Letter to the editor

A7

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Dear editor:

I am writing in response to a letter submitted by Mr. Steve Lavigne regarding what he considers to be a lack of local emergency veterinary services. I would like to also extend my deepest sympathy to his parents at the loss of their family pet. Veterinary services fall under the category of private medicine and while a few of the "big city" veterinary clinics may offer local emergency service, this service is often extended to their existing clientele only and others will be refused. Because of this, a rotation of emergency services was created by the veterinarians on the North Shore whereby help is always available and people will not be refused service. That being said, Mr. Lavigne must understand that this will require displacing himself to obtain assistance. This may include driving to Dalhousie, Bathurst, Shippagan, Tracadie, or Miramichi. He speaks of not letting humans suffer. However, should the required service not be available in any given area, a human will be transported by ambulance to another facility. You are your animal's ambulance. Failure to drive to another clinic in the event of an emergency may or may not result in an animal's death. Not all emergencies can be fixed by telephone. Being as the attack occurred on Saturday and the choice was made not to drive for assistance, faulting the local veterinarian for having a day off is grossly uncalled for and unfair. This dog suffered wounds for close to 24 hrs because of this choice.

No Medical Care Provider/Veterinarian can be expected to put in a full regular hour work week and extend 24 hour emergency care continuously. Due to the intense nature of the profession, this will only lead to fatigue and burn out. These people deserve time with their families and also to be rested. The rotation that exists is what the regional veterinarians can provide and still be functional enough to receive patients during regular hours.

Despite the fact that it is a hard pill to swallow, Mr. Lavigne and his parents must accept their share of the blame for failure to displace themselves and seek the emergency assistance which may or may not have resulted in the death of the dog but to quote Mr. Lavigne, I guess now we will never know.

Lynn Malley

Dalhousie