Chicago/Washington | Reuters – Hundreds of veterinarians, support staff and lab workers at the animal health arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have left under the Trump administration’s push for resignations, according to three sources familiar with the situation, leaving fewer specialists to respond to animal disease outbreaks. The departures come as the country […] Read more

Staff exodus at U.S. farm agency leaves fewer experts to battle bird flu
Animal disease unit of USDA has lost 16 per cent of staff

Digital medicine promises better vet access
VETSon provides veterinary clinics with option to provide remote service
Reading Time: 2 minutes VETSon hopes that by bringing veterinary practices more digital, they might lessen the burden on those practices and make services available to more farmers. Their artificial intelligence-powered virtual healthcare platform, launched by father-son team Glen and Colin Yates, is designed to let veterinarians service more clients and give more animal owners access to care.

Veterinary association calls on federal government to address workforce shortage
National testing centre is needed to onboard internationally-trained vets, CVMA says
An organization representing Canadian veterinarians is calling for the federal government to intervene as it faces what it calls a severe workforce shortage.

Often a tranquilizer makes things easier for cattle and their owner
There is a non-prescription product that has many uses and can be administered by producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are many times when tranquilization makes it easier on both cattle and the operator. The main tranquilizer I am talking about is acepromazine, a member of the phenothiazine tranquilizer family. It is not a prescription product and producers can be trained in its usage and in the way it is delivered. Since the dosage […] Read more

Ontario seeking new rules on scope of vet services
Changes also considered to veterinary sector oversight
Updated Nov. 23 — Ontario’s government is considering new legislation to more clearly spell out who can provide what kinds of animal care in the province’s veterinary sector. The provincial ag ministry on Monday launched a round of public consultation on the Veterinarians Act, which governs licensing of veterinarians and accreditation of veterinary facilities in […] Read more

Saskatchewan, Manitoba to boost vet college seat quotas
Each province adding five subsidized seats at WCVM
Updated, Sept. 30 — With livestock producers’ needs at top of mind, 10 more student seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan will be spoken for starting next year. The college and the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments on Thursday announced the two provinces will each step up their funding […] Read more

Saskatchewan’s livestock vet loan plan expanded to bigger centres
Urban vet clinics' work with rural producers noted
Saskatchewan’s program to forgive provincial student loans for veterinarians and vet techs serving livestock producers at rural clinics will now also cover those doing the same work out of bigger communities. The province’s Loan Forgiveness for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technologists program was first announced in April last year, offering forgiveness of 20 per cent of […] Read more

Vacancies put vet clinics in ‘near crisis’ situation
More funding, more vet and vet technologist training won’t fix problem overnight, warns the AVMA
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s a major shortage of veterinary professionals in Alberta causing long wait times for routine livestock medical procedures. There are more than 840 veterinarian and veterinary technologist vacancies in Alberta — a “near-crisis” situation that poses a risk in terms of animal welfare, livestock production and public health, the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association said in […] Read more

More funds put up to boost Calgary vet school enrolment
Funding added for more staff, materials on top of infrastructure money
The University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine, fresh off a major capital funding boost in February’s provincial budget, now gets another $8.4 million over three years to help expand enrolment. “This targeted enrolment funding will go towards hiring on more faculty/staff to teach the increased number of students,” Sam Blackett, press secretary for Advanced […] Read more
Veterinarian shortage a ‘complex issue’
Reading Time: < 1 minute The province’s decision to fund a major expansion of the U of Calgary’s vet school is a major step forward, but not a quick fix for the shortage of large-animal vets, says the outgoing president of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association. Addressing the shortage was a key goal for Pat Burrage, who spent most of […] Read more