IQALUIT - There were some 14-hour work days in Iqaluit for visiting veterinarians Don Floyd and Susan Rouleau last week.

The husband and wife team from the Baker Animal Hospital in Montreal had close to 300 appointments booked in Nunavut's capital May 23-28.

Veterinarian Don Floyd examines Teddy, a 13-year-old golden lab, while Teddy's owner, Jane Tagak, looks on. The Iqaluit Rotary Club has been bringing Floyd and his wife, Susan Rouleau, to the city for a week in the spring and another week in the fall to provide veterinary care since 1984. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

The Nunavut Research Institute served as their base of operations as they performed surgeries in the mornings while treatment and check-ups were offered in the afternoons and evenings.

"It's excellent," pet owner Darlene McPherson said of the service. "You can call them in between (seasonal visits) if you have issues, so they're a good source of support when they're not here as well."

Floyd gave McPherson's Eskimo dog Qajuq a thorough going over, listening to her heart with a stethoscope and peering in her eyes, ears and mouth. He also examined Bond, McPherson's male German Shepherd.

"Usually I bring them in for a check-up and their shots," McPherson said. "But I have also brought them in to have them spayed and neutered."

A little while later it was golden lab Teddy's turn. Now an arthritic 13 year-old, Teddy's ear infections were of particular concern to owner Jane Tagak. She said she's relieved to have a veterinary team capable of performing surgery in Iqaluit.

"Before...you had to fly (your pet) out to Montreal or Ottawa and find a place and all that kind of stuff, which is really tough," she said.

Tagak said it's also great that Iqaluit does have a veterinarian in town year-round, even though she is not equipped to operate.

In the next room, Rotarian Lorne Levy called pet owners to remind them of their pets' scheduled surgeries the following day and the precautionary measures they should take.

Fellow Rotarians Ted Dingle and Mia Dingle processed customers' payments, which generally ranged from $45 into the hundreds of dollars if surgeries were involved. The charges, Ted said, are equivalent to or slightly cheaper than down south.

The Rotary Club has been arranging to bring the veterinary service into the community each spring and autumn since 1984. A number of corporate sponsors - such as an airline, a hotel and the phone company - help to keep the costs down, he said.

"We've got a lot of help," he said. "Most people say they're really glad we do it."

The visiting vets would work until 9:30 p.m. some nights, according to Ted.

"They do this, dedicated, day after day...and then they go south and have a rest," he said, chuckling.

Floyd acknowledged that the pace gets exhausting as the week progresses, but he said he believes people appreciate the service. As well, he and Rouleau have come to know some of their human clients very well over the past two decades, he said.

"We enjoy it," he said of the twice-yearly trips north from Montreal.

While dogs account for approximately 80 per cent of the veterinary patients in Iqaluit, Floyd said he neutered a billy goat about 15-20 years ago for Bill Mackenzie, who also kept a pig as well as hamsters and guinea pigs.

Mackenzie was "one of the true characters of this town," Floyd said with a grin.