The dogs get the spotlight, but the upcoming Westminster Kennel Club show is also illuminating a human issue: veterinarians' mental health.
s get the spotlight, but the upcoming Westminster Kennel Club show is also illuminating a human issue: veterinarians' mental health.
For veterinarians, too, the pandemic added new strains — wrung-out clients, soaring caseloads and more — and amplified longstanding ones. Nearly 3,500 canines — the most since the 1970s — are expected at the historic Lyndhurst estate in Tarrytown, New York, show co-chairman David Haddock said. The 200-plus breeds and varieties include two newcomers, the mudi and the Russian toy.
Co-sponsored by pet insurer Trupanion, the honor comes with a contribution to MightyVet, which offers mentors, courses and other support on topics including work-life balance, handling tough conversations with clients and looking for signs that colleagues might be in serious distress. But the issue got wider attention after a 2019 study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association showed that a higher proportion of deaths due to suicide among U.S. veterinarians than in the general population. Various other occupations have above-average suicide rates, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are emotionally painful, ethically trying moments when people can't let go of a suffering pet — or, conversely, can't afford treatment that could be life-saving. Even when euthanasia isn't under discussion, there are the challenges of communicating with anguished pet owners and coming to terms with cases that don't go as hoped.