‘Start the drive to Edmonton’: Fort McMurray left without after-hours emergency vet care

There’s a veterinary crisis in Fort McMurray that has left pet owners in a lurch.

The area’s largest veterinary facility, the Wood Buffalo Small Animal Hospital (WBSAH), was forced to close on Sept. 10, when fire ripped through the business next door – leaving them without power, water or natural gas.

With six veterinarians, WBSAH was the go-to for after-hours emergency care in Fort McMurray.

There are two other veterinary clinics in the city, the Fort McMurray Animal Hospital and Aurora Veterinary Clinic – but both have been exceptionally busy trying to fill the gap left behind by the fire and are not offering after-hours emergency care.

Sarah Callan wished she would have known that a few weeks ago, when her 10-year-old tomcat, Casey, came home ill.

“Pets are our babies, right? And Casey – for me – was my sidekick,” she explained.

Casey came home early one morning and Callan’s daughter plopped him on her lap.

“He couldn’t walk straight, his hips were all over the place and he was really cold.”

She suspected her cat had licked up some antifreeze and started calling all the local veterinarians.

When she called Aurora, she got their voicemail – it said they were closed.

“They just had a number for Guardian Pet Services – in Edmonton. I don’t know how they’re going to help me. I called them anyways. They said the only thing they could do was if I brought Casey down, they could help me.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They just had a number for Guardian Pet Services - in Edmonton. I don't know how they're going to help me. I called them anyways. They said the only thing they could do was if I brought Casey down, they could help me."

The four-and-a-half hour drive felt too long so Callan tried other vets in Athabasca, Boyle and Lac La Biche.

They were all either closed, didn’t have a poison antidote or didn’t have the ability to help.

So with no other options, Callan loaded Casey up and sped down the highway to Edmonton, frantic to find help.

“To not have the option to have emergency care when you need it, especially in this – every second counted. I was pretty upset.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "To not have the option to have emergency care when you need it, especially in this - every second counted. I was pretty upset."

Callan’s GPS said she would have arrived at Guardian Veterinary Centre at 2:10 p.m. Casey died at 2 p.m. when they were just 10 minutes out.

Two weeks later, Sandy MacDonald found himself in the same position. His famous, motorcycle-riding German shepherd – Winky – couldn’t get up when MacDonald came home last Thursday.

Knowing something was wrong, he started calling the local vets. But like Callan, he had no luck.

He started calling friends, dog lovers – anyone he could think of that could help.

“Winky’s laying on the floor. I should be holding him or getting him somewhere. Instead I’m writing down numbers and calling people,” he said.

His beloved companion, who had been by his side for 9,600 kilometres worth of road trips, died within hours.

“I never had to worry about where Winky was because he was always right beside me. I was tripping over him. I’ve lost people in my life but it’s never been as devastating as this was.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I never had to worry about where Winky was because he was always right beside me. I was tripping over him. I've lost people in my life but it's never been as devastating as this was."

Together, MacDonald and Winky had taken motorcycle rides to Arizona and Las Vegas. Strangers loved seeing Winky riding in his little trailer, with the wind blowing his fur back.

MacDonald sold shirts and hats with Winky’s picture on them for charity – raising more than $20,000 for the SPCA. The pair had just returned from a trip.

“Apparently he had a tumour on his spleen which no one knew about. None of us. It ruptured and he bled out internally.”

MacDonald watched his dog suffer, with no vet able to put him down.

“There was no need for that. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone or their pets.”

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The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association sent a message to its members encouraging them to move north.

“Unfortunately it’s a busy time and most veterinarian professionals are already employed somewhere,” registrar Darrell Dalton said. “So there wasn’t a lot of uptake for moving up to Fort Mac on a short-term basis.”

WBSAH is opening a temporary location Oct. 19, but its services will be limited and it will not be able to provide emergency care.

Their vets cannot help at Aurora or the Fort McMurray Animal Hospital because of insurance issues.

That leaves pet owners in a lurch – with no local options after-hours. It’s something Dalton said he hates seeing.

“My recommendation is the first hint that you get that you have an animal that’s having a problem is to try and get a hold of those two clinics, and if you can’t get service in Fort McMurray, start the drive to Edmonton.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My recommendation is the first hint that you get that you have an animal that's having a problem is to try and get a hold of those two clinics, and if you can't get service in Fort McMurray, start the drive to Edmonton."

Neither Casey nor Winky had that kind of time.