Sarnia woman launches petition for after hours vet care after dog dies
A Sarnia, Ont. woman whose dog died in her arms is calling on local veterinarians to establish after hours vet care.
Marg Allen has launched a petition, hoping vets will get on board.
It follows an experience she had last month when it was time to say goodbye to her beloved Shih Tzu Bernie, who was 15-years-old.
It was after 5 p.m. on a weekday and her own vet clinic was closed. She found out the closest vet care was in Mississauga, nearly three hours away.
She decided she would try to make it through the night with Bernie, but it didn’t work out.
“About eight o’clock, just everything, started stroking, and seizures, it was horrendous until about three in the morning” she explained. “So I held him through that time and his heart just finally gave out.”
She has reached out to more than two dozen vets in the area and circulated her petition to local pet services.
Gabby Robbins, the owner of Clean Cut K9 Dog and Cat Grooming said she supports the effort.
“So what are we going to do next with our pets here in Sarnia?” she asked. “I just went through it a couple weeks ago with my cat. Unfortunately I couldn’t get it in in time and she passed away at my house too, with no after hours or anything like that. I called everybody, and everybody said no.”
One veterinarian in the area who does provide after hours care told CTV News London he’s been overwhelmed with pet owners looking for help.
Dr. Vason Barot of Discovery Animal Hospital in Petrolia, Ont. said he finds himself administering pet care outside of his regular clinic hours just about every day.
“All day, including weekends,” he said.
Barot said he’d like it if other vets took on some of the burden, but he understands why it’s difficult for some.
“Working from morning to evening. After work it’s sometimes hard because they have their own personal lives too,” he said. “If we can make a group, and turn by turn and everybody try to provide help to the community.”
In the meantime, Allen said she’s hoping local vets step up, so others don’t have to experience the same pain that she went through with Bernie.
“And come up with a local model that works for our community, a community-based model so we’re not off to these other locations,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.