When wildfires forced families from their homes in northwestern Ontario this July, Ontario Veterinary College veterinarian Dr. Jamie Freeman-Braganca was there to help provide essential care to displaced animals.
Freeman-Braganca is a clinical veterinarian with the Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program (CHPP), an initiative that brings together veterinarians, veterinary technicians and community partners to provide primary care to underserved areas, Indigenous communities, people experiencing housing insecurities and animals in shelter.
The Ontario SPCA and the Humane Society's Northwest Animal Centre in Thunder Bay, Ont. asked Freeman-Braganca for veterinary care help for the large influx of animals displaced or surrendered due to the wildfires.
Once on site, she learned that many of the animals were in need of basic care such as vaccinations. Many of the evacuees also wanted spay or neuter procedures for their animal companions, which can have a dramatic impact on animal population once these pets return to their communities.
Freeman-Braganca spent six days at the Northwest Animal Centre and was able to assist with 82 spay and neuter surgeries and 103 wellness and vaccine appointments.
Community Healthcare Partnership Program
Providing veterinary services in under-resourced settings is a key goal of the CHPP, which was founded in 2019 through a $11-million donation from Kim and Stu Lang's Angel Gabriel Foundation, and a a renewed $7-million grant in 2024.
Through the CHPP, OVC regularly collaborates with community partners in northern Ontario, including First Nations, Humane societies, the Ontario SPCA and other animal care organizations, providing community medicine through on-location veterinary clinics and telemedicine.
In 2024, Dr. Wesley Cheung, a shelter medicine resident with CHPP, travelled to Lahaina, Hawaii, to join a team of experts to find unique solutions to sheltering outdoor cats while respecting their unique welfare needs.
U of G and Lakehead University are working to train a skilled veterinary workforce to serve northern Ontario through the Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program (CDVMP), which combines OVC's internationally recognized veterinary education with Lakehead's 60-year commitment to northern, rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
Below, Freeman-Braganca offers more about her recent experience providing veterinary care during the wildfires.
Dr. Freeman-Braganca checked on the health of dozens of pets whose families were evacuated and displaced. (Photo: Ontario SPCA)
