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veterinarians are burned out too, and it's costing lives

according to a 2020 study by the ontario veterinary college (ovc), veterinarians were more likely to have suicidal thoughts than the general population.

by robin roberts

published aug 05, 2022

last updated aug 09, 2022

6 minute read

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6 minute read

join the conversation

veterinarians need help with mental health

jaime mchugh, receptionist and veterinary assistant at cbs animal hospital in newfoundland, says she deals with name calling, threats on social media, and harassing email messages from clients. getty

content warning: this story contains references to suicide and suicidal ideation. if you are in need of support for yourself, a friend or a family member, the canadian suicide prevention service helpline offers help and can be reached at 1-833-456-4566 toll free, 24/7. or, connect via text at 45645, from 4 p.m. to midnight et.

as the pandemic wears on, and wears us down, we’ve been hearing a lot about the toll covid-19 has taken on doctors who care for humans. but there’s another type of doctor who is feeling the pressure.

karine eusanio-cormier, a doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) and the owner of grey cove veterinary health centre in dieppe, new brunswick, says she has never kept a wait list in the 16 years she’s been practicing. but with the surge in “pandemic pets,” she now does.

“saying no to seeing a pet makes us feel like we’re letting down that animal,” she says. “and sometimes clients will enhance this feeling by yelling at us, [telling us] we don’t care.”

‘we get a lot profanity, threats on social media’

jaime mchugh, receptionist and veterinary assistant at cbs animal hospital in newfoundland, knows the feeling.

“[we get] a lot of profanity, name calling, threats on social media, harassing email messages, [telling us] we want their pets to suffer, which is definitely not the case,” she says. “some clients have unrealistic expectations … most days we’re double-booked, just trying to accommodate as many patients as we can.”

and when the practice can’t accommodate, mchugh finds it difficult to leave her concern at the clinic.

“i think about that pet through the night: are they going to be okay? did they seek care? sometimes you take it home with you,” she says.

veterinary medicine is a profession that attracts people who have a deep love of animals, as well as a strong work ethic: “the grittiest people i know work in vet med and are perfectionists,” says eusanio-cormier. “what goes along with that is the fear of saying no.”

but there’s a cost to that dedication, including stress, burnout, depression, and even suicide. in fact, according to a 2020 study by the ontario veterinary college (ovc), vets reported higher suicidal ideation than canadians generally.

it’s a statistic that eusanio-cormier identifies with.

“i was clinically depressed [last summer],” she says. “it was quite grave — i had many psychosomatic physical ailments because of the pressure. it’s sad that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to change your ways, and that’s what i want to avoid for my profession.”

veterinarian school can cost nearly $70k per year

stressors start right out of vet school, with many students carrying massive debt. through an interprovincial agreement, b.c., saskatchewan and manitoba fund a minimum of 58 placements at the university of saskatchewan’s western college of veterinary medicine (one of only five vet schools in canada), costing students just over $14,000 per year for four years to acquire a degree. unsubsidized students pay nearly $70,000 per year.

according to salary data company payscale, an entry-level vet can expect to earn roughly $77,000 a year, including overtime pay. a vet who has put in 20 years will make around $97,000 — hardly enough to fund a lavish lifestyle let alone pay off those debts. if a vet goes into private practice, that debt skyrockets with all the overhead costs.

“i find it disrespectful when clients are in the reception area and they’re complaining about vet prices and we’re right there at the computer [hearing them],” says mchugh. “we know [care] is expensive, but [we wish] pet owners [understood] a practice is run like a small business, that all the costs come out of pocket.”

medical knowledge on par with doctors who care for humans

vets also have to manage the perception that they aren’t as skilled or efficient as doctors who care for two-legged patients without fur.

“there’s a lot of misconception about the level and the quality of the work we do,” says eusanio-cormier says. “we practice human quality medicine, [only] for animal bodies. with the advancements in education and technology, vet med is no longer trailing behind human medicine — we just have to watch out for claws and teeth.”

she says everything a vet does takes twice as long with twice as many people as a human doctor. for example, one person — sometimes two, depending on the size of the pet — needs to hold the animal in order to administer care. it also takes time to calm a living being that is unable to understand what is happening.

“if the public was more aware of that maybe they would understand that we need the time to do a good job,” she says. “there have to be boundaries to ensure the quality of the work we do as well as the good mental health of our staff.”

veterinarians now have places to go for mental health help

eusanio-cormier says having been burned out helped her see more clearly the importance of boundaries and self-care for her staff and her own mental health. while human physicians have more resources they can call on — psychologists, therapists, social workers — veterinarians have had few. until now. there are about three vet social workers supporting a handful of practices across the country, but so many more are needed.

debbie stoewen, a social worker with a phd in the field of veterinary communication and a licensed vet herself, is also a wellness columnist for the canadian veterinary journal.

“i don’t think veterinary social work is as recognized or understood here in canada,” she says. “it’s only in the last five years that it’s picked up in the u.s., with more hospitals embracing it.”

stowen tried to start a veterinary social work program at the ovc years ago but it was too new a concept.

“there are many social workers who want to work in that sub-specialty, but i don’t think there’s a financial formula to bring a person onboard,” she says, adding that it could work if practices and hospitals shared a social worker, or if some services were provided virtually. in the meantime, she encourages vets to manage mental health with self-care.

“my work is focused on promoting happiness in the workplace,” she says. “if we could create a cultural shift where the workload wears people down and out, where we can work as a team and treat each other with respect, we can shift that downward spiral into an upward spiral and work towards building healthy workplace cultures.”

it’s no longer ok to ‘exhaust yourself into depression’

eusanio-cormier turned her own workplace culture around in order to save her staff the same fate she experienced.

“for years it’s been okay to work until you exhaust yourself into depression and worse,” she says. “we need a shift in the culture because every single practice owner wants to feel good about the environment they’re providing for their team.”

mchugh has also recognized the importance of self-care, seeking out therapy to help ease the stress of the job.

“all we really ask is that owners be a bit more understanding and respectful,” she says. “we really try our best, but sometimes there’s only so much we can do and handle. sometimes all it takes is one bad day . . . and it could be the reason someone commits suicide.”

‘sometimes all it takes is one bad day’

she says an organization called not one more vet is a good resource for veterinarians and support staff. the canadian veterinary medical association also offers programs and resources to head off burnout. eusanio-cormier availed herself of many of those programs and is better for it.

“i think there’s a personal journey that happens with each individual, so different things work for different people,” she says. “i’m thankful i was able to feel better. i was born to do this and i know how hard it is. the people who stick it through are my heroes.”

robin roberts is a vancouver-based writer.

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robin roberts

veterinarians are burned out too, and it's costing lives

according to a 2020 study by the ontario veterinary college (ovc), veterinarians were more likely to have suicidal thoughts than the general population.

‘we get a lot profanity, threats on social media’

hot dogs: leaving car windows open is not enough to keep your pet safe from the heat

from pollen to dust mites, dogs and cats can have allergies too

veterinarian school can cost nearly $70k per year

medical knowledge on par with doctors who care for humans

veterinarians now have places to go for mental health help

it’s no longer ok to ‘exhaust yourself into depression’

‘sometimes all it takes is one bad day’

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veterinarians are burned out too, and it's costing lives

according to a 2020 study by the ontario veterinary college (ovc), veterinarians were more likely to have suicidal thoughts than the general population.

‘we get a lot profanity, threats on social media’

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veterinarians now have places to go for mental health help

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it’s no longer ok to ‘exhaust yourself into depression’

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