Desperate for care, west Quebec horse owners may soon get help from Ontario vets

Standing next to his pickup truck packed to the brim with a portable X-ray machine, surgical kits and medication, veterinarian Dr. Eastman Welsford is hoping to drive his office on wheels into Quebec very soon.

A veterinarian at two clinics just outside Ottawa, Welsford makes house calls to properties across parts of rural Ontario.

But since the fall, alongside his colleague Dr. Jean Cyr, he's spent months working toward getting his licence to practise in Quebec.

Submitting the final paperwork — a take-home exam — this week, they are hoping to get the green light to help hundreds of Quebec animal owners in the coming months as they deal with a long-standing large-animal veterinarian shortage, intensified following the death of Dr. Andrea Kelly last year.

'At any point it could be anyone of us'

Welsford says Kelly's suicide played a big role in why they began the licensing process.

The young vet, who was only 36 when she took her life, was the only Ontario veterinarian who served the Quebec side of the border — taking on close to 600 clients all on her own.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking and devastating to lose what really is a colleague and, to so many people, a friend," said Welsford, who is four years out of veterinary school.

"Hearing about Andrea and the struggles that she had been through, [I know] that at any point it could be anyone of us that faces a similar dilemma and feels that way."

Ontario veterinarians would make 'huge difference,' say locals

One of Kelly's former clients and the president of the Pontiac Equestrian Association, Andrea Goffart, says that since the veterinarian's death, she's had to load her horses up on a trailer — pay $150 for gas — and drive them an hour to the nearest clinic that would take them, in Russell, Ont.

"I just do what I have to do, so I don't really think about it," said Goffart. "[But] knowing that there's somebody there that's on call [who] can legally come over would make a huge difference."

A few weeks ago the equestrian association organized a vaccine day — when a veterinarian from another Quebec region drove around to properties in western Quebec to give necessary spring vaccinations to animals without a veterinarian.

Pascale Leclerc-Sirois accompanied the veterinarian to all 19 properties, where they vaccinated 56 horses.

"I would say that from their 56 horses, probably 51 were Andrea Kelly's patients," said Leclerc-Sirois, adding that, faced with the shortage of local vets, many clients have been choosing to ship their horses to Ontario for care.

"But if your horse can't ship or is in a state where you can't ship, then you're stuck."

Siri Ingebrigtsen, another former client of Kelly's, says she feels lucky to have a horse trailer to be able to transport her horses from her farm in Luskville, Que., to a clinic in Prescott, Ont.

Following Kelly's death, Ingebrigtsen was among the locals who sounded the alarm about the problem to the Ontario veterinarians.

"It became a crisis," said Ingebrigtsen. "So many of us were left completely without vet care."

'Pick up where she left off'

Just a few weeks back, Ingebrigtsen had pulled up to the vet practice in Prescott when she heard the veterinarians were in the final stages of their application.

"They came out smiling saying we have good news. We have heard that they just have one exam left … I'm super excited about that," said Ingebrigtsen.

"That's going to be a huge relief for the community."

Although there is a language requirement for veterinarians in Quebec, Welsford says there is an exemption for temporary licences, which can be renewed for up to three years.

While it's good news in the short term, Welsford says if the veterinary situation in western Quebec doesn't improve over the next few years, "we may have to stop servicing that area."

Once approved, he says he hopes to lend a hand to the former clients of Kelly and "pick up where she left off."

"Clients have been really, really appreciative," said Welsford. "But yeah, it's pretty heartbreaking.

Welsford is aware that the suicide rate among veterinarians is fairly high, "which is pretty hard to take in."

'We wish we could do everything'

Even in Ontario, Welsford says not enough veterinarians are graduating to serve the large-animal population — part of why few veterinarians are going through the process of getting a temporary licence in Quebec.

"I feel the pressure a little bit," said Welsford.

"The toughest part for me, and I think a lot of my colleagues would agree, is the irregularity of the schedule," he said.

"You try to fill your home life with other things that give you energy and that make you feel rejuvenated," Welsford explained. "But sometimes, you don't know if your day's going to finish at 5:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. and so it becomes difficult to schedule things with your friends, your partner."

He says having a large team of veterinarians at the clinic often helps manage the workload and client expectations.

"We wish we could do everything … We want to be able to provide as much of the service for as long as we can for as many people as we can," said Welsford, adding that they get calls regularly from prospective clients in Quebec inquiring about the status of the licence.

"In some ways it makes me a little nervous … If we feel busy now just wait, it might get even busier."

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text between 4 p.m. and midnight ET).
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.