New Brunswick to end public veterinary field service

Vanessa Leclair was deboarding her mare from a trailer when the horse slipped, slicing a hind leg open. Leclair lives in a rural part of New Brunswick, Canada, a three-hour drive from the nearest private-sector equine veterinarian. She immediately called the Provincial Veterinary Field Service (PVFS), and a practitioner arrived in an hour.

New Brunswick is one of two Canadian provinces that have government-funded large animal veterinary care. Many New Brunswickers were dismayed to learn on March 17 that their provincial government was planning to phase it out.

This story was published on April 16, 2026.