Veterinarian suicide rates

[simply1]

i was alarmed to run across a story based on these findings.

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p1220-veterinarians-suicide.html

Given Iowa state's stature in vet med, any thoughts from people?

The study is the first to show increased suicide mortality among female veterinarians. Female veterinarians were 3.5 times as likely, and male veterinarians were 2.1 times as likely, to die from suicide as the general population. Seventy-five percent of the veterinarians who died by suicide worked in a small animal practice.

 

[pulse]

I know a female OBGYN who committed suicide. Not a vet.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Both my wife and I would love to help animals, but do not have the temperament to deal with the things you’d see.

We had to put down a pup due to seizures that she wasn’t coming out of, only months after putting down a long time family dog, and we had the vet tearing up on that one.

 

[simply1]

Both my wife and I would love to help animals, but do not have the temperament to deal with the things you’d see.

We had to put down a pup due to seizures that she wasn’t coming out of, only months after putting down a long time family dog, and we had the vet tearing up on that one.

I'm curious if the vet med program can help address this in the curriculum, or what they do to address it. Seems like it's been suspected for quite a while.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

There's a lot of heartbreak in small animal practices...mistreatment of animals, neglectful owners, people who euthanize relatively young, vibrant pets because they're "tired of them" or similar excuses. If you love animals, that's very hard to take.

 

[Doc]

Both my wife and I would love to help animals, but do not have the temperament to deal with the things you’d see.

We had to put down a pup due to seizures that she wasn’t coming out of, only months after putting down a long time family dog, and we had the vet tearing up on that one.

The article reads like they think it is due to other things rather than the dealing with the animals themselves. Things like the administration of the vet practice, access to lethal drugs, and high debt loads. Similar things to physicians who have high suicide rates.

 

[BillyClone]

My daughter attends dental school and during the admission process the school made sure to tell the prospective students about the higher than average suicide rates among the dental profession. It ends up that many times a suicide occurs once the student first becomes a dentist and then realizes that they hate being a dentist. High debt load, high family expectations, and sense of personal failure is too much. Similar to other professions which require a large investment of time and money for the education.

I, of course, asked if it could be because dentists are always down in the mouth.

I was not allowed to speak the rest of that afternoon.

 

[Sigmapolis]

The article reads like they think it is due to other things rather than the dealing with the animals themselves. Things like the administration of the vet practice, access to lethal drugs, and high debt loads. Similar things to physicians who have high suicide rates.

Becoming a vet is about as difficult and costly as becoming a doctor.

But you end up with far less money for it.

I do not know how them do it -- seeing all the "sads" with cute little animals sounds awful.

 

[Cydkar]

My daughter attends dental school and during the admission process the school made sure to tell the prospective students about the higher than average suicide rates among the dental profession. It ends up that many times a suicide occurs once the student first becomes a dentist and then realizes that they hate being a dentist. High debt load, high family expectations, and sense of personal failure is too much. Similar to other professions which require a large investment of time and money for the education.

I, of course, asked if it could be because dentists are always down in the mouth.

I was not allowed to speak the rest of that afternoon.

I am trying so hard to integrate a "What's with the long face?" horse joke in here but I can't come up with anything.

 

[LeaningCy]

The article reads like they think it is due to other things rather than the dealing with the animals themselves. Things like the administration of the vet practice, access to lethal drugs, and high debt loads. Similar things to physicians who have high suicide rates.

Anecdotal, but the small town vet where we lived in Ohio committed suicide a year ago, rumored to be related to financial issues. Very sad by itself, but even more unfortunate since he was known as a generous person who provided veterinary care for animals even when their owners couldn't pay.

 

[HGoat1]

I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian for a long time. My dad is a vet. I got in but decided not to go.

I didn't want to go into six figure debt for the starting salary that veterinarians make, which at that time around averaged around $60,000. A lot of pre-vet students have no idea what they are getting themselves into, they just think that once they have their DVM they will be set. I have no doubt that the debt-to-income ratio plays a big role. It is very sad.

 

[simply1]

I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian for a long time. My dad is a vet. I got in but decided not to go.

I didn't want to go into six figure debt for the starting salary that veterinarians make, which at that time around averaged around $60,000. A lot of pre-vet students have no idea what they are getting themselves into, they just think that once they have their DVM they will be set. I have no doubt that the debt-to-income ratio plays a big role. It is very sad.

Yeah, it seems financial more than the sadness of putting down animals.

 

[Jacktronic]

I would have probably gone into human medicine if I could go back in time, though it sounds like they are faring no better.

 

[bosco]

Wife loves dogs, for this reason she would be a terrible vet, which she agrees with me. I always thought Vets have to be clinical so they can get the right perspective and make the correct judgements. Guess they get the feels too.

 

[jdcyclone19]

I read an article about this recently. In there it also mentioned something that hit me in the feels... A majority of pet owners do not like to be in the room and over 75% are not, when their pet is put under. A lot of people leave the room before the anesthetic is administered before the euthanasia..
When this occurs, vets have to watch the pet frantically look for its owner while its being put under to be euthanized.

Talk about heart break - I could never leave my pet in that scenario (until the anesthesia kicks in), I owe it to my pet to be there/put them at ease during that time.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Yeah, it seems financial more than the sadness of putting down animals.

IMO, one serves to amplify the other.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I read an article about this recently. In there it also mentioned something that hit me in the feels... A majority of pet owners do not like to be in the room and over 75% are not, when their pet is put under. A lot of people leave the room before the anesthetic is administered before the euthanasia..
When this occurs, vets have to watch the pet frantically look for its owner is its being put under to be euthanized.

Talk about heart break - I could never leave my pet in that scenario (until the anesthesia kicks in), I owe it to my pet to be there/put them at ease during that time.

I have only NOT been in the room once, with an elderly cat...and that was because the team thought WE couldn't handle it. Basically, circumstances dictated that normal injection in the vein was not possible, so an injection directly into his heart was required. They were crying as much as we were.

I don't understand how people can abandon pets...but we have six cats indoors and two outdoors because other ******** dumped them "out in the country where they can live free"...

 

[jdcyclone19]

I have only NOT been in the room once, with an elderly cat...and that was because the team thought WE couldn't handle it. Basically, circumstances dictated that normal injection in the vein was not possible, so an injection directly into his heart was required. They were crying as much as we were.

I don't understand how people can abandon pets...but we have six cats indoors and two outdoors because other ******** dumped them "out in the country where they can live free"...

I dread the day we have to put down our current lab. I owe a lot to her, she has helped us get through a lot of things. No way could I abandon her during her last moments. I know I'll be bawling like a baby.

The older I get, the more I believe, dogs > humans.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

I have only NOT been in the room once, with an elderly cat...and that was because the team thought WE couldn't handle it. Basically, circumstances dictated that normal injection in the vein was not possible, so an injection directly into his heart was required. They were crying as much as we were.

I don't understand how people can abandon pets...but we have six cats indoors and two outdoors because other ******** dumped them "out in the country where they can live free"...

My mom worried about all the feral cats she had been feeding when she moved.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

My mom worried about all the feral cats she had been feeding when she moved.

We've only had a handful of true feral cats in our 16 years here - the ones that just appear around the property now and again that you will NEVER be able to approach. Most of *these are former house pets that have been dumped. They approach you and seek attention and companionship when you're out in the garden or on the deck. Ferals are more elusive.

*edit - should have said "most of the ones we see are former house pets"