An outspoken Australian senator and former veterinarian has highlighted the alarming number of veterinarians taking their own lives.
One Nation MP Sarah Game told the Daily Mail that vets in Australia are four times more likely to die by suicide compared to the rest of the population.
Ms Game is calling for this alarming statistic to be investigated and also to find out why so many vets are leaving the industry en masse.
He also wants to “shatter” the myth that veterinarians kill themselves simply because they are “compassionate” and get “very stressed and worn out dealing with sick animals,” when in reality there is a broader problem with the veterinary industry..
One Nation MP Sarah Game (pictured with her dog Emma) said vets are four times more likely to die by suicide compared to the rest of the Australian population.
Game calls for this alarming statistic to be investigated and also to find out why so many veterinarians are leaving the industry en masse.
“We need to analyze why these very intelligent and resilient people who survived school, survived the pressure of getting good grades in school and having survived (getting) a very demanding career and yet they are entering the profession and many of them are leaving it,” he said.
“My understanding is that almost half (of veterinarians) at any given time want to leave, and many of the rest are not happy, and we also have the extreme extreme, which is people taking their lives at a high rate.” .’
Game said veterinarians receive an average salary of between $80,000 and $100,000, which is not proportional to the long, intense hours they work.
A study by the University of Adelaide found that veterinarians working 40 to 50 hours a week earned just $60,000 a year.
“I’m no longer a veterinarian and I certainly understand that vet bills are difficult for people, especially in the cost of living crisis we’re in now,” she said.
“But the reality is that the vet you’re seeing doesn’t have a high salary.”
Ms Game’s proposed inquiry would examine why veterinary bills are so high while salaries are so low, as well as what compensation vets should receive.
The investigation is supported by the parents of Sophie Putland, a 33-year-old veterinarian from Victoria who took her own life after being relentlessly abused by an angry pet owner.
Game’s proposed investigation is supported by the parents of Sophie Putland, a 33-year-old veterinarian from Victoria who took her own life after being relentlessly abused by an angry owner.
Garry and Kate Putland launched Sophie’s Legacy to raise awareness of the pressures vets face when caring for people’s sick animals.
Ms Game said she wanted a rating system put in place that rates veterinary workplaces based on how well they look after employees’ mental wellbeing.
‘That should incentivize workplaces to say, “WWe are a healthy work environment. “We take care of our pets, but we also take care of our veterinarians,” he stated.
According to the Australian Veterinary Association, veterinarians have some of the highest suicide rates of all professions, approximately four times the national average.
Veterinarians take their own lives at twice the rate of other healthcare professionals, such as doctors and dentists.
‘You are actually dealing with a professional who is under a huge workload, pressure and stress and many people don’t know it.
‘The reason people choose (veterinary medicine) like me is because it is associated with being a wonderful, happy industry that deals with saving animals.
“And the stress awareness of the profession is not as well known.”
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