RANKIN INLET
Three staff members from the Winnipeg-based Tuxedo Animal Hospital were kept busy during their annual pet clinic in Rankin Inlet earlier this month.

Maria Friesen looks on as Leigh Weatherburn examinies Patuk's teeth during the Tuxedo Animal Hospital's annual pet clinic in Rankin Inlet - photo courtesy of Charlotte Siksik

Making the trek this year for the four-day clinic were veterinarian Joselyn Buongiorno and animal health technicians Leigh Weatherburn and Carlie Koltek.

Clinic organizer and animal health advocate Page Burt said the clinic was quite successful, but there still aren't enough female dogs being spayed in Rankin.

She said that's not due to a lack of trying, but, rather, a number of people who may be choosing to not spay their dogs.

"We did 21 surgeries, with several being donated," said Burt.

"The veterinarians donate some and we use our pet fund to cover part of some others.

"Those who absolutely can't pay for the surgery, don't pay anything.

"But, a significant number of people do pay the full price for the surgery and agree that they should."

Burt said the visiting health teams have seen a major rise in the number of neuters done in the past three years.

She said people are taking responsibility for male dogs, and the fact they're a part of unwanted litters.

"Cats seem to be the new dogs in Rankin, and there's a real rise in the number of them we're seeing.

"I don't keep a lot of kitten vaccine around and many people brought cats for vaccination, so I'll be keeping more in the future.

"The cats vaccinated need their second shot in three weeks, so Tuxedo is sending more vaccine for me.

"People are keeping more cats because they're easier to deal with when travelling - whether that's taking them on the plane or leaving them home - and you don't have to take them out for bathroom breaks when it's -50 C with the windchill."

Burt said the health team's time in Rankin was totally filled with appointments.

She said the pets in Rankin the team sees are, overall, a healthy lot.

"But there are a lot of dogs we never see and, I'm sure, there are a lot of puppies lost to freezing every year and others lost to the parvo virus and people don't even know it.

"The dogs we see, and those presented to me for vaccination, are, for the most part, fairly healthy, except some of the older ones.

"We're seeing a lot more geriatric exams for dogs eight to 10 years old, because people want to keep their dogs alive for as long as possible.

"The exam has a real attention to joints and, in many cases, a blood test to see if they're starting to get kidney problems or anything like that."

Burt said many of the well-cared-for dogs are exercised and mostly live in the home with their owners.

She said the climate plays little part in joint problems, which are really just the result of advancing age.

"If we were able to do blood tests on vaccine (concentration), you'd probably see they have fairly high antibodies for things they've been immunized for, so many veterinarians in the south say you don't have to vaccinate your dog every year after they get to be six to 10 years old.

"But you need to pay attention to their teeth and joint ills, because dogs don't show pain the way humans do and can often conceal it.

"That's particularly true of smaller dogs, probably due to their instinctual prey-predator response of, if you show weakness, you're more likely to be picked off.

"So they don't show a lot of pain, but that doesn't mean it's not there or they don't have mobility problems."

Burt said one problem in the North, is it's a lot easier to vaccinate than do blood tests.

She said dogs should be vaccinated for parvo and distemper every year until the age of six to eight.

"If they're living in the south, it's the owner's option to have them checked to see if they really need the vaccination, but, up here, we go ahead and give it.

"Tuxedo has been coming here for about 12 years now, and continuity is very important because they keep easily-accessible records of every dog they see here.

"So the more animals we see, the more reliable everything else is."

Burt said a group of teachers raised money for clinic equipment by hosting a bingo this past year.

She said the clinic is obtaining some very valuable assets, but more equipment is badly needed.

"They raised $17,000 for the clinic, which was not enough for the digital X-ray machine we wanted, but now it's become apparent we need an anaesthesia machine because the trips are taking their toll on the one used at the clinic.

"We purchased a centrifuge machine so when I take blood samples during the year, it's much easier to handle the blood and the necessary samples keep longer.

"We're really getting there with the equipment we have in the clinic, but we still have a ways to go yet."

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