Veterinarian Maggie Brown-Bury in St. John's, N.L., on Nov. 10.Greg Locke/The Globe and Mail
As a veterinarian at an emergency animal hospital, Maggie Brown-Bury was already feeling burnt out. Then the pandemic hit and made things worse.
COVID-19 restrictions limited most clinics’ hours and drove more pet owners to hospitals like hers, making hectic days chaotic. Costs for staff and supplies went up, meaning she had to hand even bigger bills to her clients. And it was impossible to hire enough new people to keep up with the demand.
“I was having those moments when I just couldn’t stop crying,” Dr. Brown-Bury said.
So she quit. She sought help – through therapy, medication and an ADHD diagnosis – and regained control of her life. And rather than leave veterinary medicine entirely, she charted a new course as a full-time relief veterinarian. Now she travels around rural Newfoundland and Labrador, covering for stressed veterinarians for days or weeks so they can take some much-needed time off.
Dr. Brown-Bury is one of an increasing number of veterinarians who have struggled with their mental health – and sought out new ways to address it. It’s becoming a priority for an industry that is grappling with an acute work-force shortage and rising costs that threaten to make the problem worse.
Research has shown that veterinarians report poorer mental health than the average Canadian. A 2020 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association surveyed 1,403 Canadian veterinarians – about a tenth of the entire work force – and found 39 per cent could be classified as exhibiting signs of burnout. About 26 per cent reported having suicidal ideation in the previous year. Only 4 per cent of the general Canadian population reported the same concerns in a 2021 Statistics Canada survey.
A study published in the U.S. journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science in July surveyed 1,256 veterinarians in Canada and the U.S. and found a third wanted to leave the profession within five years, largely because of burnout.
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) said overwork caused by labour shortages is one of the leading factors in the declining mental health of its members. Increased pet ownership has driven up demand for services, while the number of new graduates from veterinary schools has barely kept pace with retirements.
That’s forced professionals to take on more clients and work longer hours, CVMA president Tim Arthur said, or try to explain to owners of injured or sick pets why they can’t see them.
The shortage shows up in Statscan data: In the third quarter of 2019, there were 390 job vacancies for veterinarians, rising through the next three years to 1,265 and then falling to 770 in the third quarter of 2023. Job vacancies for veterinary technicians – the nurses of the animal world – were also about twice as high at the end of 2023 than they were four years earlier.
Dr. Brown-Bury is one of an increasing number of veterinarians who have struggled with their mental health – and sought out new ways to address it.Greg Locke/The Globe and Mail
Nova Scotia veterinarian Trevor Lawson said the work-force strain has been particularly acute in rural communities like his. “It’s very real,” he said of the shortage of vets. “But it’s been real for a long time in the non-urban centres.”
Another major source of stress has been rising costs. The Competition Bureau recently reported that households spent $9.3-billion on all veterinary care and other services for their pets last year, up from almost $4-billion in 2019.
Veterinarians say they have had to raise their fees because their own input costs are up, including staff salaries: The average hourly rate for a veterinary technician rose to $24 last year, up 33 per cent from before the pandemic, according to Statscan data.
Dr. Brown-Bury said it was a contributing factor to her decision to leave emergency medicine, where fees are even higher. As well, advances in technology are introducing new treatment options that may be even more expensive. “There is so much more we can offer pet owners, but that comes with a cost,” she said.
That’s caused the industry – including veterinary schools – to talk a lot more about a concept called “spectrum of care.” The cost-conscious approach recognizes that there is a range of ways a veterinarian can treat a health problem – and being able to offer a lower bill may lower stress for pet owner and professional alike.
Pet owners are saying, “This is the real world, I only have this budget. How can I care for my animal in the best way possible?” Quebec veterinarian Jordyn Hewer said.
“I can tell you, there is a lot of benefit to providing a ton of basic care to a ton of animals. You’re helping a lot of animals by doing that. Am I doing the most state-of-the-art surgeries on them? No, but I’m still providing benefit to them.”
Dr. Arthur said the CVMA is trying to create space for veterinarians to discuss mental-health challenges more openly. It is opening up an online peer-to-peer discussion platform where veterinarians can speak anonymously with each other about the challenges they are facing. And in the new year, the association is launching a new mentorship program focused on mental health.
He said he has personally known at least four veterinarians who have taken their own lives in the past seven years. He hopes the profession can fix the problems contributing to poor mental health and change the conversation, so his colleagues can focus again on the caring parts of the job that can make it so worthwhile.
“It’s always been a stressful profession,” he said. “But it’s a stressful profession that also is an extremely enjoyable profession. When things are going well, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”