Western College of Veterinary Medicine to temporarily close zoo, exotics and wildlife services

The temporary closure of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s zoo, exotics and wildlife services is raising concerns among those who depend on the specialized care.

A memo sent to clients stated that the medical centre’s services will be closed from July 22 to Aug 17.

“During this time, the hospital will not be able to offer referral services, regular appointments, triage, or emergency services for exotic pets in the Small Animal Clinic,” the memo read.

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“If required, a different service’s clinical team will provide humane euthanasia services for exotic pets.”

The college advised clients who require veterinary care to contact community clinics such as Corman Park Veterinary Services or Erindale Animal Hospital, as these clinics can accept birds and other exotic animals as patients.

Additionally, the college said its Veterinary Medical Centre will not be able to accept any wildlife patients as of July 22.

Becky Grambo, a resident of Warman, said she has relied on the veterinary college’s services for over 30 years, and has been very pleased with the care her exotic pets have received.

“They’re so kind with our animals and thoughtful,” she said.

She said the veterinary college provides specialized care for her parrots and rabbit that is difficult to find elsewhere, especially for emergency treatment.

Grambo said she was upset to hear about the temporary closure.

“It seems to me a real breach of trust,” she said, explaining that she viewed visits to the veterinary college as a partnership.

By allowing students to learn from her animals, Grambo said she is helping train future veterinarians, while trusting that the college will continue to provide specialized care for her pets.

Grambo added that the vet college has diagnostic tools and treatment options that are not otherwise available, such as CAT scans, which she used once for a chinchilla that was in her care.

While routine care for her rabbit could likely be handled elsewhere, Grambo said finding veterinary care for her parrots is much more difficult, as many clinics do not treat birds.

She said she has found a few alternative veterinarians for the time being, but none have an established history with her parrots.

“I am concerned about if we have an emergency,” Grambo said.

“It’s a problem for me, because it impacts the vulnerable and the voiceless.”

Grambo said she would like to see emergency care from the veterinary college maintained to ensure exotic animals can be treated in urgent situations.

Saskatchewan’s only board-certified exotic animal vets are based at college

Dr. Isabelle Desprez, one of the veterinary college’s two board-certified exotic animal veterinarians, said the temporary closure is due to a workload review that found the pair can no longer sustain year-round coverage on their own.

“We did everything we possibly could to prevent it,” she told 650 CKOM.

“Ultimately we were not able to secure the funding to get that coverage.”

Desprez said she had hoped the college would bring in additional staff or locum support to maintain coverage, as the college provides specialized services to animals in and out of the province.

“I feel like this is a bit of a let down for these patients,” she said.

Desprez said she’s concerned, because it can be difficult to find emergency care for exotic pets, regardless of the species in question. She noted that some exotic animals like birds and small mammals can conceal signs of illness, meaning they frequently need emergency care.

“There is a fair concern that over those three weeks, a number of animals who could have gotten care will die, and that is something that obviously is a very sad, unfortunate situation,” she said.

Desprez said routine check up appointments for exotic pets are also an important part of veterinary training, as they give students hands-on experience with the types of cases they will likely encounter in their own practices.

She said the closure could mean students missing out on those opportunities, as exotic animal cases will be redirected to other clinics.

Desprez also noted that the indefinite closure of wildlife services may also impact veterinary education, as students could miss out on cases, especially during the busy fall season. She noted there are also limited options in Saskatchewan for wildlife rehabilitators.

She said she’s concerned about “animal suffering and unnecessary euthanasias” as a result of the closure.

Desprez said various avenues could be explored to address the issues the college is facing, such as providing additional staff to fill in the gaps.

She said she hopes the institution can find a way to maintain its wildlife services in the future.

“Shutting it down altogether, I feel, would be a loss for this college,” she said.

New coverage for animals at the Forestry Farm Park & Zoo

Jeff Mitchell, the zoo manager at Saskatoon’s Forestry Farm Park & Zoo, said arrangements have been made for new veterinary coverage for exotic animals, such as the zoo’s bobcats, ferrets and reptiles.

He noted that the zoo also has access to veterinarians who work at zoos in Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto.

“We still have all of our internal connections and things like that,” Mitchell said. “It’ll just be a little more difficult for us during this time.”

Mitchell said one of the challenges the zoo faces is losing access to Saskatchewan’s only board-certified exotic animal veterinarians through the college. He said the new veterinarian assisting the zoo is not board certified in exotics, but has done a lot of work with those types of animals.

“It’s kind of like seeing a specialist versus seeing a general practitioner,” he said.

Mitchell said he has been assured by the college that the zoo section will reopen, but there might be more closures over the next few years.

“We’re going to have to look at that a little more closely (and) have more conversations with them about that,” he said.

650 CKOM reached out to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.