Just imagine.
You grew up an animal lover. You’re the rare kind of person who loves cats and dogs equally. You also love birds and lizards. You love anything worthy of a ride on the Ark.
So you decide to become a veterinarian when you grow up, so you can help as many animals as possible.
As a veterinarian, you get to help a lot of animals, but there are also a few other things that veterinarians deal with on a daily basis.
Abandoned, mistreated, abused pets. You know those awful Sarah McLaughlin commercials with all those sad animals that haunt our dreams? Imagine waking up in the morning, going to work and seeing that and that and even worse things every day.
The long-awaited photo of a cute dog.
Photo credit Baptist Standard On Unsplash
Owners who are unable or unwilling to provide proper care for their pets. Pet care is very expensive, including essential medicines and surgeries. Someone might get a puppy because they can afford to feed it and vaccinate it, but they may not be able to afford $10,000 for hip surgery a few years later. As a veterinarian, you may have to watch the animal go unused.
(The owner came and Euthanizing a perfectly healthy pet We apologize for the inconvenience,
Then there’s the fact that most veterinarians have to perform euthanasia procedures every day. Basics – The harsh reality of the job.
All this while saddled with medical debt and earning less than decent wages.
Although these are challenging, many veterinarians report that this is the least stressful part of their day-to-day work.
But the worst thing veterinarians actually have to deal with are the people themselves.
Unfortunately, it’s all too common for pet owners to become upset about the cost of care and take out their frustrations on veterinarians and their staff, hurling abuse and accusations of greed.
Cyberbullying is also a big problem, with angry customers leaving bad reviews and social media posts that veterinarians are unable to reply to due to privacy concerns.
From there, angry customers started making threats, violence For veterinarians.
The reality of the job is that, far from playing with puppies all day, you will frequently be dealing with difficult, spoiled or emotional owners.
So it’s not surprising that veterinarians are facing a mental health crisis, yet somehow it continues.
This dog will never scream or cry at the vet
Photo credit Jairo Alzate On Unsplash
I was totally shocked when I learned that this is one of the industries with the highest rates of depression and suicide.
Of course, if you think about the challenges of the job, it makes perfect sense.
However, this issue clearly has not received enough attention.
Recent Report Australian dog food brand Royal Canin and charity Love Your Pet, Love Your Vet have released some sobering data.
Veterinarians are four times more likely to commit suicide than the general population and a heartbreaking 68% of veterinarians surveyed had lost a colleague to suicide.
Even if it’s not as extreme, the stress, anxiety, burnout and depression in the industry can be devastating.
What’s more, the public simply don’t understand how serious the issue is – around 80% of Australians surveyed had no idea about mental health issues in veterinarians.
This problem is as serious in the United States as it is in other parts of the world. But…
a Report Reports from the AVMA indicate that the situation is improving (a little). More public awareness would help.
Another cute pet resting
Photo credit Simone Dalmeri On Unsplash
Despite it being a little-publicized crisis, there are plenty of organizations — dog food brands, nonprofits, professional trade associations — working hard to make an impact here, and the good news is that they may be making a difference.
The 2024 edition shows that the number of veterinarians receiving counseling has nearly doubled over the past few years, due to an increase in veterinary practices offering mental health coverage and other support programs.
There’s a big emphasis on preventative care, and early findings show it’s working.
These changes taking place within animal hospitals and veterinary practices are enormous.
However, there are many things you can do as a pet owner to improve the situation.
We can show our appreciation and say “thank you,” we can’t be nasty if the service costs more than we expected, and we can choose not to take out our sadness, upset, or anger on the veterinarian who is just trying to help.
Pets are part of our family and many of us would do anything for them.
Now we have to do better and take better care of our pet caregivers.
