answering service means vets aren't called into the clinic as often. Registered veterinary technicians determine, over the phone, whether the call is an emergency or not.

"They've been able to divert about 75 per cent of the calls that come in," Cooper said.

National, provincial honours

Tanglefoot has now been recognized nationally for its service, after it was named practice of the year for 2023 by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).

"I think it's really well deserved, and a lot of what we do is behind the scenes, so it's nice to be recognized for that," Hardy said.

Spearheading the co-operative was just one of the professional accomplishments the clinic was recognized for.

"I think an equally, or even bigger factor, was that during the year prior to forming the group, Tanglefoot took 100 per cent of emergency calls for a full year, so we didn't leave our community without emergency care," Cooper explained. 

Tanglefoot's head veterinary technologist Abbey Bowie was also recently honoured by the British Columbia Veterinary Technologists Association with its 2023 mentorship award.

A program at the clinic has allowed it to mentor over 40 students in the last five years.

"It's super important for their careers to get involved in cases, practise critical thinking themselves, get some hands-on surgical skills, and we enjoy having them," Hardy said.

"I learn stuff from them every day as much as I'm sure they learn from me."

Cooper says that although the program adds to the demands of the mentors, it allows the clinic to hire more staff in the end.

"It takes a lot of work, but it's absolutely worth it. We've had an incredibly positive response, and the program has grown year after year," he said, adding that this year they have been able to hire two mentees.

A model to follow?

The East Kootenay Veterinary Group is not the province's first veterinary call-sharing system created to ensure the availability of overnight services. A group of five clinics in Kamloops also work together to make sure there's always a vet on call. 

Meanwhile, larger cities like Victoria, Vancouver and Kelowna have 24-hour veterinary hospitals.

But Cooper hopes it's something other regions and provinces will consider.

"Maybe it's something that can be implemented in other areas of B.C. and Canada as well," he said. "It seems to be working very well, and we absolutely plan to continue with it."