Dr. Jeffrey Wichtel, dean of U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College, spoke to CBC Kitchener-Waterloo about the shortage of veterinarians in Canada.

The article noted that the significant staffing shortage is making it hard for pet owners to find emergency care in some parts of Canada and forcing some emergency clinics to reduce their hours.

“Veterinary emergency and urgent care hospitals are not just part of [the] workforce shortage that we’ve talked about — they are the pointy end of the problem,” Wichtel said.

Getting more working veterinarians in the field will take time and there are no easy fixes, said Wichtel, noting OVC can graduate only 120 students a year.