I’ll be honest, it has been hard to get back to the column lately.

For a whole host of reasons … but not the least, the recent focus on vet med in the media over the last month or so.

It was weighing heavy on me — whether to talk about what’s going on right now, or to tackle another topic.

Several times I tried and deleted topics on parasitology, behaviour, pet CPR and first aid, grooming, vaccines. There was even one titled “should you put sunscreen on your pet”…

By the way — what do you most want hear? Should we start an “Ask the Vet section” so I can steer my content?

But I digress … No matter what I started to type, it felt frivolous. I just couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room.

Many would have heard or read the CBC exposé on veterinary medicine, but google “CBC and vet shortage” and you’ll find a whole host of articles from the last year, from across the country.

Have you ever been really close to a topic on the radio: like, known the person they are interviewing or been directly involved with the story? Do you always feel a bit like there was more to tell, or they didn’t tell it quite right, or you would have worded a few things differently?

When you are so close to the subject matter is there always some angle that seems a bit off or misleading, or the choice of person interviewed seems a bit questionable?

This probably happens all the time I’m sure. It’s just rare for me to be so directly involved in the news of the day.

While I think a few things may have been a bit misleading, generally, the top dogs (pardon the pun) — the authorities and experts in the field — had their chance to speak, including the Dean of OVC and the CEO of the CVO, and the general gist was sound.

Our profession is in crisis — quite simply. I’ve not been around long enough to comment on the ebbs and flows of quality of life in the veterinary world, but ours certainly seems to be at an all time low.

How many industries find themselves asking such a question: Is Your Team Crying?

The answer in vet med currently is a resounding Yes. They are crying because they are tired, they are crying because they are getting yelled at, they are crying because we can’t fit everyone into the appointment book that we would like to.

They are NOT crying because we perform euthanasias. While that is a sad component of our jobs, it always has been.

They are NOT crying because vet med is hard. It always was.

They are crying because there aren’t enough of us to help all the pets. We can’t see all the pets.

We … can’t … see … all … the … pets.

This leads to undue suffering — both on the part of the patient, and their owner.

It’s not getting any better by the way – not for a very, very long time, and this is also why they are crying. They’ve shouldered this for 18+ months, and there’s no end in sight.

Are they resilient and will they survive this? Is your team culture strong enough and your drive persistent enough?

I vow to maintain my optimism.

That includes supporting my colleagues, discouraging negative comments, supporting my staff if they are berated … and in the end after all that … caring for the pets, and alleviating their suffering as best I can.

People often ask me if I hope my two daughters will become vets. The answer is: I hope not. In fact, from me, you’ll hear a decisive No. Until the suicide rate comes down, until the work life balance improves, and until the income to debt ratio becomes manageable, I would strongly advise against it.

In 15 years when my daughters are striking their career paths I hope my answer is different.

I hope I’m responsible for my ability to answer it differently.

Our profession is old and noble. We should be proud to be veterinarians, proud of the work we do, proud of the knowledge we have gained and proud of our place in society.

We have a problem to fix, and I’m rooting for us to fix it soon.

I vow to do what I can to make my profession a better place.

Reference:

The pandemic puppy craze is creating a veterinary crisis | CBC News