'Can be a real struggle': Veterinary shortage in Sask. particularly felt by exotic pet owners

As Saskatchewan is facing a shortage of veterinarians, owners of exotic pets are in a particularly tricky situation if their animal needs care.

Madison Faal has quite the collection of pets in her home, including one dog, two cats, a tortoise and pigeons.

"I've always loved animals. Really, I think I just like to take care of things, so I just collect creatures to take care of," she said.

As Saskatchewan is facing a shortage of veterinarians, owners of exotic pets are in a particularly tricky situation if their animal needs care.

"I had an accident with my tortoise last year. It wasn't an issue until it was an issue and then I called around the only one that I could find in the city, they didn't have an opening until the following week, and it was an emergency, so they suggested, just out of town," Faal said.

Dr. Tracy Fisher is a veterinarian at Regina's Albert North Veterinary Clinic, and she sees the challenge firsthand.

"It can be a real struggle. There is a shortage of veterinarians in Canada and in Saskatchewan as well. And there is a real shortage of veterinarians that are willing to see exotic pets. And that can make it really challenging to find care for those exotic pets, pets, particularly in an emergency situation. So I really empathize with people that are having trouble finding care,” she said.Many might be surprised to learn what constitutes as an 'exotic animal,' particularly when animals like rabbits or turtles are native to Saskatchewan.

"Really, anything that's not a dog or a cat is generally considered exotic. So we consider a lot of these things like common domestic species, you know, rabbits. We people have domesticated rabbits for literally thousands of years and they're very popular pets. But really bunnies, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, snakes, birds, anything like that is generally going to be considered an exotic pet," Dr. Fisher explained.