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Often times when I speak with friends or new people I meet about what I do as a veterinarian, I often receive a response along the lines of:  “ I had no idea that veterinarians are involved in [research, epidemiology, vaccine development, public health policy and so on]” or “I did not know that veterinary medicine has specialties!”

April 24th was #WorldVeterinaryDay and this year- more than any other year- I felt compelled to write a few words about what we veterinarians do and what this past year has been like. This article comes with a delay due to my international travel this past week, but I am hoping that it will give you a glimpse of what we do!

Though veterinary education and culture around the world may be different depending on the country where one practices, one part that is undeniable is that the veterinary profession is composed of many specialties and is involved in all aspects of public health and research.  Veterinarians can wear many different hats all at once. They are scientists, researchers, general practitioners, surgeons, dentists, cardiologists, neurologists, oncologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, internal medicine specialists, dermatologists, epidemiologists, wildlife conservationists, nutritionists, ophthalmologists…you get the point! Veterinarians do it all. Above all else: veterinarians are animal advocates, and compassionate human beings who have genuine love for all living beings and medicine. 

Veterinarians on the frontlines of the COVID19 pandemic 

This year’s World Veterinary Day theme highlighted the role of veterinarians in the COVID19 pandemic. In a world that has been devastated by the #COVID19 pandemic, veterinarians have been on the front lines, not only by caring for the millions of pets who visit hospitals around the world, but also by providing expertise in zoonotic disease transmission and ongoing COVID19-related research. Wildlife veterinarians with expertise in epidemiology and infectious diseases have been employed to investigate the origins of this viral disease and have been actively working to trace the virus among wildlife. In addition, veterinarians who specialize in virology and other related fields are continuously working with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other organizations in an effort to better understand the disease, formulate guidelines for prevention and discover treatments.  Given that this pandemic most likely originated from viral spillover from wild animals, veterinarians fill a unique and crucial role in understanding how this disease (as well as many other zoonotic diseases, such as Ebola) is transmitted between different species, and thus how to prevent the spread to humans. 

Pet adoptions increase during the pandemic, leading to increased veterinary workload

Frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 are not just found in the research labs who investigate the disease, or in the human hospitals who deal directly with COVID-19 patients. For example, thousands of veterinary emergency clinics and veterinary practices have been caring for sick animals during this time of crisis, the staff of which have been placing their lives at risk daily.  Though some would expect that the pandemic would cause case loads of veterinary clinics to drop, the opposite happened. One reason has been the increase in pet adoptions (which is wonderful!) and the other has been  the change in hospital protocols in an effort to protect frontline staff and the increase in pet adoptions during the pandemic as more people spent time at home. In addition, veterinary doctors,  nurses and  receptionists are not immune to the virus either. Many had to take time off work to recover from the disease and this ultimately led to understaffing in general practices. The result? The daily pressure of running veterinary practices magnified for staff members trying to maintain high standards of medical care while also trying to make up for staffing shortages, limit the spread of COVID-19 within their workplace, and manage disgruntled clients who were upset with decreased appointment availability and increased hassle of biosecurity protocols. 

The demands of the veterinary profession can lead to high suicide rates

These increased pressures that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on veterinary staff across the country could potentially worsen an already dire situation. It is a fact that suicide rates among veterinary professionals are disproportionately elevated in countries that place high demands on the veterinary profession (countries such as the US, Canada and the UK). In these high-demand countries it is not uncommon for veterinarians to experience harassment and a general lack of appreciation from the general public. This is no different for veterinary nurses and receptionists, as they are commonly the first to receive the abuse from clients or co-workers.  The latest data from surveys in the United States of America (US) has shown that female veterinarians are 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide compared to the general population, and male veterinarians are 2.1 times more likely to commit suicide.  Over 75% of veterinarians who have committed suicide in the US work in small animal practices around the country (1).  For those of us who have worked in busy small animal practices these numbers do not cause shock.  The statistics are not much different in the United Kingdom, where veterinarians are 4 times more likely to commit suicide compared to the general population (2).  

Having travelled and volunteered in numerous countries around the world, I have to point out that this is not the case in all countries. This is simply because the demands of the profession are different depending on the respective cultures. For example, in countries where veterinarians are not obligated by law to keep thorough medical records (if any) and are not threatened with lawsuits, the work hours are less, veterinarians may be more productive with their cases, and the stress that is caused by various legalities is non-existent. This is not to say that the job in itself is any easier – but the conditions that can lead to severe burnout are more pronounced. 

Showing kindness to your veterinarians and colleagues leads to better medical outcomes

As veterinarians we should use this pandemic as motivation to make an effort to create healthy boundaries, respect each other, and make an effort to better communicate our needs to those around us. Burnout is real and a very prevalent condition among colleagues who constantly give so much energy, love and attention to those in need. Good communication skills do not just pertain to how we communicate with clients, but also to how we treat each other within our work environment.

As clients (or patients), we should strive to understand that any professional who works in human or veterinary hospitals is already under immense pressure, and being kind is a choice. Delays in any hospital are expected and veterinary hospitals are no different in that regard. In many cases and during busy days, wait times can often exceed 5 hours. Cases that come into emergency hospitals become triaged based on which is more urgent, and not by who visited the hospital first. If you visit a veterinary emergency clinic and your pet is seen within an hour, you are lucky! From my experience, adding pressure to hospital staff to hurry and finish with your pet’s needs, only decreases the quality of medical care. 

I am happy to share more thoughts and participate in discussions. I hope this post will just add more information to the already many wonderful articles that have been written about our profession.

Some facts about CoronaViruses to go along with this year’s World Veterinary Day theme. 

References and useful scientific articles: 

1. Tomasi E. Et al., 2019 “ Suicide Among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015”, JAVMA 254:1, pages 104-112
2. Bartram et al., (2009) Cross sectional study of mental health and well-being and their associations in the UK veterinary profession. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
3. Zhou, P., et al. A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin. Nature, 579, 270–273 (2020).
4. Taylor LH et al. (2001)  Risk Factors for human disease emergence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 356(1411):983-9 
5. Graham, R.L. & Baric, R.S. Recombination, Reservoirs, and the Modular Spike: Mechanisms of Coronavirus Cross-Species Transmission. 84, 3134–3146 (2010)
6. Parrish, C.R. et al. Cross-Species Virus Transmission and the Emergence of New Epidemic Diseases. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 72, 457–470 (2008).

Definitions: 
Zoonotic diseases (Zoonoses): diseases which are transmitted between animals and humans
SARS-Cov: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 

#veterinarymedicine #worldveterinaryday #covid19

The post Veterinarians: the unsung heroes of the pandemic appeared first on Dr. Anna K.

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Written by: Dr. Anna Katogiritis

It doesn’t always happen that your childhood hero becomes one of your most beloved supporters. In a heartwarming video, Dr. Jane Goodall (PhD, DBE, UN Messenger of Peace, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute) sent her congratulations to the mayor and volunteers of Animal Welfare Karpathos and extended her support of our efforts.

  Dr. Goodall’s compassion for all living beings is evident through all of her actions. As an individual, she cares deeply not only about animal welfare, but also about human welfare and environmental welfare. Through her lectures, youth program and projects she has taught many of us the true meaning of “One Welfare”. More specifically, through her educational youth program, Roots & Shoots, Dr. Jane has managed to captivate the hearts of youth across the globe, inspiring millions to take positive actions for animals, humans and the environment.

During her visits to Greece in 2016 and 2018, Dr. Goodall had the opportunity to see first hand the number of strays in various locations of the country and appreciated the lack of animal welfare and the need for bold actions to protect needed to protect them. It was during the few moments where we would interact with the strays in Athens, Thessaloniki or Crete when we would discuss ways in which we could contribute to their well-being. During our discussions, I would often mention Karpathos. Being my home-island, the idea that over 1000 strays suffer in the streets has always been a  point of discussion and discontent for me. It has also been my driving force in life; a source of inspiration and passion for the improvement of their welfare.

Karpathos, though a small island overall, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The island has a number of wildlife species (mostly small mammals, reptiles and birds) and an ever growing population of stray animals. During my last survey on the island during the summer of 2020, I was able to estimate that the island currently has over 1200 stray cats and at any given time a small number of stray dogs. Most of the stray dogs are often abandoned puppies from unwanted pregnancies, as not all citizens understand the significance of spaying/neutering, and often times those who do, do not have the finances to fulfill this important step. 

The lack of spay/neuter campaigns has led to a significant increase in the stray feline population, since the volunteer veterinarians who would often visit the island prior to 2016 faced various obstacles after that year. Between 2016-2020, only one spay/neuter campaign was organized through the municipality, during which a little over 100 cats were spayed/neutered. 

For those of us with experience in the animal welfare arena, it is easy to understand that 100 spay/neuter surgeries in 4 years are a drop in the ocean, given the rate by which our feline friends reproduce. For this reason, I have had a series of discussions with the mayor, Mr. John Nisyrios, during which I explained that through Animal Welfare Karpathos we are able to organize campaigns, as long as the municipality is supportive of our programs. What does “support” mean? In Greece, in order for volunteer veterinarians to be able to take part in animal wellness and spay/neuter campaigns the municipality (and more specifically the Mayor) of each region must welcome them through a series of formal decisions, including temporary designation of a proper room for surgeries that meets legal requirements and issuance of temporary permits through the government. Thankfully, Mr. Nisyrios was supportive of all the ideas that the AWK team and I recommended. A formal partnership with the city hall of Karpathos was formed and a room has been approved for the duration of two years with unanimous voting by all members of the municipality board. 

With that said, Animal Welfare Karpathos has continued to grow as an organization and we have been able to maintain high standards of financial transparency, veterinary care, and adoption protocols. My partnership with the Greek America Foundation will now extend to a partnership of GAF with Animal Welfare Karpathos in an effort to have better results this coming summer (June, 2021). The spay/neuter campaign which will take place under the auspices of the Karpathian municipality is aiming to spay/neuter a minimum of 500 animals in one month. You can read more about this volunteer program opportunity here. 

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Written by: Dr. Anna Katogiritis

Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of Democracy in Greece, is known for her love for animals and outmost respect for the environment. A role model for women across the country, as the first woman to hold this honorable position, she serves as an inspiration to many.

Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of the Hellenic Republic, visited Karpathos island on October, 2020. It was at that time when Sophia Hiras and I had the opportunity to meet with her on World Animal Day (October 4th) to discuss the animal welfare status on Karpathos island. The President was interested in learning more about the programs of Animal Welfare Karpathos, and actions that have already taken place on the island for the benefit of animals. At the same time, she accepted or invitation to become an honorary board member of Animal Welfare Karpathos.

Our meeting wasn’t all talk, thanks to Calypso. The tiny kitten had a somewhat… loud voice, as she demanded attention through her carrier. The President was quick to ask where the sounds are coming from and requested to meet Calypso.  It did not take long for her to express her interest in potentially adopting the tiny kitten.

On November 5th, 2020 sweet Calypso was hand delivered to the Presidential Hall in Athens, by Sophia Hiras-Micros (current president of Animal Welfare Karpathos). Calypso became a news sensation and stole the hearts of many Greeks instantly!

The significance of Sakellaropoulou’s act of kindness is two fold: by giving a loving home to a stray animal in need (and thus forever changing Calypso’s life for the better) she taught everyone who followed the news that stray animals have a voice, they are sentient beings and deserve our outmost respect. 

From left to right: Dr. Anna Katogiritis, Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Mrs. Sophia Hiras-Micros

We are positive that Calypso will continue to serve as an excellent ambassador for all the strays around the country, while at the same time living the best life next to Mrs. Sakellaropoulou.

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