Sled dogs and other pets in one Nunavut hamlet have the rare chance to get a check-up and medical treatment over the next two weeks, thanks to some Canadian veterinarians doing volunteer work in the area.

Igloolik is hosting a group of 11 veterinarians, technicians and assistants from the Canadian Animal Assistance Team until July 23.

Igloolik residents say it's the first time any veterinarian has ever visited the community, while Mayor Paul Quassa said the group's short presence will have a lasting positive effect.

"Certainly it will be an opportunity that we can't miss … even after they leave I think we will have, or the dog team owners will have, a better idea how to care for their dogs if they got hurt," said Quassa, who invited the team to his community eight months ago.

The Canadian Animal Assistance Team is a group of veterinary professionals that travel the world treating pets and educating their owners. The team visited the Northwest Territories last year.

 

Burnaby, B.C., veterinarian Brigitte Rudolf said she and her team will be giving free veterinary services at the hamlet's old health centre over the next two weeks.

"We're off to spay and neuter dogs for population control, vaccinate and de-worm, vaccinate for rabies, distemper [and] parvoviral, which are prevalent up in that area," she said. "Well, not so much rabies, but distemper is a real problem at this time."

Quassa said a recent outbreak of distemper among dog teams in Igloolik — a hamlet of about 1,530, located 855 kilometres northwest of Iqaluit — has been a major concern.

"We will certainly feel like a safer community because of healthy dogs," he said.

Local dog team owner Lukie Airut, 65, told CBC News that given the number of imported dogs in the area, he worries that the traditional Inuit sled dog population may fall. Speaking in Inuktitut, Airut said he hopes better education for dog owners will help keep the unique breed alive.

Rudolf said her team is available to teach people about pet care, from how to approach dogs to how to prevent worms. And anyone interested in watching pet surgery is welcome to drop by, she added.

The team conducted spay and neuter clinics in Guyana in May and plans to visit Peru, Mexico and Fiji later this year.