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Are veterinarians obliged to give emergency care
#1
The incident that triggered this discussion happened in Newfoundland. The dog in question was not a patient of the vet that was called late at night. The vet refused to soo the dog. The dog died.
It sounds pretty clear that the vet was wrong, but the veterinary  association sided with the vet. They make a good case for what the vet did.
In some remote areas there are few vets and many animals. No veterinarian could be on call for all the animals in an area. They physically cannot be there 
for every one. No one has the physical strength to go day and night without a break. Veterinarians are only obligated to provide emergency care to their own patients. 
The veterinary association feels the pet owner has an obligation to determine if their own vet clinic does emergency care. If not, they need to find out when they take on a pet who would be willing to see the animal in an emergency.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundl...-1.5755133

This may be less of a problem in cities that have emergency service clinics and many possible veterinarians. In rural areas where there are just one or two vets, late night care might be a problem. You would want any vet to respond to any emergency any time, but physically that just isn't possible. Vets need to eat and sleep too. Maybe pet owners do need to find out ahead of time who would be available in an emergency.

In these pandemic times, vet clinics are not fully open so it is harder to get a veterinary appointment. A Toronto dog died because the owner could not get veterinary help. Right now vet appointments are a limited resource the way late night care is in some areas. I don't know what the answer is. No-one wants to see someone's pets die, but no vet can answer all emergency calls in an area.
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Catherine

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