Working in the veterinary profession can be a risky business - Rural and Regional Program Lead Dr. Elise Anderson has had first hand experience of that recently.   Developing great risk assessment and management skills is an essential part of life for vets and vet nurses, and it's time we put climate change squarely on the list of challenges that we are addressing in our veterinary lives.

by Elise Anderson (Regional Lead, Rural and Regional Program)

A few weeks ago I had an encounter with a very big, very unhappy dog while I was at work, that left me with some nasty bites on both my arms.  I’ve had some near misses in the past, but it’s the first time in over 20 years as a vet that I’ve been seriously injured; in this case badly enough to need a couple of surgeries, a hospital stay, and a bucket-load of antibiotics.  I’ve spend a lot of hours on the road visiting my nearest major hospital recently - something anyone living in rural australia, where healthcare isn’t always just around the corner, will be painfully familiar with - and even more hours sitting on my couch, so I’ve had plenty of time to have a think about how big a role risk plays in our lives as vets.

By any standards, life as a vet, or as a vet nurse, comes with potential hazards, especially for those of us in mixed practice: starting, of course, with our patients, who come equipped with a wide range of weapons - teeth, claws and beaks are just a start.  Then there’s also always the chance of getting kicked, trampled or crushed, the joys of driving country roads in all weather, sometimes in the middle of the night, dodging wildlife.  Exposure to chemicals and drugs, dealing with needles and scalpels, heavy lifting, being on your feet all day, zoonotic diseases… and that’s just the physical toll.  These days we’re all much more aware of the risks to mental health that are associated with being part of our profession.

But it’s not just the risks to ourselves that we deal with on a daily basis in our working lives; in every decision and recommendation that we make as vets we’re also constantly considering, balancing and talking about risks to the health of our patients (and the hip pockets of our clients!)  What are the side effects of a certain drug?  Are the benefits of that surgery going to outweigh the risks of the anaesthetic?  Is that vaccine or flea treatment really necessary?  We deal with these kinds of questions hundreds of times a week.

So yes, as vets, we are very familiar with risk.  We are also good at managing it, on behalf of not just ourselves but our staff, our patients and our clients; making assessments based on a combination of scientific evidence and first hand experience, and implementing actions that result in the safest and most effective outcomes for everyone involved.  Do we get it right every single time?  Not necessarily - the nearly healed punctures in my arms can act as Exhibit A.  But most of the time I think we do, and dealing with risk is a fundamental part of being a vet.

One of the greatest risks that faces our patients, our clients and profession is climate change. Whether we’re considering the physical danger to our premises and personnel from fires, floods and storms, the health challenges to our patients from heatstroke, drought or infectious diseases, skyrocketing insurance premiums - for both ourselves and our clients - or potential serious disruptions to our businesses and communities, the risks and the costs are real.  Not only that, but they are impacting us right now; 66% of rural and regional participants VfCA’s Climate Survey reported having already been personally or professionally impacted by the effects of climate change.  

It’s about time that we started to take climate change seriously as a profession - the consequences of ignoring it will be a lot more serious than a course of antibiotics and trying to navigate life one handed for a few weeks.  Luckily, thanks to all our experience of navigating risk from day to day we as a profession are well equipped to assess, minimise and mitigate this challenge too.  There is a lot that we can do, whether that is being ready to respond to disasters or emergency animal disease outbreaks, working to make our clinics more sustainable, or advocating for more ambitious climate action from communities, businesses and governments.

Vets for Climate Action is here to help at every step along the way.  Let’s get on with it.