Veterinarians care for more than pets

Photo: Jenoche/Adobe Stock

Editor's note: The author is president of the World Veterinary Association.

Imagine a veterinarian and the thought of a stricken cat or an injured dog is likely not far behind.Although it’s true that the vast majority of veterinarians work in small animal practice, providing vital services like protecting pets from parasites and disease, the reality is that veterinarians’ contribution to society goes far beyond dogs and cats.

From ensuring the safety of meat, milk and eggs, to protecting human and environmental health, veterinarians play a vital yet hidden role in keeping humans, animals, and the environment safe. And to fulfill all of these different roles, they require years of extensive formal education and training as well as licensure, adherence to regulations, and ongoing learning.

As a result of such vast roles and responsibilities, veterinarians are also too often left to deal with significant work-related stress and other challenges, contributing to depression, burn-out, and even suicide. In the United States, a third of those considering leaving the profession in 2021 cited mental health issues while more than a quarter blamed work-life balance. In the Netherlands, around 1 in 6 recently graduated veterinarians left within 5 years.1

The work of veterinarians as essential health workers often flies under the radar, and, therefore, deserves better appreciation by governments, the public health sector and the public at large. Otherwise, we potentially risk losing their vital contributions.

Here are some common yet critical features of veterinary practice that most people know little about:

Firstly, it’s veterinarians who are responsible for checking the safety of the animal-source food on our tables.From your eggs in the morning to your steak dinner, none of this will safely reach your table without first having been inspected by a veterinarian and their teams. In the US, the FDA has a dedicated Center for Veterinary Medicine and veterinarians are among the expert panel on animal health and welfare that advises the European Food Safety Authority.

Veterinarians also play a vital role in upholding food animal production and safety standards. This includes vaccinating farm animals, inspecting meat, poultry and fish products, and ensuring the welfare of food-producing animals. Caring for livestock takes place at all hours of the day, sometimes at short notice and in stressful situations, adding to the demands of the profession.

Secondly, veterinarians also play an essential role in safeguarding human health as part of One Health approaches that recognize the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health.This includes monitoring and tackling the threat of zoonotic diseases, including those originating from both domesticated animals and wildlife populations, such as the ongoing avian flu outbreak. Veterinary medicine can often be the starting point for treatments and vaccines ultimately used for people, making it doubly valuable.

Veterinarians also oversee the responsible use of antibiotics in animal health care, which is fundamental to reducing the development of drug resistance. This One Health threat can impact humans and animals alike by creating untreatable diseases.

Lastly, veterinarians help educate society on the value of animals, animal welfare, and acceptable animal husbandry.Research shows that the human-animal bond contributes to improved wellbeing in both humans and their animal counterparts, and veterinarians are instrumental in fostering this relationship.2

Yet many regions are seeing increasing needs for veterinarians as levels of pet ownership continue to rise and public health needs evolve. Some countries in Africa, for example, have just a few thousand veterinarians to serve the entire population, which is largely insufficient to cover their needs.

Looking ahead, it will be critical to ensure veterinarians can continue to provide the full range of benefits to society. Support for existing veterinary schools and the development of new ones is needed to guarantee that an adequate number of veterinarians remain available for all animals in the future, and that enough professionals are available to fill support roles like those of the veterinary technician to fully meet the needs of society.

That is why this year’s World Veterinary Day on April 27, 2024, was dedicated to the conviction that veterinarians are essential health workers.3 A greater understanding of the full value of veterinarians should give way to more appreciation for this humble yet vital profession that keeps everyone—humans, animals and their environment—safe and healthy.

References

1. Jansen W, Lockett L, Colville T, Uldahl M, De Briyne N. Veterinarian-chasing a dream job? a comparative survey on wellbeing and stress levels among European veterinarians between 2018 and 2023. Vet Sci. 2024;11(1):48. doi:10.3390/vetsci11010048
2. Understanding the human-animal bond. Human Animal Bond Research Institute. Accessed July 11, 2024. https://habri.org/research/
3. World Veterinary Day 2024. World Veterinary Association. Accessed July 11, 2024. https://worldvet.org/activities/world-veterinary-day/