Kitty Stoke

[KQ]

This appeared in our local paper the other day (written by a local vet). Thought I would post it as food for thought. When our animals are sick or injured it's not just hard on them or the pet owner:


On veterinarian suicide support: What can we all do differently?
The most important thing that a veterinary professional can do is to ask for help.

It was in spring 2018 that I found out one of my dearest mentors in the veterinary profession had committed suicide. I was standing in my living room when I received the news. I closed my computer, hunched over and immediately began to sob.

I had only spoken to him a few weeks prior. He called me to check in and see how I was doing. He wanted to make sure Walla Walla was treating me well, that I was loving mixed animal practice like he knew I would, and he wanted to make sure that I was doing okay after the loss of Papa. What he hadn’t said still haunts me.

When I asked how he was doing there was a pause before he told me he was doing well and he thought of me often. Looking back, there was a note of sadness during that pause that I can’t shake. Why hadn’t I asked him how he really was doing? Why hadn’t I seen it then?

It had been 8 years since I had seen him in person. It was 8 years since I rode with him in the vet truck, listening to classic rock music and wondering how good the fishing was going to be that summer. It was 8 years since he told me to be a light in this profession and now, one of my lights is forever extinguished.

This story of unexpected, immediate loss due to suicide in the veterinary profession is common. It is National Suicide Prevention Week and I hope to shed light on this disturbing trend. Male veterinarians are 2.1 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population while female veterinarians are 3.5 times more likely.

This is now a crisis. The effects do not stop with veterinarians. It now extends to veterinary technicians, assistants, receptionists and shelter workers.

Our profession is so beautiful in that it upholds the deepest bonds of love between humans and animals. We get to be a voice for the unspoken. We are privileged to heal without our patients telling us what’s wrong. We get to develop relationships with families and farmers that can span decades. We are a community of deeply empathetic, compassionate people, many of whom have the ability to feel the pain and distress of those around them.

Veterinary schools are often the hardest of the professional schools to get in to. Most applicants spend most of their childhood and then college careers building complex, well rounded resumes that combine top academic performances, leadership roles, club activities and veterinary clinic involvement. This intense drive and passion to become a veterinarian automatically selects for perfectionist tendencies where failure, or perceived failure, can be particularly devastating for that individual. The compassion and empathic personalities that often make up the best veterinarians also makes these individuals more emotionally devastated if a patient is lost, if a mistake is made, and especially if owners are upset. Burnout and compassion fatigue can be a real danger.

With the advent of social media and keyboard warriors, the veterinary profession has recently been witness to intense online bullying and slander. It is common for someone who is hurting to lash out and try to hurt others. This is especially common with upset pet owners. What is no longer common, the veterinary profession notwithstanding, is that there is no longer compassion for the human on the other side of the keyboard.

Many of my fellow veterinarians who recently committed suicide were some of the kindest, most compassionate, caring people I ever met. My mentor alone could light up a room with his story telling and laughter. But they all have had a few things in common: Most of my colleagues have had difficulty separating work from home life, they have been deeply affected by cases and patients, they have had difficulty dealing with the financial burden of student loans, and they have had to contend with online bullying and emotional blackmail from clients.

So the real question is — what can we do differently?

As a veterinarian, I pride myself on practicing with compassion and kindness. However, over the years, in order to prevent burn out and compassion fatigue, I have had to develop work/life boundaries, focus on hobbies outside of work, lean in to personal development and craft coping strategies for when I feel like I have failed a patient or an owner. I have had to learn, and more importantly, accept that I am human.

The most important thing that a veterinary professional can do is to ask for help.

The Not One More Vet support group on Facebook is a great place to connect with other professionals. If you need more immediate care, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

[nutmegchoi]

Millennial kitty.

[riser4]

Millennial kitty.

Sad to see a good cat go bad at such a tender young age.

[nutmegchoi]

My arm needed a break from shaking fish stick too long!

[m2711c]

is he getting friendly enough to stick in a box on it's way to the vets yet?

[riser4]

My arm needed a break from shaking fish stick too long!

Word. Did you tell him the first one was free?

[nutmegchoi]

Boyfriend wore ski gloves and I was armed with a blanket.
We caught him in time and the first vet visit was a success.
He’s healthy and happy kitten.
Just don’t know how to receive human touch yet.
A lot more comfortable being around us and even check us out while we are asleep (or play dead) in bed.
It’s been 3 weeks but might need another few more weeks to warm up.

[m2711c]

nice.

[SirVicSmasher]

Sorry yall
Yeah we won 5Gs!
And a 3day paid vacay in la.
JJ shut her down and gave the verdict so quick that I didnt get to tell her that she called the fuzz on me.
Neighbor chick moved out a couple months ago.
Theres new roommates who have an indoor outdoor cat named Vlad who is now friends with our cats and dogs and tries to come in our house.
He will eventually find the doggy door.

FKNA! I can't stand JJ but I'm stoked things went your way (oreo's way). 5k...
IKON PASS and some new skis and boots sounds like the right thing to do... Or if you have vet bills....

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[k2skier112]

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I'm a 69

[k2skier112]

[Ripzalot]

I'll try to resist posting like a crazy cat person but after 4 days missing I'm just glad he's back. Funny thing is I dont actually know if the vet chipped him. Too much going on all at once.


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[4matic]

Chip won't help if you didn't register ownership. So probably not chipped. He looks good!

[riser4]

Pro tip: All cat people are crazy.

[skaredshtles]

Pro tip: All people are crazy.

Fixed.

[KQ]

Wow, four days is a long time. Glad he's back. Wonder if he got locked in somewhere.

[KQ]

Fixed fixed

Pro tip: All people are crazy. Cats make you sane.

[riser4]

I stand by my original statement. I have a dog and a cat. I can assure you that any appearance is sanity that might exhibit is merely an illusion.

[BobbyBill]

Omar checking out the wood pile.

[Ripzalot]

Chip won't help if you didn't register ownership. So probably not chipped. He looks good!

Yeah i took him to the vet the previous monday for a scratch to the eye. Took the time to get blood test vaccinate and chip but it took a while and dont remember any chipping. Gotta go back on oct 1 for a booster shot so I'll find out then.

It's been warm so he's not needing his warm bed spot on the balcony but he didnt even come to eat. I'm gonna put a collar on him now with ID just on case he found another home. Yall are gonna laff hard at the collar I bought. We'll see if it even fits.

I never had a pet in my adult life until just a few years back. Definitely a stress reducer and mindfulness help. I love muh kitties.

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[4matic]

Get the best food that he likes. A couple cans of tasty wet food and he won’t stray far. He’s an opportunist.


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[KQ]

Yeah i took him to the vet the previous monday for a scratch to the eye. Took the time to get blood test vaccinate and chip but it took a while and dont remember any chipping. Gotta go back on oct 1 for a booster shot so I'll find out then.

It's been warm so he's not needing his warm bed spot on the balcony but he didnt even come to eat. I'm gonna put a collar on him now with ID just on case he found another home. Yall are gonna laff hard at the collar I bought. We'll see if it even fits.

I never had a pet in my adult life until just a few years back. Definitely a stress reducer and mindfulness help. I love muh kitties.

if he's going out make sure that's a breakaway collar.

Get the best food that he likes. A couple cans of tasty wet food and he won’t stray far. He’s an opportunist.

This stuff is cat crack. Guaranteed they will come running for it. The salmon and trout flavors are esp. loved by my cats. Turkey and beef are their least favorites but they still eat them. Chicken is middle of the road. I feed the pate not the chunks in sauce.

I originally got it for my old girl who had stopped eating. She took right to it immediately. Now I feed it to my younger ones. I have one who gets constipated and one who has loose stools and this food remedied both issues.

I split one half morning and night between the two cats. They also have a bowl of dry food that they can free feed from (Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Chicken Recipe). Third cat who spends the most time outdoors hunting is not interested but he does like yogurt once in a while.

Have not tried the dry.

[Ripzalot]

if he's going out make sure that's a breakaway collar.

breakaway for sure, he's a climber and goes through wire fences all day long. i wanted something reflective but couldn't find anything so i got him a girly pink diamond encrusted collar. i put it on him last night with him squirming like a weasel and he's already escaped from it. i guess i didn't get it tight enough. it's somewhere in the vineyards for sure.

and i guess i'm going to have to go back to the cheap cat food because he doesn't seem to like the premium stuff we feed our indoor kitty. at least he's a cheap eater.

[4matic]

My former stray cats prefer junk food too. Crave dry makes Chao throw up and diarrhea. Crave makes his coat nice and smooth but he’s losing weight. Not happy.




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[KQ]

Milo is nice a fluffy after his bath last night but still smells a bit skunky on his head where it's hard to wash without getting it in his eyes and ears. I did use a washcloth soaked in the skunk solution but it wasn't quite enough. I didn't have any "pet approved" shampoo to use after the initial "Skunk Away" bath so I used my Bumble & Bumble Seaweed shampoo. His coat is beautiful! LOL!!

Last night:


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