We’re so proud and honoured to work closely with the veterinary community to provide innovative solutions and support to improve the health and wellbeing of animals. This December 9th, on the International Day of Veterinary Medicine 2025, we celebrate vets, vet nurses and their clinic staff, who are some of the hardest working members of our community.
We appreciate the tireless work that vets and vet professionals do every day to ensure the health of our special pets, and we recognise that their job isn’t always caring for cute and fluffy puppies and kittens. It can be extremely stressful, with long hours and low pay, as well as being emotionally draining, all of which are contributing to poor mental health for vet professionals.
Devastatingly, vets are four times more likely than the general population to become a victim of suicide. That’s why we have a partnership with Animal Therapies Limited, for a pilot program providing innovative animal-assisted therapy for vets. Counselling services can be provided to veterinary professionals in an outdoor or paddock setting, alongside animals. This can be really helpful for improving compliance and motivation for veterinary professionals to seek and get the help they need to support their mental health.
To further improve the mental health and well-being of veterinary professionals, our well-being and consulting veterinarian from the US, Dr Heidi Hulon, created the Betterinary Series. This series of short online courses has been designed to provide vets with helpful information and practical applications for managing their stress, practicing self-care, encouraging neuroplasticity, and promoting a healthy work-life balance.
The Betterinary Series equips veterinary professionals with the knowledge and tools to identify the signs of mental struggle in themselves and their peers and equip them with the tools and knowledge to respond effectively. These short courses have helped veterinary professionals to negotiate the many challenges that the veterinary profession throws their way, including how to approach the grieving process, creating good boundaries, discovering their motivation, and focusing on working as a team. Find out more about the Betterinary Series and how to access it here.
International Veterinary Medicine Day is also a great chance to show the appreciation you have for your local veterinary staff. Here are some great ideas on how to celebrate:
- Write a thank you card: express your gratitude for the staff at your local vet clinic, they will appreciate it immensely! Even simply saying “thank you” and treating your veterinary clinicians with kindness and care is a great step in the right direction to showing support and gratitude for those who work so hard to keep our animals happy and healthy.
- Try small acts of kindness: organise a coffee run or bake some treats to drop off at your veterinary clinic and make everybody’s day.
- Donate to a good cause: like Animal Therapies Limited or Flynn’s Walk, which spreads awareness of the mental health issues faced by veterinary professionals and builds resources support these professionals.
- Educate yourself: watch shows like Bondi Vet, Village Vets Australia, other documentaries, or even videos on YouTube to learn about the life of vets and veterinary science.
Thank you so much and Happy World Veterinary Day to all of the vets, vet nurses and clinic staff from everyone at Elanco!
