Students at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College take the meaning of learning and community service to a new level.
Since 2006, student veterinarians and faculty members from AVC and UPEI have travelled to Canada’s Arctic, where they provide free veterinary care to working and companion animals, and education to their owners. Supported by the AVC’s Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, The Chinook Project is a labour of love.
In 2009 a team of two veterinarians, one animal health technician, and four senior veterinary students from the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI travelled to Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay to deliver much-needed veterinary care to sled dogs, pet dogs, and the occasional cat. The team performed spays and castrations, as well as other necessary surgeries. They also provided vaccinations, examinations, and treatments for parasites. The group forged friendships with members of the host communities and developed a deep appreciation for Canada's Arctic communities, their people, and their culture.
While in the North, the AVC veterinary team taught community members about vaccination and parasite prevention and provided basic training in emergency care for dogs. Vaccines and supplies have been left with the educated community members to improve the welfare of the animals. The opportunity to participate in cultural exchange activities enabled the team to broaden its understanding of Canadian diversity and to encounter forms of animal life they would not normally see. Team members also participated in a blog for CBC and kept journals to produce a series of creative non-fiction pieces for a book with the working title, AVC Goes North.
Fourth-year AVC student Nicole Cummings described her experience in Kugluktuk in this excerpt from her blog:
“The surgeries began picking up in the afternoon. The four students divided themselves between the two surgery tables. One student was the surgeon, while the other monitored anesthesia. I did my first official spay today on a feisty and playful 1-year-old female husky mix named Dora. By the time I had finished, it was supper time, and I couldn’t tell you where the day went. But we stayed until the very last dog was awake and recovered from anesthesia. By the time 9 pm rolled around, the hunger pains began, and I could actually feel myself crashing. It was an emotionally draining day, and I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that a small part of me wanted to throw in the towel and go home to eat, shower, and sleep."
"Looking back, day one was a roller coaster of emotion. There were many moments when I doubted myself, but I also know I left that clinic today having learned a lot about myself and veterinary medicine. I know that as a team, we did really well today and really helped out the community of Kugluktuk. And at the end of the day, that is what this trip is really about.”
