The BPEG community came together on 2 August 2023 at the Anglican Church Hall to hear about local veterinarian Dr Trace MacKay’s first hand observations on the changing landscape in terms of human, animal and environmental health in Canada’s North.
MacKay visited Gjoa Haven Nunavut, north of the Arctic Circle, with Veterinarians without Borders Canada (www.vetswithoutborders.ca). MacKay and three other team members Marieke (Northern Animal Health Initiative Program Manager), Alison (dog trainer, vet tech in training and VWB Northern scholarship recipient), and Cameron (dog groomer) went to the hamlet of 600 households to conduct a Community Assets and Needs Assessment. The team also provided some dog care services while in the community,
Veterinarians without Borders Canada (VWB) spent two years building a relationship with the community. They were invited to visit the community by Paws with Purpose (a volunteer dog committee). The team visited the community last September and this spring and will return again in September of this year.
During the four-day visit, the team conducted a preventive health clinic for dogs, dog training classes, dog grooming appointments, and lessons on dog safety. They held a mini Northern Dog Games event for dog owners to compete in activities such as the longest sit/stay and fastest to find the hidden treat. The team also conducted numerous interviews with the community members and hosted a community meeting to understand what works, what could be better and what things need to happen for positive change for the health of people, animals and the environment that sustains them using a “One Health” approach.
MacKay explained about the changing societal and cultural norms within the community and the impact to their daily lives by changes in the climate.
The iced-in community is formally a Hudson Bay trading post. The area is attractive as a “place of plenty blubber”, hence its Inuktitut ‘s name Uqsuqtuuq. The area is now settled by the Inuit, but they are not traditionally settlers. Tourism is on the rise due to the discovery of the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror. There are housing and overcrowding issues, mental health challenges, and evolving cultural and societal practices. Dogs used to be integral to survival, now they are mostly replaced by machines. New dog breeds are introduced which are less suited to the harsh winter climate. The environment is changing, the ice is not freezing over as early and as such shortening the seal hunting and fishing seasons, lessening the time for sourcing food and threatening ice safety. There are signs of disease and stress showing up in the fish being caught. Everything needs to be shipped in during the ice-free months, or by airplane therefore there are higher prices for everything. In some areas of the north, Grizzly Bears are encroaching, adding further threats to the people spending time on the land in the summer months. All these factors have various inter-connected effects on human and animal wellbeing.
Historically dogs have been of huge importance to the survival of the Iniut peoples, used for transport i.e. dog sledding and for hunting purposes. There is still a deep cultural attachment towards dogs, but the relationship is now different. There is fear in the community of roaming dogs. Dogs are at risk of contracting rabies from Arctic Fox moving into the community each Fall. It is most often children who are bitten by dogs. If dogs are not vaccinated against rabies, anyone who is bitten needs to undergo a series of post exposure vaccination against rabies.
The VWB team vaccinated 150 dogs last year, and conducted another vaccine clinic during this Spring visit to vaccinate the dogs missed or born since the last vaccine clinic. Proof of a dog’s rabies vaccine might change the need for treatment.
The team spent time teaching dog training, grooming and safety especially on how to approach a dog. Some of the recommendations are to support a vet science club in high school; offer dog safety training to the community, especially children, and engage the elders in sharing their knowledge in dog training and care. VWB offers scholarships and pet first aid training to youth in their Northern Animal Health Initiative partner communities and trains lay-vaccinators to help build veterinary capacity year round.
MacKay held the audience enthralled by her vivid description of life in the North . She promises to return to give an update on her September visits to Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak, she will be participating in week-long preventive health clinics including check-ups, vaccinations, deworming and spay/neuter surgeries.
To learn more about VWB Canada’s Northern Animal Health Initiative visit www.vetswithoutborders.ca
=== Photos
Dr Trace MacKay presenting at BPEG Monthly Meeting on 2 August 2023
Gjoa Haven photos: photo credit Alison Buckland
