Vets in the Netherlands are facing a mental health crisis made worse by increasing numbers of aggressive pet owners.
Young veterinarians in particular complained that intimidating people were contributing to already high stress levels at work. They reported verbal aggression and, to a lesser extent, physical threats.
Vets considered changing jobs more often than those in other professions in the Netherlands, a survey found. Horse doctors considered themselves the most overworked.
In a survey of 1,000 vets, the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Medicine found that pressure to respond to emails outside of office hours had grown and vets were struggling to maintain a good life-work balance.
Sophie Deleu, the society’s chairman, said: “The results of this research speak for themselves. Only together can we meet the great challenge that lies ahead. All hands on deck.”
She added: “Veterinarians do not distance themselves enough from their work and also have too little time to recover from sometimes intense work.”
Fear of reprisal
State broadcaster NOS interviewed 12 vets about the rising number of belligerent animal owners. They only spoke about their experience on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“I had just started working as a veterinarian at a clinic,” said one from the north of the Netherlands.
“Within half a year I was already dealing with owners who could not cope with the care of their dog with various health and behavioural problems.”
One dog was confiscated by the authorities after the vet was forced to report its condition.
The owner embarked on a campaign of harassment that lasted about two months. The owner threatened to “destroy” the vet in a series of angry phone calls and threatening emails.
At a clinic in South Holland, a client burst into a pet clinic after being referred to a different vet once it was established that his animal was not at risk of death.
“He came anyway. On the phone he had also said he would destroy us. He was furious, shouting and throwing computers. I had to flee with my colleagues to another room, where we called the police,” the vet told NOS.
The veterinary association said tensions were often exacerbated by the cost of animal healthcare, which can reach thousands of pounds if operations are necessary.
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