The ongoing crisis of veterinarian shortages is impacting animal welfare organizations across North America, with many struggling to find qualified professionals to meet community needs. The Thunder Bay District Humane Society (TBDHS) is one such organization facing this challenge. In a report by SNnewswatch, executive director Shawna Beaulieu has highlighted the reliance on costly locum veterinarians to operate their spay and neuter clinic, a temporary solution necessitated by the difficulty in securing a permanent vet. Beaulieu emphasizes the need for veterinarians skilled in shelter medicine and willing to commit to the Thunder Bay community. “We need to have a veterinarian [who’s] interested in working in shelter medicine, [who’s] interested in working in Thunder Bay, and [who’s] interested in learning or who knows how to do high volume surgery,” Beaulieu says in the report. While the humane society has considered appealing to newly graduated veterinary medicine students, they acknowledge the importance of mentorship in attracting new talent. The organization is confronted with an overpopulation of animals and high volumes of surgeries, further stressing the need for experienced veterinarians. To maintain their operations, TBDHS depends on agency locum veterinarians, which strains their budget heavily reliant on public donations. Beauliue credits donors and their “community that loves pets” that have allowed them to offer public spay and neuter services for five years. “Our public clinic allowed us to grow a lot as an organization, so it’s extremely important,” says Beaulieu. “Most importantly, it really allowed us to grow a connection to our community and that’s what motivates us to continue trying to grow and expand on our efforts to be able to help animals in need as well as our community.”
