• Why Participate

Community-based veterinary designated vaccinator programming allows for the delivery and administration of vaccines to cats and dogs (including rabies vaccines) in regions that have limited to no access to veterinary services by a veterinary technologist and/or a member of the public (“lay person”) who has completed designated vaccinator training and is supervised by a Manitoba veterinarian.

Many regions of Manitoba are without regular veterinary care, which puts both animal and human health at risk. This includes an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, and often negatively impacts historically excluded communities and Indigenous populations at a higher proportion than urban centers. Because of its significant disease consequence, the primary goal of community-based veterinary designated vaccinator programming is to reduce the risk of Rabies in domestic dogs and cats in Indigenous and other remote communities that have limited to no access to veterinary services, thus improving domestic animal health and public health outcomes.

The Manitoba Community Vaccinator Program provides an opportunity to:

• prevent diseases that threaten animal health and human health, and improve health outcomes;
• promote animal health, animal welfare, and veterinary medicine;
• protect the human-animal bond;
• strengthen a community’s ability to self-govern, and their capacity for self-determination;
• expand veterinary medicine into historically excluded communities;
• enable knowledge sharing on topics such as animal diseases, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit culture, and reconciliation;
• act as a proactive and preventative tool in a rapidly changing environmental climate.

• Eligible communities

Any First Nation community in Manitoba, or any community north of the 53^rd parallel is eligible to participate in this program.

• Sign up as an interested community

Sign Up Here

• Cost

Any community that chooses to enroll in the Manitoba Community Vaccinator Program assumes the responsibility for the direct cost of the vaccines and any costs related to shipping, storage, and equipment needed for vaccine administration as well as any potential salary or wages provided to designated vaccinators. This should be established at the time of first contact with the Sponsoring Veterinarian. The community will also decide if community members who access DV services pay for the vaccines directly for their own animals, or if the cost of the vaccine is covered by the community (Band & Council, Chief & Council, community, etc.) for all community dogs and cats. These community costs help to maintain this as community driven programming with little outside oversight, sustain the program long term, and promote responsible animal ownership. Grants and other funding opportunities may also be available to the community.

• Role

The Community Vaccinator vaccinates animals under the supervision of a veterinarian licensed in Manitoba (Sponsoring Veterinarian). Community Vaccinators are provided with education by the Sponsoring Veterinarian to ensure that they are competent to administer vaccines, as well as provided with training on vaccine handling and storage, inventory management, and educating the public on rabies and other companion animal preventative care. Any individual living within an eligible community (or frequently visits the community) who has animal handling experience and has received training in rabies vaccine administration through the Manitoba Community Vaccinator Program is eligible to serve as a Community Vaccinator.

• Sign up as an interested Community Vaccinator

Sign Up Here

Sponsoring Veterinarian Role

Sponsoring Veterinarian: any veterinarian licensed to practice in the province of MB that has been approved by the MVMA to serve as a sponsoring veterinarian. This role includes training and supervising the designated vaccinator.

How to apply

The Sponsoring Veterinarian must demonstrate competence in engaging with Indigenous persons and communities and Truth and Reconciliation- Community Vaccination Sponsoring Veterinarian Educational Requirements.

Sponsoring Veterinarian Application

Apply to utilize a potential Community Vaccinator

How to find a potential Community Vaccinator

• Please contact the MVMA at mvmainfo@mvma.ca for a list of interested communities/persons interested in acting as a Community Vaccinator.

Community Vaccinator Education Policy

Manitoba Community Vaccinator Application

Annual reporting and renewal

The MVMA maintains an active list of all Sponsoring Veterinarians and Designated Vaccinators participating in the Manitoba Community Vaccinator Program. Each year, the Sponsoring Veterinarian must:

• Complete a renewal application to maintain their Sponsoring Veterinarian status
• Complete a renewal application for each Designated Vaccinator that they supervise.
• Submit to the MVMA Registrar information about services provided through the program.

Each year at renewal, the Sponsoring Veterinarian must provide the following information for each vaccine administered from November 1^st  of the previous year to October 31^st of the current year:

• Community where vaccine was administered
• Date vaccine(s) administered)
• Name of animal owner or Animal Owner ID
• Name of animal or animal ID
• Amount and type of vaccine administered

For convenience, the page entitled Vaccine Usage from the Sample Vaccination Inventory Tracking document (available for download in the Resources Section) can be used to easily track and provide this information annually.

Manitoba Community Vaccinator Checklist

Sponsoring Veterinarian Process Overview

Vaccination Consent Form Template– Sample only in word format

Vaccination Record- Client Copy– Template- Microsoft Word doc

Medical Record- DV/SV/Clinic Copy– Template Microsoft Word doc

Inventory Tracking Sheet Guide

Inventory Tracking Sheet Template– Excel Format

Adverse Reactions Document

Reporting Suspected Rabies- coming soon

Designated Vaccinator Education Record– Template Microsoft Word doc

Manitoba Community Vaccinator Programming: Designated Vaccinator Training Manual