Incredible Northern Vets S01 E10
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00:00I'm volunteering with an animal shelter to a remote Indigenous community.
00:07Has your tongue always stuck out like that?
00:09Yeah.
00:10Yeah, okay.
00:11A clinic like this means the world.
00:13Veterinary access is very limited.
00:15Having someone come in community, that's a huge, great need.
00:20They're not animals, they're family.
00:22Their health is as important as ours.
00:24It's something.
00:26It's always alarming when you don't know what's happening anatomically.
00:29I think she got shot.
00:31Across the country…
00:32Be nice.
00:34Indigenous vets are using their knowledge and skills…
00:36You're a good little baby.
00:38To help the animals we love stay happy and healthy.
00:42Minto Fino on Canada's west coast, facing the Pacific Ocean.
01:02I'm volunteering with an animal shelter.
01:04It's called Mission Possible.
01:06We're going to be going to a remote Indigenous community.
01:09It's only accessible by air or by boat.
01:13Beautiful morning this morning.
01:15Bringing up the Canada Recruit firehawk.
01:18Roger, have a good day.
01:22I would say this is as remote as it gets.
01:25A clinic like this, I don't think you can stress the importance of it enough.
01:29There's not a lot of veterinary access.
01:31And I think it's really going to make an impact on this community.
01:33And I'm glad they're inviting us in.
01:36We have a schedule, but we never know what's going to show up.
01:39I think I just see what happens.
01:42For the next three days, we're going to be treating dozens of animals in the community of Ahauzot.
01:58I just said, happy to see your faces, welcome.
02:01Ahauzot translated means our backs to the mountain.
02:05We are about a half hour boat ride from Tofino in the Klaikwet Sound.
02:12It costs maybe $200 to $500 just to get to a clinic.
02:17That's not including the vet bills itself.
02:19So obviously we care for our animals.
02:22It's just how do we do that?
02:25Having someone come in community to help the animals.
02:29That's a huge, great need.
02:32Nice.
02:33Perfect.
02:34Do you have a box? Do you have a hand?
02:35Sure.
02:36It's day one and I'm about to get started.
02:39What a beauty day.
02:41I'm very excited to start meeting the community and their pets.
02:53Here in Ahauzot, one of the ways the community communicates is using a VHF radio.
03:00Hello, patio.
03:02He's my grandson.
03:03Do you want to sing a song?
03:08Betty's an elder here in Ahauzot.
03:11We've known Betty for, I guess, about 11 years now.
03:19Betty's dog, Goldie, is new to her over the last couple of years.
03:23They are a special duo here in the community.
03:26You're a good girl, okay?
03:28Goldie, it was my son that thought that name suited her.
03:35Let's go, girl. Come on.
03:37She loves going for rides.
03:40Come on, get in.
03:42I'm excited to have my dog to see a veterinarian.
03:47Okay, bye-bye.
03:50I like her to stay healthy and happy.
03:53She's a very special dog.
03:59Hi, come on in.
04:01My name is Betty.
04:03This is my dog, Goldie.
04:05Come on in.
04:07Do you have any concerns at all for her?
04:09Not really, except for fleas. I don't like her.
04:12She's scratchy.
04:13So she's itchy.
04:15Meeting elder Betty, she is very bonded to her dog, Goldie, I could tell right away.
04:20How did you get the name Goldie?
04:22It was my son that chose that name.
04:25Okay.
04:26My son that passed away.
04:29I'm sorry to hear that.
04:32What was your son's name?
04:34Randy.
04:35Randy.
04:37And this little dog, she was just a puppy.
04:40And I was so overwhelmed because it was my son that chose her.
04:45Okay, so Randy found Goldie for you.
04:48Yeah.
04:50Veterinary medicine is like half veterinary medicine and kind of half social work.
04:54The pets always come in with owners that have their stories to tell.
04:58Everybody in the village will know how special she is to me.
05:04And she's the only dog that's allowed in the hall when there's something going on.
05:10I think it's really inspirational to see the community really supports her in having this little doggy.
05:15And I think she comes to ceremonies, she comes to potlatches, just like a very traditional little dog.
05:21Has her tongue always stuck out like that?
05:22Yeah.
05:24She looks really happy, healthy.
05:26I didn't see any parasites on her, but probably not a bad idea if we treat her for it anyways, just in case.
05:34Around here, because it's so warm and temperate climate, there's a big flea and tick infection that can be passed around pretty easily with animals.
05:41So this is going to be a flea and tick treatment.
05:44Perfect.
05:46We gave a topical application of parasite medication that'll last for three months.
05:50Just keep doing what you're doing.
05:52She looks really good.
05:54I'm glad you get to take her on all your adventures.
05:56But yeah, she's a good little dog.
05:58Funny with her little tongue.
06:00Thank you for all the care you have for one dog.
06:04Yes, of course.
06:06At the end of the day, it's really nice work to be here to give a service to a community that is wanting to have it and is welcoming to it.
06:13And I think it makes a big impact on their day-to-day lives.
06:16That really improves the animal-human bond as well.
06:20Come on, girl.
06:27While we're doing our physical exams at the community hall, the mobile vet clinic is on their way on a barge.
06:33The Vetmobile is BC's first non-profit mobile vet clinic.
06:38We do wellness checks, spays and neuter surgeries, and vaccine clinics.
06:46All right, come on in.
06:48So this is our little surgical trailer.
06:52The number of folks we see at a clinic is certainly dozens a day.
06:57It looks a little teeny tiny, but I'm sure it's amazing what you can do in such a small space.
07:02You will be in the surgery suite in here for the most part.
07:07We're all very short, so we're used to it.
07:10It kind of felt like I was going to Hobbiton walking into the trailer.
07:14Definitely not made for someone of my size to be in there.
07:17We're hanging on the board where we keep track of everything, what surgeries we've done, microchip, vaccine.
07:22It feels a little bit overwhelming.
07:24I've done the mass spay and neuter task force, where it's a big operation of hundreds of people.
07:30But I've never done something on such a small, intimate scale before, where it's in a tiny trailer with limited room.
07:37This will be your primary scrub area for when you're getting prepped for surgery.
07:42But I have the skill set, I went to school and the reserve, like Sad Lake Cree Nation, really helps me through school to get these skills.
07:49So I feel like I owe it to them.
07:51Thank you very much for the tour.
07:53Yeah, of course. We can get rolling.
07:57Without regular access to veterinary care, a major concern is overpopulation.
08:04Okay, we're set for inky.
08:06We're hoping to spay and neuter about 30 animals while we're here.
08:10Teeny, tiny little uterus.
08:12So everything's back to back, go, go, go.
08:15Now we're cooking.
08:17This week in a house that we're going to be doing our 500th surgery in just five months of operation.
08:21Hello, sunshine.
08:23Our mobile clinic allows us to come into communities multiple times a year.
08:27So this is the first time that communities like a house that can actually have regular access to vet services, which of course are essential.
08:35Okay, excellent.
08:40Okay, so this guy is Loki.
08:42Oh, you are cute.
08:44And then Ursula is in there.
08:47I brought two of my dogs in to get spayed and neutered.
08:50I don't see them as pets, like they're definitely parts of our family.
08:54Any health concerns with either of them? I know you mentioned Ursula has had a few pregnancies.
08:59She's had three litters and I think she's fine without them.
09:03Perfect.
09:05She's doing great.
09:07A clinic like this means the world, especially for us living on such a remote island.
09:12Veterinary access is very limited.
09:14You want to grab Ursula?
09:16So freaking cute.
09:18All done.
09:20There's like no veterinarians here at all.
09:22She's sterile prepped?
09:24She is sterile prepped. You can go ahead and drape her.
09:26All right, we're cooking.
09:28She's already had three litters.
09:30She's a young mama.
09:32It's time, my dear.
09:34I got the first ovary out without any issue and then I was looking at the second ovary.
09:39This one is tight.
09:41It looked a little weird.
09:43You know what?
09:45I've never seen them that color.
09:47I have never seen it that color either.
09:49I couldn't really tell where it began and ended.
09:53And that's always alarming when you don't really know what's happening anatomically in your surgical patient.
09:58Is it hairy? It's hairy.
10:01I didn't really understand why there'd be hair in the abdomen.
10:04The only thing that came to my mind is if there was some abnormal ectopic pregnancy.
10:08And I thought that wouldn't really make sense. Why would there be hair?
10:11It's something.
10:13Maybe it's a BB.
10:15I think she got shot.
10:23Right now I'm kind of freaking out because there's something happening that I've never experienced before.
10:27It's something.
10:29I can see a shiny object in the abdomen.
10:31I think she got shot.
10:32I can't get the other uterine horn out because there's literally, I think it's a bullet attached to her ovary.
10:40Not typical, but pretty sure that it's a bullet from a pellet gun.
10:46I was like, this is right where I need to be cutting.
10:49And this is right where there's a lot of arteries and a lot of veins.
10:53Yeah, it's starting to bleed wherever I grab it.
10:56See, it's starting to rip already.
10:58Sorry, sweets.
11:00Kidney, that's kidney.
11:02So it's attached to the kidney.
11:04So I'm going to loop right there.
11:07I wonder if the owner would have ever known that she got shot with a BB gun.
11:12Like, it probably would have been like a very small wound.
11:15Yeah.
11:17The bullet went through her abdominal cavity, got stuck somewhere along the line between the attachment of the ovary to the kidney.
11:25And it stayed there.
11:27Oh, wow. That is 100% a BB.
11:30She missed being shot in the kidney by like this much.
11:35And if that happened, she probably would have bled out.
11:38Yeah, it's a little unsettling.
11:40Yeah.
11:42Poor thing.
11:44I don't think it's possible to know how long it was there for.
11:46All I know, there was no outside wounds.
11:49How's the incision look? Looks good?
11:51Looks great.
11:53It's amazing on what bodies can do to heal themselves when they need to.
11:56And that's definitely what happened in this case.
11:58A tough go.
12:01This is Loki.
12:04He's so cute.
12:06Just a little baby.
12:08I think he's the son of the lost one, not the brother.
12:12Oh, okay. That would make sense.
12:14Loki is apparently Ursula's baby, and he's here for just a routine neuter.
12:19Okay.
12:21Like, now you have a little bit of everything under your belt. You have emergency, shelter, trailer.
12:25Yeah, yeah.
12:27The neuter went very routine, no concerns, no issues, and he did really, really good.
12:32Ursula and Loki.
12:34I think these experiences really give me grit, because this is hard to do.
12:39Like, I'm not out of school for a very long time.
12:42I'm working in a new environment.
12:44Like, it just really, really builds your character.
12:52Okay.
12:53Oh my gosh. I'm really happy that they're coming home.
12:56And I just can't think of how much they're going to be able to thrive after this, and how much healthier they're going to be.
13:03A clinic like this, for me, it means a big deal.
13:07I really advocate for our dogs around here, and I really want to see all of them, you know, do well.
13:23After about five surgeries yesterday, today I'm back doing examinations on all the animals in the community.
13:29For some of these pets, it's their first time having a vet exam, having vaccines, and getting deworming.
13:34He's not scared to jump off a couch or anything.
13:37Oh, he's so cute.
13:39I brought my granddaughter's puppy here named Chips.
13:43I know.
13:45He's super playful, isn't he?
13:47Yeah, he is.
13:49He's a Chihuahua Shih Tzu, and I want to get his shots up to date.
13:53245 kilograms.
13:55Just tiny.
13:57He's fairly new. We've had him for just about a month now.
14:00Heart rate's 140, and he's sniffing and shaking.
14:04We've always had little dogs around in the house.
14:07They're not animals, they're family.
14:09Their health is as important as ours.
14:11Good job.
14:13Perfect.
14:15So we gave him his one vaccine today, and then we gave him a plain tick treatment and deworming.
14:19It is really important for the animals to have their vaccines.
14:21Your dog could be interacting with animals that are unvaccinated,
14:25and so disease transmission can occur in that situation.
14:34No, I know you're trying to help, but you're not helping.
14:38That's his first interaction with a bigger dog.
14:41Okay.
14:43We're in a community that has roaming dogs.
14:45They may be a problem for the day.
14:48Dog ownership can look different in Indigenous communities.
14:53Sit, Ella.
14:55Dogs are not necessarily tethered, may not have a collar on, and may not look like they have an owner,
15:01but in reality, they do have someone who owns them, and they are a family member,
15:05and someone is expecting them to come home at some point.
15:08Hello.
15:10Hello.
15:11I'm Emma. Nice to meet you.
15:13Nice to meet you.
15:15I'm one of the vets here.
15:17Okay. Those are just Bella's papers in there.
15:19Okay.
15:21Bella, she's an Alaskan Malamute.
15:23She's going on two next month and getting her vaccinations and checkup.
15:28She just loves being out and about and exploring, and her favourite place is the beach.
15:34First thing we'll do is we'll just pop her on the scale to get a weight.
15:36Hey.
15:38Okay, guys. Hey, over here.
15:41She was a little excited with all the other dogs showing up.
15:45A lot of these dogs live outdoors for the most part, and all tend to have their own territories.
15:50Sometimes when there's a dog that's not from this zone in the community,
15:55they can become a little bit aggressive.
15:58I'm a little bit concerned. Things are escalating.
16:01Something about the jumpy unpredictableness just doesn't sit well with me.
16:05Come here.
16:07Come on, Bella.
16:09And it's not a good situation.
16:20Hey, I know it's crazy.
16:22We're trying to do examinations outside the fire hall.
16:25Let's just go in here for a minute.
16:27Hey, look at this. Come on. Let's go.
16:28Hi.
16:30So the community dogs, this is their territory,
16:32and they don't really appreciate other dogs being brought into this area.
16:35Stay here.
16:37The community dogs want to be pet and have attention,
16:40and they're looking for the handful of treats.
16:42Go on. Go on.
16:44Free-roaming dogs are coming over to see the new exciting stuff that's happening here.
16:49Let's go.
16:51Once they start getting together, even good dogs get a little bit questionable with their behaviour.
16:55Hey.
16:56You guys want treats?
16:58Come on. Let's go.
17:00So we try to separate everybody as much as possible,
17:03so that we don't have any dog fights.
17:05So we're just trying to break it up and keep the peace.
17:10We are in the brink of changing social structures, I guess you could say, with pet ownership.
17:16In the past, it was a protective mechanism for the wildlife,
17:20but it's not really relevant anymore.
17:21There is a lot of loving owners here, but adapting and changing to a different kind of ownership,
17:28it's a long, long process.
17:33All right, guys.
17:35All right.
17:37Goodness, that's my hand.
17:39It's not the needle.
17:41This vaccine, the Parvo combination, it'll be good for three years.
17:45Perfect.
17:47She got that one.
17:49Being a vet can be a very stressful job.
17:51Okay, thank you.
17:53Staying calm, cool, and collected is very important, despite whatever chaos is happening.
17:58It involves lots of pets, lots of treats, lots of cookies.
18:03Oh, God, those dogs are funny.
18:19Howzat is very beautiful.
18:21It's unlike anywhere else I've ever been before.
18:23It's such a remarkable landscape, being on the ocean and the mountains,
18:27and I think it's very grounding, in a sense, to be here.
18:34Okay.
18:36So it's day three at the clinic.
18:38It's our last day, and the biggest goal is to help as many animals as we can.
18:44His name is Junior.
18:45It means a lot to our kids.
18:48They love him.
18:50He's like a best friend to our oldest.
18:54Who's this?
18:56Junior.
18:58Junior, he's here for his wellness exam and his vaccines.
19:01You have any concerns at all for him?
19:04No, he's just tiny.
19:06Oh, yeah? Just tiny? Okay.
19:08We can just get a weight on him.
19:10All right, 2.35.
19:13Junior is pretty teeny-tiny, just itty-bitty.
19:17His heart and lungs sound good.
19:19He's nice and bright.
19:21His teeth look good for the most part, but I have some concerns with his skin.
19:24You see this red stuff all over him.
19:27I think he probably has a pretty bad flea infestation.
19:30Okay.
19:32He has a pretty high parasite burden,
19:34and a lot of his muscle is probably being given to those bugs.
19:37Here you go.
19:39This is a flea and tick medication.
19:40Flea infestations should be taken seriously,
19:43especially in little puppies if there's an overburden.
19:46It really takes a lot of energy out of them,
19:48and it can lead to things like anemia and getting illness from that.
19:51This one is a deworming.
19:54Okay, easy peasy.
19:56Hopefully he puts some good weight on over the next month
19:58now that he's had those treatments.
20:00So I'm hoping that this will resolve once the bugs are gone.
20:03Yummy.
20:05See how he does over the next month. Hopefully he gains some weight.
20:07He's pretty cute otherwise.
20:09A clinic like this,
20:11I don't think you can stress the importance of it enough.
20:13She's a pretty good kitty, hey?
20:15Woo!
20:17These are the pain medications.
20:19And then, yeah, she's all good to go.
20:21It's very important work. It's very profound work.
20:23All right, perfecto.
20:25It really brings health benefits to the animals
20:27and then also the community members
20:29because of parasite transmission between animals to humans
20:31is a big factor that can happen.
20:33It's not just like an animal issue that we're addressing.
20:35Perfect. She looks great.
20:36It's called One Health.
20:38Why nobody?
20:40Which is the connection between animals, humans,
20:42and the environment,
20:44and the stewardship of all of those three elements together.
20:46We call it the Yahowza way.
20:53Everything is interconnected.
20:55We are all one.
20:57It is our core values and who we are.
20:59And Mission Possible,
21:01they've been taking care of our pets,
21:02in the best way possible.
21:04Clicko, clicko, choo.
21:14The trip here was fantastic.
21:17So nice to work with the team that was here
21:19and to provide some services to the community.
21:24And also, I think being in a Yahowza
21:26definitely has changed
21:28where I see my future in terms of
21:29veterinary medicine going.
21:31There's so much work that needs to be done in the future
21:33and I want to do more
21:35to meet people where they're at,
21:37help as many animals as we can,
21:39and be sustainable while we're doing it.