A Crisis in the Veterinary World

By JESSICA SHANNON

Pet owners often idealize veterinary careers. We focus on the beauty in what they do. We rely on their expertise to care for our beloved dogs, cats, horses, lizards, birds, and more. Our animals cannot communicate where they ache, and we look to the experts. Equestrians need veterinarians to care for our athlete partners and small animal vets nurture the animals who fill our homes with love. We see joyful people who snuggle our pups while curing them, saving their lives, and being incredibly patient and compassionate when we face heavy decisions at the end of our pets’ lives. What we do not see is already a crisis.

Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue is often confused with burnout, but they are not the same experience and feeling. Burnout is the larger umbrella under which compassion fatigue falls. Compassion fatigue is secondary trauma, and it affects those who work in caring professions. Vocations full of emotional labor are taxing, and resiliency, coping skills, and self-awareness are key in handling each day. Sometimes, however, regularly witnessing other people’s grief, sadness, anger, disbelief, and tears can become too much. The mental health of caregivers becomes at risk, and without a strong support system or ingrained healthy coping skills, people frequently turn to alcohol, drugs, and risky behaviors. Suicidal thoughts might become prevalent.

Since March 2020, the results of compassion fatigue have been at the forefront of conversations in healthcare and veterinary practices. Lack of support for healthcare professionals, whether they are caring for humans or animals, has led to caregivers coping with death, trauma, and complex emotions on their own with little support. In hospitals, staff are limited on their access to support, but they do have chaplains and EAP upon whom they can rely. Veterinarians, however, are more likely to be alone without professional emotional support available.

Suicidal Ideations and Rates

According to a 2015 study done by the American Veterinary Medical Association, “U.S. veterinarians show that they are more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders, experience bouts of depression, and have suicidal thoughts compared with the U.S. adult population. Specifically, these data points suggest that nearly one in 10 U.S. veterinarians might experience serious psychological distress, and more than one in six might have contemplated suicide since graduation.” The study polled 10,000 veterinarians and discovered:

6.8 percent of males and 10.9 percent of females in the profession have serious psychological distress compared with 3.5 percent and 4.4 percent of U.S. male and female adults.
24.5 percent of males and 36.7 percent of females in veterinary medicine have experienced depressive episodes since veterinary school, which is about 1 1/2 times the prevalence in U.S. adults overall throughout their lifetime.
14.4 percent of males and 19.1 percent of females who are veterinarians have considered suicide since graduation. This is three times the U.S. national mean.
1.1 percent of males and 1.4 percent of females in the veterinary profession have attempted suicide since veterinary school.

That AVMA study took place 5 years before the COVID pandemic forced veterinarians to care for people’s pets alone.

Effects of COVID-19

The effects of COVID-19 were felt around the world. There was grief everywhere. There was grief over lost lives. There was grief over the loss of community and jobs. There was grief over missed milestones. Loneliness was felt intensely. All of those feelings of grief and loneliness were exacerbated in veterinary practices.

During the early stages of the pandemic, veterinary practices, both emergency and day clinics, prohibited families from entering their practices. Families remained in their cars, and staff members picked up dogs and cats from parked cars while dressed in full PPE. Pet owners received updates periodically by phone. They made difficult decisions and shared symptoms while sitting in their cars, full of uncertainty and anxiety. Parking lots were full of tearful and worried pet parents while veterinary techs, veterinarians, and other staff comforted scared, ill, and dying animals while treating their ailments. They had to fill the role of both family and caregiver to animals who wondered where their own family was. Inevitably, animals were euthanized while their families sobbed in the parking lot.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the emotional toll laid on the shoulders of veterinarians and their staff was immense. Evidence of their mental health struggles were seen in studies, their coping, and suicide rates. The pandemic turned the mental health crisis of veterinarians from a steady simmer to a boil.

The Loneliness of Our Equine Veterinarians

The impact on veterinarians in clinics is hard to miss once we are aware of it. Emergency vet clinics for small animals operate on an even thinner thread. They work all hours and only see the worst cases. Their jobs are high-pressure, sad, and traumatic. Their entire waiting room, or parking lot, is full of scared and crying pet owners. Large animal veterinarians, however, seem to carry the emotional burden alone in a very visible way.

There are plenty of large animal clinics where our horses go for surgery and emergencies, especially colic. Our regular vet care is done at home. Our vet arrives either alone or with an assistant, administers vaccines, performs lameness exams, and then they deliver news or options for treatments to owners who are anxious about their horse’s health, finances, and implications of injections. They explain detail after detail. They are patient. They listen. After we make a decision, they pack up and repeat the same thing at another barn. Imagine euthanizing a horse in a pasture, driving off alone, arriving at another barn to share the best option is retirement or low level work for a beloved showjumper, and driving off again. They witness heavy emotions and have no one with whom they can process their own emotions. That is certain to make an impact on their wellbeing.

Supporting Our Veterinarians

When a cause touches our hearts, we wonder how to help. No matter our resources, there are always methods to make an impact. For instance, when people see adoptable dogs posted on social media, they reflect on the best way to ensure those dogs find happy homes. If they have room in their homes, they adopt. If they are not in a place to add a dog, or another dog, to their family, then they donate items off of the shelter’s wish list or donate financially. People might share information to encourage others to adopt, or some may even volunteer at the shelter. Again, there are layers of help no matter the money, time, and other resources we have when any cause – from the environment, to endangered or homeless animals, to food insecurity, to at-risk kids, horse slaughter and welfare, and more – touches our hearts. To help the people with whom we trust the health of our dogs, cats, and horses, we first need to know there is a need to begin with, and to understand the depth at which our vets are suffering.

For the sake of the health of veterinarians and for our dogs, horses, and cats, we must care for our animal caregivers. Imagine where we would be without them. Imagine how it feels to treat patients who can’t speak and carry the emotions of their scared, crying, and grieving owners. With awareness of a crisis comes action.

Reach out to your vet. Provide gift cards, snacks, and brochures to mental health professionals. Let your vets know you care about them. We can validate the emotions and stories they carry and normalize seeking support. One of my goals is to launch support groups for veterinarians, both in person and virtually, as a safe space for them to share amongst colleagues. It is how my chaplaincy skills can be used to support the people who care for those most precious to me: my animals. I wonder how you can use your gifts, skills, and resources to support our veterinarians as they face a massive mental health crisis.

Moving Forward

Compassion fatigue is real, and it can have devastating effects. Care for yourself and others. The trauma of witnessing other people’s and animal’s own trauma will have an effect. We are all human. We all deserve to be heard, know we are loved, and know the value we have. Our veterinarians are a key part in being pet owners. We need them, and they need us.

Author: Jessica Shannon, MDiv, BCC

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