Lakehead University is asking the public to help complete fundraising efforts to build a new large animal education facility for its veterinary program.
To donate online, click here. All three Pet Valu locations in Thunder Bay have opened their doors to host donation centres for the program as well. Donations to this Paws for a Cause initiative will be accepted until the end of April.
“I think many people across the north are aware of the vet shortage,” said Todd Randall, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies at Lakehead and interim Chair of the Department of Veterinary Science. “The importance of this program is to address that shortage.”
Last year, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association reported that the vet shortage in northwestern Ontario was severe and could continue until 2031. Many pets in the region are on a wait list for treatment that can last from months to years.
“We need vets very, very badly,” said Jeff Palmer, Lakehead alumni and owner of all three Pet Valus in Thunder Bay. “Probably for the last 15 years we’ve been dealing with this where vets are just not taking new clients.”
The new education facility will house large animals. It will have the capacity for 24 cows, 14 sheep and 6 horses. Funds will also go towards a communication skills lab, clinical skills lab and an anatomy lab for the vet program.
According to Randall, students will learn the anatomy of these animals, how to assess their overall health, and then how to prescribe a treatment plan for them.
There are only two large animal vets in northwestern Ontario.
“The idea that someone can go to school here and stay here, continue to practice here and maybe have their own vet clinic here is exciting,” Palmer said. “I think it’s needed.”
Lakehead’s new collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program is a partnership between Lakehead University and the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College. 20 northern students are accepted each term. They spend two years at Guelph then two years at Lakehead to complete their degree.
The program started in September of 2025. The students are currently completing the Guelph portion of their degree, and Lakehead expects its new facilities to be ready when they arrive in Thunder Bay in 2027.
“Our first 20 students are from all over northern Ontario,” Randall said. “They feel very prepared.”
Anyone who donates more than $5 at Pet Valu will have their name displayed on a paw on the community bulletin board at the store.
“I’ve been around town and when people realize I’m connected to the vet program, they get really excited about what it means for the city and the wider region of the north,” Randall said.
