Sahtu's travelling vets celebrate 10 years helping N.W.T. communities… and canines

Travelling veterinarians in N.W.T.'s Sahtu region say their work is beginning to make a difference to dog numbers in the region's communities.

Veterinary students have been coming to Sahtu communities each February for the past 10 years, in a partnership between the region and the University of Calgary. This year's trip ends this week, following clinics in Deline, Tulita, Norman Wells, Colville Lake and Fort Good Hope.

Clinics are supported by the territorial government, local schools and airlines, with up to 10 vets making the trip between communities in a convoy of pickup trucks.

"Often, vet groups go and provide services in a community one year, then they go to another community the next year," said Dr. Susan Kutz, the university's professor of Ecosystem and Public Health, who has helped to run the program since its inception.

"That really helps out a community for one year, but it's more of a Band-Aid. It doesn't have a long-term effect. So we thought if we're going to do this, we're going to do this on an ongoing basis."

This year, Dr. Kutz says, the number of dogs requiring spaying or neutering appears to have peaked and is now declining.

"What is neat about that is it indicates there is less turnover in the communities — fewer dogs being born that need to be spayed," she said.

"To me that is one of the big success points and at 10 years, to see that impact is really rewarding.

"We do see dogs living longer, and we hear about fewer issues of overpopulation in communities. There are still problems, but there are fewer problems, and I think that can be attributed in part to this program."

Vets in the making

Fourth-year veterinary students make the trip each year as part of their program, which Dr. Kutz believes has been key to sustaining the project over 10 years.

The vets perform basic checkups — spaying and neutering and some other forms of minor surgery — with clinics often taking place inside school classrooms, where children can meet the team.

"It is definitely different than what we've been exposed to thus far," said student Jennifer Flaig, making her first trip.

"It's a bit less organized. When we're doing physical exams, we don't always have the luxury of going in a very succinct order and doing things exactly the way we're trained to do every single time. That's a challenge, to make sure that you're not forgetting something.

"On the trip, I've had three kids specifically tell me they want to be veterinarians. That's wonderful. Connecting with the kids has been amazing."

"You see how excited they are to learn," added former student turned instructor Andrea Storch, "then all of a sudden, they all want to be vets! It's a very rewarding experience."

Providing data

Dog overpopulation has long been an issue for a number of N.W.T. communities, including a number of reported attacks on residents.

A representative from the university will return to Sahtu communities this summer, in a bid to provide scientific backing for anecdotal evidence that the program is succeeding in helping to control dog numbers, keep dogs healthy and reduce the potential danger posed by stray animals.

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"That work is really important in providing the science behind all this," said Kutz.

"I could talk all day about all the things I think are wonderful, but until you look at that in a really critical manner, it's just a story."