Iqaluit-raised vet moves mobile vet service back home

Iqaluit’s newest veterinarian, Leia Cunningham, recently graduated from the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

Dr. Leia Cunningham has a new set of wheels.

Her driving force? She wants to provide better healthcare for Iqaluit’s pets.

Fresh from her studies, Cunningham is the community’s new veterinarian and also Iqaluit’s first born-and-bred animal doctor.

And she’s got a brand-new clinic on wheels to house her practice: the NunaVet Animal Hospital.

Cunningham said she knew she always knew she wanted to practice animal care.

“Growing up with pets [in Nunavut], you realize that they need medical attention and you see how much a veterinarian is needed,” Cunningham said in an interview from her mobile clinic, a blue and white painted van.

Cunningham spent her youth volunteering at local vet clinics hosted in Iqaluit by the Rotary club, mentored by visiting veterinarians.

She did an undergraduate degree at Concordia University in Montreal, before studying veterinary medicine at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Cunningham says her studies prepared her well, but she also knows from experience the northern reality that her clients face.

Cuningham’s mobile hospital sits parked outside her Apex home, likely one of the smallest medial clinics in town.

But don’t let the size of the NunaVet van fool you; the mobile facility is equipped with a surgical table for spays, neuters and vaccinations, an x-ray machine and kennels.

Cunningham is able to do blood work and will eventually offer dental services.

For now, NunaVet is only a part-time service now while Cunningham gets settled back into Iqaluit.

She has to balance her new job while raising her eight-month-old son — this while her veterinarian husband finishes a contract in British Columbia.

Once he relocates to Iqaluit, the couple plans to offer NunaVet’s services full-time from the mobile clinic and possibly from a new, permanent clinic build onto their Iqaluit home.

“We really want to be a permanent clinic with a year or two,” Cunningham said.

But the mobile clinic has promoted itself well so far, while Cunningham drives through town en route to house visits.

“The van really tells people ‘Hey, we’re here!’” she said.

She also finds it easier to build a good rapport with her clients by coming to see them at home, where she said both humans and animals feel most relaxed.

“Everyone is so grateful,” Cunningham said. “There’s been a collective sigh of relief among pet owners, knowing someone is here.”

Since she launched her service this fall, most of her work has been responding to emergencies – often treating dogs who’ve been hit by cars.

About 70 per cent of her clients are dog owners; the rest are cats with the occasional rabbit or turtle requiring care.

Cunningham knows her service has the potential to have a long-term impact on how animal care is viewed in Iqaluit and even Nunavut.

“With a general lack of service, the attitude has been that there’s nothing we can do about it,” she said. “With a vet here, there isn’t a reason not to care about your animals.

“It’s not to make people feel guilty, but it could mean a change in attitude. Animals need wellness exams once a year, just like people.”

NunaVet has received plenty of local support in the way of grants, from organizations like the Nunavut Community Economic Development Organization, the Baffin Business Development Corporation, Kakivak Association as well as a loan through Atuqtuarvik Corporation.

NunaVet Animal Hospital is taking appointments every week from Tuesday to Saturday until Dec. 15. You can contact Dr. Cunningham at (867)979-1181.