HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-03-17, Page 43PAGE A18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005.
A country doc
Veterinarian Dr. Lavern Clark stands by the Bowie unit which is kept in the back of his pick
up truck when required to attend to some of the larger animals found on the farm. (Jim Brown
photo)
Crisis has little effect on vet
By Jim Brown
Citizen staff
The small-town veterinarian
practice of Dr. Lavern Clark has not
been extremely affected by the BSE
situation.
The three practising veterinarians
- Dr. Clark. Dr. Phil Garriock and
Dr. Kathleen Day — have remained
fairly busy since May 2003.
Drs. Clark and Garriock look after
the larger animals, while Dr. Day
tends to the smaller animals.
However, Dr. Clark said both he and
Dr. Garriock can look after the
smaller animals if they are required.
Dr. Clark said there are two ways
of determining whether the larger
animals or the smaller animals
comprise the majority of the
practice.
According to gro$s receipts, the
large animals consist of 75 per cent
of the business and the small animals
only 25 per cent.
But, the actual number of farm
animals is small compared to the
number of dogs and cats that are
seen.
Due to the BSE crisis, people are
of the perception that the supply of
veterinarians outweighed the
demand. Dr. Clark said prior to BSE
there was a fair number of
veterinarians for large animals.
Since that time, the number really
hasn’t changed, and “from looking
through the ads in industry
publications, positions for large
animal practices are being posted.”
In the most recent publication
there was one ad for a large animals
practice and about 50 for small
animals.
According to Dr. Clark, with the
number of graduates, “they should
easily fill those positions.”
“The supply and demand is now
where it wants to be,” he said.
Like a general practitioner, the
number of hours worked varies from
practice to practice, depending on
location and the number of people
involved in the practice. Some may
have to work every other weekend
and every other night, while others,
especially the larger practices, may
have to work one night a week and
one weekend a month.
“And if they are not the primary
person on call, they may have to be
back-up,” said Dr. Clark.
When dealing with large animals,
the lifestyle can be rather hectic for a
recent graduate, especially when
they are on call.
“A person is tied to one place
when they are on call,” said Dr.
Clark.
For vacations in the summer, the
practice will likely co-ordinate the
office so the veterinarians can get
away, especially during the quiet
time of year.
“The quiet time of the year is
usually August, so there is still lime
to take a holiday with the family,” he
said.
Being on call so many evenings
and weekends can be hard on a
personal life.
He has had to deal with a number
of exotic animals since beginning his
practice. These have included an
iguana, llama and deer.
Of course, he has also tended to
the various kind of livestock there
are in the area — cattle, pigs, sheep,
goats and others.
There are a number of elk herds in
the area and a number of animals are
lost because of chronic wasting
disease. Dr. Clark said it’s not one
particular herd that is affected, but it
is spread throughout the industry.
Dr. Clark began his practice in
Blyth in 1976. Since that time, he
has gotten to know the people of the
area, including some members of the
Mennonite community.
Continued on A19
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