Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A suicide crisis among veterinarians

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

271–280 of 463 posts

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#271

Post by bigmattystyles »

akamia wrote: post #239
the_doctah wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I often think that I would prefer to euthanize my dog myself. He is absolutely terrified of going to the vet (of strangers as well), and having to do it there makes it that much worse. I'm one of only a handful of people he trusts.

That was why we used an at home euthanasia service for our dog. He hated going to the vet and had to go multiple times a week toward the end. We didn't want to have him scared and stressed in his last moments. Look into at home options if the time comes. We actually found that the cost was not much more than doing it at our vet's office. I think it was $500 at home vs $400 in office. $100 extra to give him the best e…

Same, he was mostly bed bound as he had been for months, the vet came to our place. My wife and I were crying like no other, was this the right time, the question was haunting us, still does. He still appeared to like to eat, but he was paralyzed, needed help to poo and pee, even to stand to eat, but he could still sit on lap and seem happy but even that was mitigated by the fact he was on a lot of gabapentin. The moment of euthanasia came and he was asleep throughout the whole thing. Broke our hearts but gave him a painless exit. I will say this though, kids under 10 need not be there. I love and miss you everyday W.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#272

Post by tonyedgecombe »

johnla wrote: post #142
qohen wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those unfamiliar with Dorothy Parker[0] and/or that punchline, here's the poem, Resumé, that it's from[1]: Resumé By Dorothy Parker Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren’t lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Parker [1] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44835/resume-56d22415...

Dark comedic thought: if a prerequisite to suicide is to get your affairs in order and leave behind a clean house, suicide would be very low; ugh, too lazy to clean. I'll just live instead.

If you see a friend getting their affairs in order and unexpectedly cleaning house then you should worry.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#273

Post by 3seashells »

candybar wrote: post #24

We can talk about other negative aspects of being a vet, but the primary factor is that they know how: > But that reality of the job can also colour the way veterinarians view human lives – including their own – and for those already experiencing suicidal ideation, it can provide a simple justification: death is preferable to suffering. In a 2021 survey by pharmaceutical company Merck, 12.5% of the veterinarians surv…

Xylacin syringe into the brainstem.. Nothing comes back from that.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#274

Post by Exuma »

Mezzie wrote: post #255
Exuma wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my favorite cats has a bad tumor and a 3 month expected life span. I found out a few days ago. I’m shattered and the thought of having to be in the room or not is just super depressing. I’ve never lost a pet before or even someone very close to me. I’m scared for how bad it’s going to hurt Part of me (most of me) wants to be there to feel the pain in the deepest way and not bitch out. To be there for the last…

Be there. I have had a cat die unexpectedly (heart failure) and she was in the car on the way to the vet when she died. She held on in the back seat until I was able to pull over and be with her. She was looking for me. You owe it to be there.

Ok I will definitely do it then.

How long did it take to not feel just truly awful? Like I said... Ive never experienced that much grief/pain from loss before. I am scared how bad it will be, or what to expect.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#275

Post by at_a_remove »

Arrath wrote: post #241
candybar wrote: post #24

We can talk about other negative aspects of being a vet, but the primary factor is that they know how: > But that reality of the job can also colour the way veterinarians view human lives – including their own – and for those already experiencing suicidal ideation, it can provide a simple justification: death is preferable to suffering. In a 2021 survey by pharmaceutical company Merck, 12.5% of the veterinarians surv…

> > "There's an idea that veterinarians work on the belief that it's right to euthanise a hopeless case," says Volk, "and we are seeing ourselves, emotionally, as hopeless cases." Fuck me that is dark.

The realization that to some pet, you're merely a fallible god, but one who can often offer little but death in an alien place, filled with the scent of sick, dying, and/or terrified other animals. Why am I here? Did I do something wrong? And your face is the last one they see. Run through that a thousand times per year and, unless you have monastic levels of detachment, you might end up feeling as if you were little more than the keen whistling edge of a scythe which never quite dried.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#276

Post by heyoni »

Exuma wrote: post #207
heyoni wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think one of the worst things about society right now is we don’t share the burden amongst ourselves. The dirty work so to speak is delegated to specialists and our hands stay completely clean. I’m not saying pet owners should euthanize their animals but staying there in the room while the vet did their work probably helped, and the article mentions that owners leaving is part of the problem.

One of my favorite cats has a bad tumor and a 3 month expected life span. I found out a few days ago. I’m shattered and the thought of having to be in the room or not is just super depressing. I’ve never lost a pet before or even someone very close to me. I’m scared for how bad it’s going to hurt Part of me (most of me) wants to be there to feel the pain in the deepest way and not bitch out. To be there for the last…

I don't know if this is bad advice or not but maybe take some valerian root or something like it before going in if you're worried about being overwhelmed. This is 100% bro science coming from me, but there are real studies studying the effects of propranolol on patients with PTSD where they purposely trigger the offending memory while on the drug in order to rewire the sensations associated with the memory.

It doesn't have to be traumatizing and you won't be alone.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#277

Post by zargon »

mdouglass wrote: post #204
zargon wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, Canada, and Australia, it's Trupanion. It doesn't cover routine wellness costs (exams, shots, teeth cleanings). But it covers virtually everything else at 90% with a $250 deductible. No annual limits or lifetime limits. For my cats it costs $30 per month (each).

That's way better than anything I've seen. I get a 79.50$/mo quote with a $1000 deductible from Trupanion for my 2yr old dog. Which is why we've never picked it up. The $250 deductible version is a crazy $184.55/mo.

I'm not really familiar with how much dogs cost, but it seems like large dogs just cost a lot. I just did a quote for a small 2 year old dog (Maltipoo), and got $55/month. A 2 year old cat is $38/month. (I enrolled my cats as kittens.) I expect breed in general to be a much bigger factor with dogs than cats. Veterinary costs also vary significantly based on location.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#278

Post by anigbrowl »

brink wrote: post #251
KittenInABox wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not fundamental to human nature to be in unfathomable amounts of debt.

Debt is fueled by greed, which human nature is prone to.

'Human nature' is whatever people want it to be for the purpose of argument. It's a thought-terminating cliche. There isn't one single personality type, although there is some evidence to suggest that there are 4 or 5 basic ones.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1600451

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#279

Post by Arrath »

at_a_remove wrote: post #275
Arrath wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> > "There's an idea that veterinarians work on the belief that it's right to euthanise a hopeless case," says Volk, "and we are seeing ourselves, emotionally, as hopeless cases." Fuck me that is dark.

The realization that to some pet, you're merely a fallible god, but one who can often offer little but death in an alien place, filled with the scent of sick, dying, and/or terrified other animals. Why am I here? Did I do something wrong? And your face is the last one they see. Run through that a thousand times per year and, unless you have monastic levels of detachment, you might end up feeling as if you were little…

I'm not sure what a poet is doing on a tech forum, but glad to have you here. I'm gonna go be sad and reflect on life now.

Re: A suicide crisis among veterinarians

#280

Post by acegopher »

Exuma wrote: post #207
heyoni wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think one of the worst things about society right now is we don’t share the burden amongst ourselves. The dirty work so to speak is delegated to specialists and our hands stay completely clean. I’m not saying pet owners should euthanize their animals but staying there in the room while the vet did their work probably helped, and the article mentions that owners leaving is part of the problem.

One of my favorite cats has a bad tumor and a 3 month expected life span. I found out a few days ago. I’m shattered and the thought of having to be in the room or not is just super depressing. I’ve never lost a pet before or even someone very close to me. I’m scared for how bad it’s going to hurt Part of me (most of me) wants to be there to feel the pain in the deepest way and not bitch out. To be there for the last…

I'm so sorry about your cat. You have my condolences.

It's going to hurt. Real bad. But you will come through. Life is precious because it is hard, not because it is easy.

Be there for your cat. Let your touch, smell, and sight be what your cat remembers as they pass.

And sit with your grief. I'm getting teary-eyed just typing this as I remember doing the same for my little Abbi, a 14-year old Shih-Tsu mutt I euthanized over a year ago. And that's ok. It's ok to be sad. You will be sad. Cry, let it come out. Ironically, you will feel better than trying to "be strong" or hold it in.

Post reply on HN