A number of vet clinics have had to cut their hours back or reduce services due to difficulties with staffing, and the situation could get worse before it gets better.

Local vet Dr. Maggie Brown-Bury says a shortage of veterinarians is among the aggravating factors, but there’s also a shortage of support staff, which reduces the number of patients a clinic can see.

“Veterinarians can only do so much if they don’t have support staff to help them get things done for their patients.” As an example, Brown-Bury says she can see more patients if she has a support staff that can run blood work or X-rays.

She says the province only supports three seats at the Atlantic Veterinary College in PEI, which doesn’t reflect demand.

She says the number of vets entering the workforce is not keeping up with the number of vets the province needs.