New London sheep breeder appeals province's seizure of injured lamb

A Prince Edward Island sheep breeder has filed an appeal with the provincial Department of Agriculture after it seized an injured lamb she had taken to the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC).

Lisa Strohschein raises sheep on her seven-acre homestead in New London. She took the lamb to AVC for treatment last Friday, after finding it injured in what she suspects was a coyote attack.

On Saturday, an official from the Department of Agriculture told her it had seized the animal because she declined the exploratory surgery offered by a vet at the college and asked whether it could be treated in a different way.

"I took great offence to it because I care," she said. "They should be able to gauge every situation and deal with that one situation. But they're so stuck on policy and they treat every situation the same — where it's not all the same."

The animal, a young babydoll sheep that Strohschein estimates was worth $1,000, has since been euthanized.

Strohschein hopes her appeal of the seizure, under the province's Animal Welfare Act, will reveal more about the incident.

She said veterinary staff at the college told her the lamb might be at risk of developing meningitis as a result of puncture wounds to its neck, close to its head.

"They wanted to do an exploratory [surgery] and I didn't agree with that. I thought, 'She's young, she's small,'" said Strohschein.

Instead, she requested treatment with antibiotics and pain management medication. She said AVC charged her $150 for the treatment leading up to the lamb's seizure. 

The Atlantic Veterinary College has declined to comment on the case. 

The Department of Agriculture confirms it has authority to seize and euthanize animals that are in "extreme peril" under the Animal Welfare Act.

"The Department of Agriculture and Land takes all animal welfare cases very seriously, and any case that requires euthanasia is done so with strict advice of veterinary professionals," the department wrote to CBC News.

"The Department has four doctor of veterinary professionals that work collaboratively with the veterinary professionals across the Island when a welfare case is presented, and ultimately a decision is made based on the overall wellbeing of the animal.

"While it is often viewed as a very last resort, the Province does have the legislative ability to seize or euthanize animals that are in extreme peril through the Animal Welfare Act."