By Derek Cornet

Veterinary outreach to impact northern Saskatchewan communities

Aug 16, 2023 | 5:41 PM

A $405,000 PetSmart Charities of Canada will allow the University of Saskatchewan (USask) veterinary outreach program to run a three-year pilot project in northern Saskatchewan.

That’s according to Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, a clinical associate in wellness at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. She explained the Northern Engagement and Community Outreach program started in 2014 as small spay-neuter and wellness clinic in the tri-community area.

Since that time, more than 1,000 animals have had vet checks in the tri-communities via two clinics held at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre (JRMCC) each year. The outreach program has also begun hosting an annual clinic in Île-à-la-Crosse as of 2021.

“What this funding is allowing us to do is we’ve hired a registered veterinarian technologist, Katara Chanin, and she has been working with me in various capacities for several years, so I know her very well, and she’s assigned, particularly, to develop and sustain relationships with more northern communities that don’t have access to veterinary care,” Woodsworth explained.

“Her role is going to be supporting communities in kind of designing and implementing dog management strategies and that will look like supporting bylaw changes or designing bylaws and implementing them when needed, figuring out what education needs are within the community, sorting out what we can do to engage youth and let youth know about different animal health careers, about animal care and things like that.”

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Woodsworth noted the hope is they will be delivering preventative health care services starting in 2024 in northern communities. She added that will allow the program to broaden its reach and expand on the work they have already been doing with a dedicated person.

The second animal wellness clinic of 2023 for the tri-communities starts Thursday at the JRMCC and ends Sunday. All check-up and surgery spots are full and Woodsworth mentioned that’s a continuation of the trend of there being more demand than they can accommodate at this time.

“We’re hoping to have another good clinic and then we will be back again next spring,” she said.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com