Tragic dog death has Prince George couple calling for more vet support

“Masses of blood just started coming out of him,” she continued.

In their efforts to get emergency care for Barkley, Anna and Kory said they tried calling the phone numbers provided on Barkley’s surgical forms, as well as the emergency triage number. However, they say despite many attempts no one picked up the triage number, and when they finally heard back they received grim news.

“Finally, the triage number, they answered their phone, and we begged them for help: ‘What do we do? What do we do?’ And they told us that no vet was available for us, no vet at all. And we begged, ‘there has to be a vet in Prince George, there has to be somebody, emergency services that we could go to.’ And she kept telling us there’s no vet in Prince George, the nearest one you have to drive to is Kamloops,” Anna said.

Unfortunately, on the drive to Kamloops they say Barkley didn’t even make it halfway, dying on the side of the highway as they tried to rush him to emergency care.

“It was extremely traumatic. And not only that, the trauma of going through the whole thing, but it was the helplessness, feeling helpless, and holding your loved one,” Kory said.

The incident has Anna and Kory calling for change, as they say the system failed them, and the shortage of triage workers and vets in Prince George and Northern B.C. has led to too many other tragic situations similar to what they went through with Barkley.

“Don’t blame our veterinarians. I think that they are probably extremely taxed, tapped out, and just don’t have the resources in order to do it,” Kory said.

“The system needs to change. I understand that money will be an issue, but at the end of the day, things just need to change, and it has needed to change for years,” he continued.

MLA for Prince George – Mackenzie Kiel Giddens sympathizes with Kory and Annis in the “devastating” situation, and he says he will bring the vet shortage issue up with the provincial government

“The long term solution is to train more vets. I actually think that UNBC is the right place for this, so I’ve spoken to the University about this, and they have considered it, but it is, of course, a matter of cost for them,” Giddens said.

Because of the issue of cost, Giddens said he will advocate for provincial government action to help bring more vets, and vet training, to Northern B.C. He explained that at the moment, the closest place for vets to be trained is Saskatchewan, so he believes the need for local training is the most important step in addressing the problem.

“I will raise this issue with the Minister of Advanced Education when I get the first opportunity to do so,” he continued.

“We need people to actually get trained here and stay here. That’s the model that works with the Northern Medical Program, and that’s why I think UNBC is such a great place for this, for the entire province. This is going to be the centre of veterinary excellence for the entire province,” he continued.

Anna and Kory, among many others who have experienced the challenges of veterinary shortages, certainly hope that change comes soon.

“Families like ours shouldn’t have to go through that suffering, and that extent of trauma to save their animals,” Anna said.

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by Tommy Osborne

Tragic dog death has Prince George couple calling for more vet support

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