The wildfires that decimated western Texas in late February created thousands of miles of scarred earth and dead cattle. Adding to the disaster: There weren't enough veterinarians to treat the thousands of burned and wounded livestock and farm animals.

"The overwhelming number of injuries contrasted dramatically with the number of veterinarians who could respond quickly across a vast swath of charred Panhandle ground," reports Stephanie Stephens of Ambrook Research. "With an acknowledged shortage of rural veterinarians nationally, animal specialists from outside the area swooped in to collaborate with local vets whose plates were quite full. They made the difference, in so many cases, between animal life and death."

A cattle death toll of more than 7,000 doesn't tell the story of the profound loss ranching families feel for their animals. Andy Holloway, a county extension agent for Texas A&M AgriLife in Canadian, Texas, pop., 2,500, told the story of meeting a rancher who had lost all but one of his cows. Holloway told Stephens, "He collapsed into my arms, sobbing. He lost hundreds of mother cows … only one survived."

To treat every cow that survived the fire, including helping farmers decide which ones to cull, the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team team "deployed to Canadian for 10 days as part of a seasoned group of university professionals who helped triage emergency care through five counties," Stephen reports. Some cattle were burned so badly they were euthanized. "Others were burned and could be cared for. Still others with hooves damaged by heat, and burns to lower legs and feet, sometimes showed dire injuries after four to seven days." Cows that cannot stand have to be euthanized. Some surviving cattle face smoke-induced respiratory problems.

Still, the people of western Texas are finding ways to help one another. Those who have grazable land are offering to share it. Others are donating fencing for animals and pets that survived. But for many ranchers, there are hard days ahead. Tara Haskins, a nurse practitioner focused on mental health programming, told Stephens: "The destruction of animals can translate into trauma. This is brought on by the massive depopulation, the conditions of those still suffering, the triaging of animals, removal of carcasses, and the burnout — producers manage all these moving parts, which can include financial devastation.”

Read the full article about rural veterinary shortage by Heather Close at The Rural Blog.