Newspaper article, published in the Northern Pen, May 12, 2014
Busier than ever
Grateful pet owners welcome vet visit to St. Anthony
Cat Jewel is prepared for spaying (Photo Neyda Galvez)
The pet owners of St. Anthony and area left Dr. John Earle hardly a free minute while the veterinarian had his mobile clinic parked at the Irving gas station last week. By Wednesday night, the vet had done 35 surgeries, mainly spaying and neutering, and twenty more scheduled for the remaining two days. On top of that, Dr. Earle had 75 appointments in total for vaccinations and check-ups during night hours. “This morning, we put in an extra half hour so we can serve eve-rybody”, Dr. Earle said during a hectic meal break, “and we are working until 10 o`clock at night.” It is Dr. Earle`s third visit to St. An-thony with his mobile vet clinic since 2012 and says is busier than ever. “I am pleased that it is maximum capacity”, he said. “This time we got as many as we can take.” He and his assistant Bonnie Earle Harris who is also the manager of the SPCA in Gander, were not deterred by the cold temperatures that froze a water pipe. But it saddened them that a cat died after surgery on the very first day. Dr. Earle says there might have been an underlying genetic heart weakness in the cat and her feline family.
Aimee Parrill`s dog Gizmoe (Photo Bonnie Hynes)
“It could have happened anywhere”, the vet explains. “Unless we can make an au-topsy, we don`t know the cause of this sudden death.” But the owner wanted the cat to be buried without a post mortem. For many cat and dog owners though, Dr. Earle is a god send. “About 80 per cent expressed their appreciation”, the vet says. “We now start to recognise people and their pets.” It is rewarding for them to see that they are making a dent in the local cat population, preventing strays by spaying and neutering animals. After this busy visit, Dr. Earle is pondering the possibility of coming twice a year to St. Anthony.
Photo Bonnie Hynes
Amy Hoyles drove all the way from Flower`s Cove to have her four-month-old tabby cat Jewel spayed. She had seen the vet visit announced on Facebook and made an appointment right away. “It is only an hour and a half to drive from Flower`s Cove”, she says, “so much better than going to Corner Brook which is four hours at least.” She finds it awful that there is no permanent vet on the Northern Peninsula. But she was happy to see her cat Jewel already playing at her home in Flower`s Cove just a few hours after the surgery.
Jewel at home after surgery (Photo Amy Hoyles)
“Most people cannot afford the vet bill if they have to go to Corner Brook”, says Leona Mitchelmore-Adams from the local volunteer group Help the Strays St. Anthony and Area. “I think many people are waiting now for Dr. Earle to come here for spaying and neutering. It has become a regular routine.” Her nine-year-old dog Brady does not like to travel at all. Recently he had a growth on his eye and she only had to take him to the trailer at the Subway restaurant. “Thank God Dr. Earle came to St. Anthony”, Mitchelmore-Adams says.
Photo Bonnie Hynes
The Town of St. Anthony is also pleased that Dr. Earle carried out his vet ser-vices in this area for a week. “It is good to see that so many pet owners have their animals spayed or neutered”, Mayor Ernest Simms says. “The group Help the Strays St. Anthony and Area does a great job promoting good pet health and at-tracting vet services to our area. It is certainly needed.” The mayor mentioned that the town is still actively seeking the services of a permanent veterinarian. He also pointed out that animal identification tags for cats and dogs are available at the Town of St. Anthony.
Photo Bonnie Hynes
