Stress, pressure straining veterinarians needs to be addressed

When Dara Gottlieb was in vet school, her curriculum didn’t include how to deal with patients who were in need — something that’s a big part of the job.

She spends her time at Alta Vista Animal Hospital in the Emergency and Intensive Care Unit, caring for the most critical of patients. Gottlieb describes her everyday life as “very stressful”. She regularly has stressed pet owners who have brought their animals to us with an unexpected illness or injury that requires immediate and often expensive treatment.

Financial burdens and misunderstandings

Vet bills can range from $60 for an exam to thousands of dollars for weeks of treatment. For pet owners unprepared for the expense, Gottlieb and her colleagues are often the ones bearing the brunt of their anger.

In emergency and critical care settings, she said, it’s often difficult for a client to hear that their pet is in pain and the cost of rescuing it is more than they can afford. Sometimes they don’t understand where the cost comes from or why it’s so expensive.

“There’s this notion that vets are scammers and that we’re in it for the money,” Gottlieb said. “It happens enough that it’s a repetitive stress for us,”

Gottlieb works at Alta Vista Animal Hospital, which is owned by VCA Animal Hospitals Inc., and has no control over the cost of care. She said vets do their best to cut costs – but sometimes that’s impossible.

“You’re just doing your job. It’s really a moral dilemma how many pets are left uncared for for financial reasons, but at the end of the day a lot of those decisions boil down to money, and that’s a soul-sapping position to be a veterinarian,” Gottlieb said.

“Even the nicest people who can’t afford veterinary care are just as tough on us because we know something can be done but someone can’t afford it.”

“huge problem”

After Andrea Kelly, a veterinarian based in Ottawa and Quebec, took her own life in late July, it sparked conversations about the workload and pressures veterinarians face.

Shannon Reid, the coordinator of veterinary programs and professor in the veterinary assistant and technician program at Algonquin College, worked as a registered veterinary technician before entering academia 10 years ago.

Reid said vets who own a practice need to juggle the costs of their facility while also paying their vets fairly. External factors such as the pandemic, rising equipment costs and supply chain issues causing delays have made working in the industry more difficult and stressful.

Reid said over the years she’s noticed more allegations on social media and it’s putting more pressure on an already stressful job.

“It’s this constant kind of abuse from people talking about how [vets] don’t worry about the pets, they only care about money, that’s a huge problem.”

Not trained to deal with emotional distress

Ian Cameron, owner of Westboro Animal Hospital, said that in many cases, veterinarians become attached to their patients, especially once they’ve developed a relationship with pets and their families.

“You’re losing cases that you thought were going to get better and you’re a little too close,” he said.

“You have to develop this wall. You have to be able to break down some of it, and if you don’t you’re in big trouble.”

Cameron said vets fit as many patients as possible in a day, some working 60 to 70 hours a week to help as many patients as possible.

He said that in 30 minutes he will take several tests, such as urine, blood and X-rays, to make a diagnosis.

“When you lose a patient that you really care about, it’s just overwhelming and some people can get depressed … but some people aren’t comfortable talking about their feelings.”

The way forward for veterinarians and pet owners

Reid said many students come to the program excited to work with animals, unprepared for the interpersonal aspects of the job.

To ease the burden, Reid said, some veterinary programs are revising their curricula and adding necessary lessons to better prepare students. At Algonquin College, discussions of compassion fatigue, coping mechanisms and euthanasia are incorporated into the program.

But it’s not just vet schools that need to change. Facilities where veterinary professionals work need to address issues raised by staff — whether it’s setting limits on customer interactions, time off, or decent pay.

“There’s a lot of things that I think managers are doing to make it a healthier, healthier place, mentally, for techs to work at,” Reid said.

Reid, Gottlieb and Cameron all stressed the importance of insurance for new pet owners.

“Not only does this take financial pressure off the owner as an owner, it also relieves the vet team because the last thing a vet wants is not being able to help a pet because the owner can’t afford it.” ‘ Reid said.

She said the industry is losing many veterinarians due to the high levels of stress.

Gottlieb hopes social workers can be brought into the industry to help pet owners and veterinarians deal with emotional trauma to create a better work environment.