After a leg hemorrhage, a dog is saved just in time with the help of a stranger, despite a shortage of veterinarians.

On 21 December 2024, Joanie Vachon was out walking her Labrador Retriever dog Princesse while visiting relatives in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. The dog hit a rock and injured her leg. The very large wound caused Joanie to haemorrhage, which she was unable to contain. With the help of her family, the young woman, who was worried about her animal, who was also her assistance dog because of her anxiety and epileptic seizures, tried to contact all the veterinary clinics in the area… but to no avail.

None of them could take in Princesse, either because of a lack of space or carers, or because Joanie was not one of their clients. “We were even told to go to Quebec City, holding the wound to control the blood, or to stay next to the animal so it didn’t die alone,” the 20-year-old told TVA Nouvelles. “A service like that is deplorable… It’s shocking,” she added.

Shocked, but determined to save her dog, Joanie refused to give up and did her utmost by launching an appeal for help on social networks. A stranger replied to the message on Facebook. She in turn contacted the Chicoutimi veterinary clinic as a matter of urgency to take charge of Princesse. “Princesse needed surgery and stitches,” she tells TVA News, details that show just how alarming her dog’s condition was. At the same time, to cover the high cost of the surgery, the young woman opened an online fund-raising campaign on GoFundMe. To date, she has raised 36% of the amount needed.

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Refusing to render assistance to a seriously injured dog is a breach of the Animal Welfare and Safety Act and the Code of Ethics of the professional order, as the Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec reminds us, after its president, Dr Gaston Rioux, learned of Joanie and Princesse’s story. According to him, this could justify two complaints. For the time being, however, the young woman has no plans to lodge them. In recounting her misadventure, she simply wanted to inform people and perhaps raise awareness of the shortage of vets in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.