Burnout & Buyout: Why the Future of Veterinary Medicine Looks Bleak (and How You Can Help)

We recently had to take one of our dogs to the pet emergency room on a long holiday weekend. She had stopped eating and moving and was clearly not well. We received a diagnosis of advanced osteosarcoma, and we made the painful decision to put her down. I was with my other dog at the vet for her check-up the following week, where I filled my vet in on what had happened over the weekend. She was devastated — both for our loss as well as the fact she hadn’t been able to provide the care for our pup in her final hours.

I’m friends with my vet. We talk openly and frankly. We’ve known each other for nearly a decade, and we’ve had some fascinating conversations about animals and the veterinary industry as a whole. She was the one who first shared with me that suicide rates among veterinarians are one of the highest of any profession. In fact, according to the National Institutes for Health, suicide rates among veterinarians are four times higher than the general population and twice as much as in the general medical field. It’s because of statistics like that that organizations like Not One More Vet exist.

So when I was in my vet’s office the week after our sweet Sadie was put down, I naturally asked her how she was doing. “Okay,” she said unconvincingly. As I asked more questions, I gained some astonishing insight into the current state of veterinary medicine. That private practices are being gobbled up by corporate entities … that the cost of care is climbing ever-higher … that more than ever, amazing veterinarians are leaving the field, unwilling to endure the mental toll dealt from the daily stresses and client treatment.

Agreeing to speak openly with me for this article if her name was kept anonymous, my vet shared some eye-opening insights. I’m sharing them with you as most people with whom I’ve discussed this topic have been unaware of just how volatile this industry is. And as responsible pet owners, we owe it to our vets and our pets to be aware and mindful of those providing care to our most precious animals.

You mentioned when we last spoke that you’re concerned about the state of veterinary medicine. Tell me what you mean by that.

I think that veterinary medicine has become too corporate. I fear many pet owners won’t be able to afford to keep their pets healthy in the future. In the past month, I have had three families take their pets for hospitalization to a specialty clinic and each cost five figures to treat. Although I agree that we should charge for our services, I think that the best veterinary care is not affordable for most people now. 

Why do you think that so many private practices are closing or selling to larger corporate vet practices?

Running a small business is hard. Running a small business that is a vet clinic is much, much harder. The business owner must deal with strong emotions and opinions from employees and clients on a daily basis. Private equity groups make very generous offers to many of these vets, and they sell because they just can’t do it anymore. 

There’s another fascinating fact that I learned from you, and that’s about the incredibly high suicide rate among the veterinarian community. Tell me about that. What is the driving force behind that?

It’s an emotional roller coaster. One minute you are in a room trying to convince an owner to perform bloodwork on a cat that is losing weight, the next minute you are diagnosing cancer in a pet you’ve known since birth, and then the next minute a dog comes in after being hit by a car and you have to perform CPR. Then you have to walk up to the reception to explain to a complaining owner why you are running behind. You think this is extreme, but that’s a typical Tuesday for vets. 

When a private vet practice sells to a corporation, what does that mean for the pet owner and their pet? What are the pros and cons?

There aren’t many pros. Many clients notice more wait times, less personal touches, and higher prices.  Most fees and service prices go up. The vet doesn’t make as many of their own decisions to do what’s best for the pet. They lose control of their medical choices. 

What is the most challenging thing about the work you do right now?

The rising costs of goods and managing people. 

If you had to predict what the world of veterinary medicine will look like in 5-10 years, what do you envision? What’s changed? What’s the same?

I pray that there are still privately owned practices. I do think that the quality of the medicine has become exemplary. This is the best part of the profession right now. We now have countless internists, radiologists, cardiologists, surgeons, and even oncologists around the corner [where we live]. That was unheard of 5-10 years ago. However, people need to be able to afford those specialties. 

What is the solution to slow the mass exodus of vets from the profession?

Maybe awareness. A couple of months ago, I had diagnosed cancer in four patients and then had six euthanasias in one week. I went out to dinner with some friends that weekend. I told them I had a bad week and started telling them about it. One of them stopped me and told me that I see enough puppies and kittens to get over it. That sucked. I don’t think people understand. Not even your family. They think they do, but they don’t. 

Do you have a breaking point where you’ll finally throw in the towel?

I’m not sure. I keep saying I can’t do this anymore, but then I save a life and it keeps me going. 

What are some ways that pet owners can be a part of the solution?

1.  Get pet insurance.
2.  Choose practices that are privately owned. 
3.  And be nice. That helps.