AVMA and industry groups work to fight suicide among veterinariansDecember 27, 2018Animal health organizations are partnering to combat suicide among veterinarians in the U.S. According to a study by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), female veterinarians were 3.5 times as likely to die from suicide as the general population from 1979 through 2015. For male veterinarians, that number was 2.1 times. "Too many of our colleagues have either contemplated, attempted, or died by suicide," said AVMA president John de Jong, DVM. "Working with our colleagues throughout the veterinary community will help us find solutions more quickly. This issue is affecting not only our profession, but society as a whole, in numbers greater than ever before." AVMA is working with a number of groups to help address the issue, including: Allied veterinary medical associations Independent veterinary communities Representatives of private and corporate practices Suicidology experts North American Veterinary Technicians Association (NAVTA) Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Veterinary Information Network (VIN) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) The association and partners are creating resources to facilitate outreach, such as question, persuade, refer (QPR) training, a free online program put in place to help veterinarians identify …
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Six tips to keep pets safe during the holidaysDecember 5, 2018To ensure pets remain healthy and safe during the holidays, Leni Kaplan, DVM, MS, from Cornell University’s (CU’s) College of Veterinary Medicine, shares six tips for veterinarians to pass along to clients.
Veterinary gratitude in the age of incivilityNovember 21, 2018If you’ve been alive to the machinations of our society’s contentious culture wars this season, you might admit to feeling sustained pressure on that part of your brain that normally makes you feel like part of a greater whole. It’s as if we’ve all been barnacles on a boat enduring an extended mooring in murky marina waters, sluicing through liquids increasingly gloomy and often downright filthy, feeling acutely like some of us must be riding an alien hull across an impenetrably gray divide.
Study finds veterinarians are often faced with high moral distressOctober 29, 2018A majority of veterinarians experience widespread moral distress when receiving inappropriate requests for euthanasia and in instances of being unable to provide care, according to a new study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
11 tips for coping with stressSeptember 4, 2018There are several horrifying deadly diseases we can’t prevent or predict… and then there are multiple conditions we can ward off. What if we could avoid doing things that can lead to death?
How low-stress handling changed one patient's lifeApril 6, 2018Myla, a 5-year-old pit bull, was deemed evil by her family veterinarian and his staff. Every time she came to the hospital, even for something as benign as a wellness visit, she had to be sedated at home.
What to do about growing stress in the veterinary professionJanuary 15, 2018Stress is an all-pervasive phenomenon in modern day societies and various professions, but the veterinary discipline suffers from the negative effects of stress and its sequelae at a troublingly disproportionate rate.
A tale of four paws, two veterinary practicesOctober 17, 2017You probably remember one of the defining moments of the O.J. Simpson trial, when during closing arguments, in reference to the infamous glove found at the scene, Johnnie Cochran said, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
BVA reports falling stress levels among studentsJanuary 16, 2017Veterinary students are under a lot of pressure—classes, tests, little free time and lots of tuition debt—but in the United Kingdom at least, stress levels are declining.
Study: Yeast fermentate may prevent heat stress-related complications in livestockAugust 2, 2016Complications related to heat stress in livestock may be prevented by yeast fermentate, according to a study by Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers. Specifically, the results indicate that the yeast fermentate may reduce harmful changes in gut structure that can lead to leaky gut syndrome.
