‘It’s why we do what we do’: Toronto-area vet volunteers his services in Iqaluit

Cliff Redford (front centre) and his son Brandon (left), daughter Emily (back), and veterinary technician Arthur (right) visited Iqaluit this January to volunteer their vet services to pets. (Submitted photo)

A Greater Toronto Area vet is hard at work making a difference in the lives of pets and their owners in remote areas that don’t have access to veterinary services.

Cliff Redford, who owns and operates Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Markham, has been travelling abroad and volunteering his services for the past nine years.

Redford said when the Iqaluit Animal Hospital reached out to him and his team – which includes his son Brandon, daughter Emily, and vet technician Arthur – it checked off a bucket list item they had to service a remote area in Canada.

“I’ve been doing a lot of travelling abroad and volunteering in places like the West Indies and Panama all the way to India, war-torn Ukraine, that sort of thing,” Redford – who refers to himself as a ‘worldwide vet’ – told CTV News Toronto in an interview.

“So, the word has gotten out to animal rescuers that I like to travel, and I especially like to go to remote places. Can’t get much more remote than Iqaluit in January.”

Redford explained a veterinarian ran the Iqaluit Animal Hospital about four years ago, but left “due to a life change.”

“Since then, there has been no veterinarian full time in the entire territory [of Nunavut]. There are volunteer vets that go up for a week or two, but I’m the only one that goes up in the wintertime,” Redford said.

From vaccination to emergency surgery

The nine-day long visit in January was the second time Redford and his team had travelled to Iqaluit to help the pet population. While there, the group provided anything from surgeries to emergency procedures and vaccinations.

“We completed approximately 25 surgeries, including spays, neuters, an emergency dental procedure, two bladder surgeries to remove stones and one eye removal,” said Redford. “We even treated a dog that broke its leg two weeks prior after being hit by a snowmobile.”

“We also organized a free vaccination day for the local community, as rabies is a significant concern due to the high number of infected arctic foxes. We successfully vaccinated 70 dogs and one cat in just three hours.”

Redford said in addition to dogs and cats, they treated other animals, including a Flemish rabbit and a bearded dragon.

“We were very, very busy. [The work] is very much needed and so appreciated by the pet owners.”

With no veterinarian anywhere in the area, pet owners’ only option to care for their animal family members is to fly down to an emergency hospital in Ottawa - around a three hour and 15 minute flight away between airports. Redford said when the vet left Iqaluit, the community sold the building to the animal shelter, which can collect and foster any animals, but has no means to provide medical care.

“The issues are primarily a complete lack of accessibility,” said Redford.

Rescue puppies up for adoption

In addition to the veterinary care they provided, Redford and his team also took seven puppies that were the result of an accidental litter back with them to Markham.

“Unfortunately, it was a case of neglect in a [northern] community,” Redford said. “When we got there, we told them we were looking to bring a litter home to help reduce their workload. It worked out that the pups would be seven-and-a-half weeks old by the time we left so we were able to take all seven of them.”

Redford says all seven puppies are immediately ready for their “fur-ever” homes. Anyone interested in adopting can reach out to him directly.

“There is an adoption fee, but it goes to the animal shelter in Iqaluit for operation costs including bringing the dogs to Toronto.”

A GoFundMe is also available to support the shelter buy things like additional equipment and supplies for animals in their care.

Redford said despite hoping to visit and work in Iqaluit in the summer, he will go again whenever the animals need him.

“We have such a good time going up there. And while it is a lot of hard work, it’s why we do what we do. I would like to go sometime in the summer, but there are a lot of other veterinarians willing to go in the summertime, and I’m the only one willing to go in the winter. So, I will go when I’m needed, which will likely be every January.”