The number of complaints against veterinarians in Manitoba increased significantly last year, the profession’s regulatory body revealed in its first published report on the data.
There were 39 formal complaints in 2021 — up from 27 in 2020 and a nearly eight-fold increase from the five complaints in 2016, according to the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association report, which was released in May.
The association’s registrar, Corey Wilson, says the regulator was prompted to begin publishing annual data on disciplinary complaints and appeals on its website after an October 2021 CBC News report about a veterinarian whose license was suspended for alleged abuse with drugs. This story notes that Manitoba complaint data was not made public at the time.
The decision to make that data public, which brings Manitoba’s association in line with neighboring Ontario and Saskatchewan, was welcome news to some.
Manitoba’s veterinary regulator was “a little bit behind the times and I think they’re just catching up,” said Kim Gibson, president of the non-profit Professional Pet Groomers Association of Manitoba.
“I think transparency in any area is the way to go,” she said. “Pet owners are becoming more educated. They are becoming more and more demanding. They want to know what’s going on, and this is a way to make that happen.”
Pandemic pet care behind closed doors
Wilson says the increase in complaints may be partly due to the public becoming more familiar with the veterinary regulator and its complaints process.
Other veterinary regulators in Canada have seen a similar increase in complaints and believe the pandemic may be to blame, he said.
Gibson said that during the pandemic restrictions, pet owners were often not allowed to attend vet visits — so she wasn’t surprised by the uptick in complaints.
“I don’t think they trusted what was going on behind closed doors as much as they usually do,” said Gibson, who is also president of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Groomers, which certifies dog groomers.
“When you give your animals to someone, even if they’re a professional, you always wonder what’s going on.”
Kim Gibson, president of the Manitoba Association of Professional Pet Groomers, says pet owners want more information about the veterinary profession. (Submitted by Kim Gibson)
Wilson was unable to provide a breakdown of the subject areas of the complaints, such as quality of care or billing and financial issues.
It’s a problem the president of the Pet Groomers Association would like to see solved.
“The main complaint I hear when dealing with pet owners is that everything is so expensive and they’re just trying to get more money out of you,” Gibson said.
“Even vets that my pet owners trust are like, ‘Oh, I think you just did it for the money.’ I think that’s the way owners are starting to feel these days.”
1 complaint was referred for verification, 23 were rejected
Manitoba currently has 458 licensed veterinarians and 435 registered veterinary technologists regulated by the Veterinary Association.
The regulator’s report shows that of the 39 complaints, 32 were resolved in 2021. Five cases were resolved by settlement, meaning the complaints committee reached an agreement with a veterinarian or veterinary technologist to address the concerns raised, it said Wilson.
Two complaints resulted in a member being advised, two resulted in a formal warning and 23 were dismissed.
Wilson says cases can be dismissed if the conduct in question is outside the scope of the regulator or if there is insufficient evidence that the member has breached the Veterinary Medicine Act or the association’s rules or code of ethics.
A complaint is directed to an inquiry.
The MVMA says 23 complaints were dismissed last year for reasons such as insufficient evidence or that the conduct in the complaint was outside the association’s scope. (Vera-Lyn Kubinec/CBC)
He was unable to identify the number of cases involving animal categories such as pets, livestock or horses, but said the majority of complaints involved companion animals.
The shortage of veterinarians is also a problem affecting the profession and animal owners.
Wilson says a survey of private practice veterinary clinics in Manitoba shows that as of May, there were at least 68 full-time equivalent positions for veterinarians that needed to be filled just to meet demand in private practice.
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