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Albertan Veterinarian Honoured for Improving Accessibility Via Remote Veterinarian Care
July 22, 2022
HALIFAX, N.S. – Dr. James Stickney has been honoured with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s (CVMA) Humane Award for his dedication to animal welfare across Canada, one stop at a time.
Working with animals on his family’s crop production farm he grew up on outside of Hythe, Alta. inspired Dr. Stickney’s desire to pursue veterinary medicine.
Shortly after graduating from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), Saskatoon Sask., Dr. Stickney formed and began working at Mackenzie Veterinary Services in 2006. That year, Dr. Stickney took over part of his Uncle Dewey Stickney’s practice. He knew early on in his career that his intended practice destination would be relatively remote and full of challenges.
“Dr. Stickney travels approximately 100 days out of every year to service communities that have no local vet services in his 72-footlong mobile clinic that he obtained a Class 1 drivers license to operate himself. The clinic is outfitted with a complete surgical unit, examination room, digital X-ray, dental unit, and blood machine to enable Dr. Stickney to perform all aspects of small animal veterinary medicine while on the road,” proudly explains Dr. Jocelyn Stickney, Dr. James Stickney’s wife.
Currently, this practice consists of a base clinic in High Level, Alta. and a mobile practice that serves surrounding communities in Northern Alberta and several towns in the Northwest Territories.
“Dr. Stickney is devoted and passionate about providing care to these communities where permanent veterinary services are unavailable. Often, the travel to reach these northern towns is the most challenging aspect of his veterinary practice. I can recall a clinic where the fuel lines froze while travelling from Hay River to Fort Smith and Dr. Stickney used a stomach pump, an equine nasogastric tube, and a litter box to siphon and pump fuel from one tank to the next in -50 C weather. He has had flat tires and breakdowns on what some have called the ‘loneliest highway in the N.W.T.’ and water tank freeze ups due to the brutal winters he works and travels in,” adds Dr. Jocelyn Stickney.
Dr. Stickney also has a passion for shelter and animal volunteer societies where his monthly mobile visits are not only essential to the individual pets and pet owners of the communities he serves but are also essential for the communities as a whole.
“I have nothing but gratitude for the services that he, and more recently he and his wife Dr. Jocelyn Stickney, have diligently provided over all these years. Jim has provided an almost monthly service that takes him away from his home practice, family, and friends in High Level to what has become a second home and family in the north,” says Chris Esser, active volunteer of the Fort Smith Animal Society, and who has known Stickney for over a decade.
“Jim generally rolls into town on a Tuesday night at which time he sets-up his mobile clinic and unloads a mountain of pet food orders. Most winter months he also hauls in straw for bedding which is hard to come by in the north where it is so desperately needed for animal bedding and warmth during the harsh winters. The next two days are spent primarily performing surgeries followed by another two to three days of vaccination and other health appointments interspersed with more surgeries. Despite Jim’s already full schedule, he and his staff make every attempt to accommodate even the last-minute requests for appointments,” adds Esser.
The Fort Smith Animal Society’s successful animal shelter, adoption program, and spay neuter program would suffer without the reliable access to in-community veterinary services. As a result of the spay neuter program and the surgeries performed by Dr. Stickney, unlike many northern towns, Fort Smith does not have a serious stray dog issue, nor does it rely on shooting animals to control numbers.
Dr. Stickney and his wife have provided veterinary services to several communities throughout northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories for the past 14 years.
The CVMA Humane Award, sponsored by Merck Animal Health, recognizes leadership in the care and well-being of animals. This award is presented to a veterinarian whose work is judged to have contributed significantly to the welfare and well-being of animals.
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) is the national and international voice for Canada’s veterinarians, providing leadership and advocacy for veterinary medicine. Each year, the CVMA proudly recognizes individuals and groups for their outstanding contribution to veterinary medicine. Visit canadianveterinarians.net to learn more about the CVMA.
Contact:
Ashley Dupont
Communications Officer
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA)
613-236-1162 ext. 125
adupont@cvma-acmv.org