Veterinary services in Yellowknife are going through a bumpy transitionary period.
With very little warning, the Great Slave Animal Hospital was suddenly closed down on Friday, February 14th. At the same time, members of the hospital management staff were beginning the setup of a replacement vet service with the launch of the “Aurora Veterinary Hospital YK” Facebook page.
Having received many questions and comments from concerned pet owners, a representative of the Aurora Vet Hospital created a large post to provide some more information to the public during this shift.
The post states that at this time, they are focusing on medication refills, “but we do not have access to medical histories at this time. If you need medications for your pet, please reach out to us via email with a picture of the bottle’s label and a description of how much and how often you are giving it. Please also reach out if you are getting monthly injections of any form: Librela, Cartrophen, Cytopoint, etc. Be prepared that we may ask for a recent weight for your pet.”
They explain that some medications can be acquired from a standard pharmacy, and for other animal-specific drugs, they can be contacted to have an order placed.
In the case of emergencies, Aurora Vet is establishing a phone line, and will share the number once it is ready. In the meantime, pet owners can reach out to them on the Facebook page. Aurora Vet will ask for various health matters regarding the animal to assess the situation. In urgent cases, they may advise pet owners to either get in touch with YK Vet, or to travel south.
For most other animal health situations such as previously booked surgeries, bloodwork, x-rays, vaccines, infections, etc., Aurora Vet is asking locals to simply send them an email with their concern.
“If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to us via email. Please use our Messenger for urgent cases or questions only, as the number of messages we have been receiving is somewhat overwhelming for such a small team. We thank you all so much for your patience and kindness, and will continue to keep you updated!”
Aurora Vet has been receiving numerous financial donations from the public during this tumultuous period, to which they have expressed their gratitude. They have also asked locals to consider donating to NWTSPCA, as they will be working closely together in the immediate future.
