With a suicide epidemic rocking the veterinarian community, leaders in the profession have begun combating the problem with everything from a mental health hotline to group coaching sessions for animal doctors.
The New York State Veterinary Medical Society even plans to address the issue with a lecture at Cornell University on Wednesday covering topics such as addressing compassion fatigue and burnout.
A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control found veterinarians are much more likely to commit suicide than the general public.
The alarming findings show male veterinarians are 2.1 times more likely to commit suicide, while female vets are 3.5 more likely. The majority of animal docs who took their life were under the age of 65.
The NYSVMS recently unveiled a confidential support line where vets can call in 24 hours a day and talk to someone if they’re struggling, the group’s executive director Tim Atkinson told The Post. 

“We pay for them to have three hours of confidential counseling… it’s always important to help veterinarians understand that there’s paths forward,” Atkinson explained. 
Dr. Stephanie Liff, the medical director for Pure Paws Vet Care in Manhattan, said “everyone” in her office knows a veterinarian who committed suicide or has one degree of separation from someone who did. 
“The numbers are bad… my personal childhood veterinarian committed suicide when I was in college,” Liff told The Post. 
She said possible contributors are varied but remain elusive. Financial stress, poor work/life balance, cyberbullying from unhappy clients and access to drugs that make a successful suicide much easier are all possible factors. 

“We’re not paid as well as MDs or dentists or other medical professionals but we have the same level of educational debt,” Liff explained.

She also said veterinarians are often confronted with people who can’t pay for care their pet needs and they take their frustration out on the doctor.

“There’s some outrageous examples of bullying online,” Liff said.

“It can be very hard to hear and if you hear it over and over again, it can be very damaging to your mental state.”

She also said veterinarians have easy access to “pentobarbital” — the drug most vets used to euthanize animals that also works on humans.
A study published in August by an Auburn University psychology professor pointed to a vet’s easy access to the drug as a possible contributor to the elevated suicide rates. 
At the upcoming New York State Veterinary Conference during the first week of October, Atkinson said an entire day will be devoted to wellness with a particular focus on compassion fatigue. 
“There are very practical steps our people can take, which can help them have a much more fulfilling career,” Atkinson said. 
Suicide-prevention hotlines include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which can be reached at 800-273-TALK