Compassion Burnout & Help For Dogs In Need

This morning, Humphrey's guardian had a conversation with a non-practicing veterinarian who followed up on the "adverse effects" report of one of Humphrey's eye medications.

"Help dogs in need!"

In the course of that conversation, the vet described how compassion burnout (also called compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma) led to his leaving private practice to work for a corporation. According to the American Veterinary Association, it's a problem in the profession - with "moral stress" being the number one trigger for veterinarians.

The vet described how he would encounter very simple problems - for instance, a dog who swallowed a sock, causing an obstruction. The solution is a straightfoward procedure to remove the sock - but as Humphrey often reports, the financial cost of such veterinary procedures (see here, here and here) can be high! The vet said that many neither have the means, nor health insurance, so a very simple problem like a swallowed sock becomes fatal. 

It's sad to lose excellent, compassionate veterinarians to compassion fatigue. What can be done to help animals get the help they need? Humphrey is never short of ideas. Here are a few:

• Tax Deductions. Allow tax deductions for some or all veterinary services. After all, many veterinary services (like vaccinations!) are a matter of public health since they prevent the spread of infectious diseases that humans can get (rabies, west Nile). While the province and feds don't love giving tax deductions, professional associations and individuals should advocate for this simple policy change. In the public interest, it would make sense for some of the more infectious disease vaccinations to be subsidized.
• HST Break. Eliminate HST on veterinary services and pharmaceuticals. This is modest, but 13% (in Ontario) can make a profound difference in affordability. The same prescription a human gets (HST-free), filled at the very same human pharmacy, is taxed it is for animals!
• Employer-sponsored Insurance. Encourage employers to include pet insurance in employee benefits (Fortune magazine declared it the "hottest employee benefit" in 2016, but Humphrey has yet to see it offered in Canada).
• Stronger Awareness for Charitable Organizations Linked to Vets. Humphrey became aware of the Farley Foundation, a charity that provides relief to low-income pets for non-elective procedures, when his regular veterinarian had posters up in the office. Fun fact: the Foundation is named for Farley the dog in Lynn Johnston's "For Better or Worse" ® comic strip.