Father and son launch telemedicine vet service

NORWICH – Addressing a shortage of veterinarians in the Yukon Territory has brought a father-son vet service in contact with countries around the world experiencing a similar problem.

Article content

VETSon is a virtual veterinary care service founded in 2022 by veterinarian Dr. Glen Yates and his son Colin. The combination of their skills allows the service to reach remote areas of Canada where the shortage of veterinarians – especially those in large animal practice – is acute.

Dr. Yates, 73, practiced in a Woodstock location for 45 years in partnership with his brother, who then retired. That business was sold allowing the doctor – with a total of 48 years experience – to continue solo by forming Slant Road Mobile Vet Services on the family farm near Norwich.

Colin, 41, CEO of VET Son, and his father then also formed a corporation with shareholders. He has a Ph D in environmental science but preferred entrepreneurship rather than a career in science.

Article content

A few months ago VETSon was contacted by the territorial government in the Yukon, requesting access to the services offered.

There are no large animal veterinarians in the Yukon and the vets that are there are not well qualified to provide that service, said Dr. Yates.

There are 100 productive farms in the Yukon. Beyond that, the service was needed for horses, used extensively for trail rides through the Yukon that attract many tourists and hunters.

The rough terrain the horses travel over often results in injuries that need treatment.

Besides providing consultation and medicines, guidance is offered for those doing minor surgeries — wielding a scalpel for dealing with an abscess, for instance.

“Those trail guides are pretty handy and have done this sort of thing for years,” said Dr. Yates.

Article content

There is real-time, live communication and video between those doing the cutting and stitching and those doing the consult, added Dr. Yates.

He has also directed farmers needing to put a uterus back inside a sheep after a prolapse.

Those wanting to use the innovative service simply can down load the app free of charge from Google Play or Apple’s App Store. That will not only connect them to VET Son and services offered by Dr. Yates but a list of other vets participating in the service.

A digital record is kept of all consults and operations so that information will be available to whoever provides vet services going forward.

The government in the Yukon has provided a depot where medication can be delivered to by companies offering that service and then distributed to the clients in need.

Article content

Word of VETSon – the only telemedicine vet service currently operating in Canada – has spread far beyond the continent. It was contacted by representatives from the European Union for more information about the service.

In February Colin made a presentation to the Chief Veterinarian Office for the European Union. He has also been contacted by China, United, Kingdom, the United States and is expecting contact from more European countries.

“It is a struggle for those in rural areas in Europe to access veterinarians,” said Colin.

Providing services in these many and varied locations requires an understanding of the animal treatment regulations specific to those countries, said Colin.

Closer to home, Colin was recently asked to make a presentation on VETSon in Regina.

Article content

“The shortage of veterinarians out west is even worse than it is here in Ontario,” said Colin. His business plans to expand into other provinces across Canada.

Digital vet services provide farmers with options. They can with a phone call better determine what specific animal treatment is required, if more help is needed beyond a consultation with direct vet treatment, or do the treatment on their own, said Colin.

“Sixty to seventy per hundred of vet calls can be done remotely,” said Colin adding this frees a lot of time up for vets to make the on-farm calls that are necessary in a more efficient manner.

Farmers using the telemedicine service pay for consultations or medication with a credit card through the app to the vet service contacted. VETSon receives a transaction fee for each business transaction that takes place under its telemedicine umbrella.

“My grandfather died for gold there,” said Dr. Yates of previous connections to the Yukon.

He also recalled being one of five brothers who traveled that long distance to the Yukon in a Buick car as a young child with his parents, that connection now made in seconds by him and his son via the Internet.

VETSon can be reached for more information at [email protected].

Article content