It’s not just humans who are having a tough time finding a doctor in rural areas of Grey, Bruce, Simcoe and Huron Counties.
So to- are large animals.
There is a shortage of large animal veterinarians in rural Ontario.
Paul Stiles, the assistant manager of the Ontario Cattlemens Association, says in many rural areas a large animal practice just isnt economically feasible for many veterinarians because of the distance between farms and lack of potential customers in a region.
He says there is just not enough livestock in some areas to support a clinic with two or more vets and a single practitioner cannot work 24-seven.
Stiles says many graduates from Veterinary College would rather stick to a small animal practice, where the hours and wages are better.
He says another reason for the shortage is that over the years, Vets have done a good job training farmers on how to recognize and treat sick animals.
Stiles says what the Association would like to see is more responsibility given to Veterinary technicians so they could diagnose and treat large sick animals and that would help ease the pressure on a Vet.
He says this would be a similar situation to the system now where nurse practitioners can help ease the workload for family doctors in rural Ontario.