After successfully fighting to end the practices of declawing in cats and ear cropping and tail docking in dogs, the B.C. SPCA is again calling on the College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC) to ban yet another medically unnecessary pet procedure.
VANCOUVER The Society of BC Veterinarians says the pandemic has increased the demand for vet services so dramatically, the industry has now hit a crisis point. In 2019, the society looked into predicted labor shortages, finding that, at the current rate of growth, there would be a shortage of 500 veterinarians in B.C. by 2024. The pandemic has sped things up. Dr. Hatley McMicking, general manager of veterinary services for the B.C. SPCA, says the province has “completely accelerated into that shortage now” because of the high number of people getting pets in the past year. “We have faced this beauty of many people bringing animals into their homes,” McMicking said. “(But) there aren’t enough veterinarians and technical staff to care for these animals.”