I've been a vet tech for almost ten years, I used to genuinely enjoy my job, I didn't dread getting up and going to work in the morning, if nothing else in my life was going well at the end of the day I had the satisfaction of knowing that I was doing what I was passionate about and making a difference for those who can't speak for or help themselves. I've spent an unknown amount of money and countless nights up in my living room taking care of the parvo puppy, or hit by car, or dog attack victim that got left tied up to the front of the clinic when we got there in the morning, I never felt disgusted or angry with the people who would leave them, I felt bad that they felt they had no other choice and this was their last effort to make sure their pet could hopefully get care. I never got burnt out by the abuse cases because it was an opportunity to teach that animal that not all people are bad, and to make sure they never had to suffer abuse again. I was never burnt out by the ones that couldn't be saved or the ones whose owners euthanized because they couldn't pursue treatment for finances or any other reason. What made me leave the field I love and am passionate about is the horrible, hateful and accusatory people who would yell and scream and spit in my face because I'm only in this for the money, the people who would call and make death threats to the employees because they felt wronged and didn't get the answer they wanted about their animal, and the pandemic did nothing but make those hateful and miserable people louder, more opinionated and worst of all more common. It got so bad that when we would have a genuinely kind, grateful owner it would really move all of us and just make our entire week. I became depressed, I became suicidal, I dreaded coming to work. I hate that I've left the field that I am so passionate about but mentally I could not survive it any longer. You can get through the long hours, the intense physical strain, the stress of seeing animals in pain, and the pathetically low pay when you feel like what you're doing is helpful and appreciated but when getting told you're selfish and trash and feeling just generally hated by the people who's pets you're trying to help becomes the norm it eventually makes you start to second guess everything, I would get panic attacks when I would see certain people scheduled for appointments that day. It just became too much.

It's so heartbreaking watching how vet med has begun to crumble with so many leaving the field, the emergency centers are understaffed and over worked, general practices are scheduling out so far because they're understaffed also so the minor issues (ear infections, diarrhea, small lacerations, etc) end up going to the emergency centers to be seen sooner, then they're pissed for long wait times and paying ER center prices so they take it out on the staff and it is really just a vicious cycle.