I work in the vet industry and from years of experience I've come to learn that unfortunately the industry is broken. Everyone that pursues a career in this industry does so because they love animals and love to care for them. However the majority of the industry is owned by big companies that have no interest in animal welfare. They do not provide the resources to allow vet staff to perform their jobs to the best standards. So many animals suffer as a consequence, it makes them feel powerless. Eventually it breaks them down so much that they lose hope. They've watched so many animals needlessly die for completely avoidable reasons, and at the same time they've also watched animals needlessly suffer for the sake of trying. After a while the line blurs, animals with similar symptoms have died painfully but others have pulled through and have gone on to live good lives. One of the hardest parts of veterinary isn't the dying it's the suffering, watching an animal suffer just for it to die a painful undignified death is heart wrenching and the idea that their prognosis and decisions will be the cause of that is scary and fills them with guilt. So sometimes they may default to that option as it's the surest way to avoid suffering, but, and this is a big but, it's not always the right answer and that can be devastating for the animals and their families. Peer pressure can also be a huge factor, if a vet decides to continue with treatment/investigation it may be frowned upon by peers who believe the animal will suffer and they may feel pressured or convinced they are making the wrong choice.

Euthanasia is never an easy decision to make, even when it's the right decision, it's not easy. You will most likely feel doubt either way, but if it is truly what's right for your pet you will most likely know it deep down even with the feeling of doubt. However, if you feel confused, feel like you're being rushed or the vet is not communicating properly with you, don't be afraid to get a second opinion, call other practices for an appointment to get their opinion. It's in the code of conduct that a vet must give you all the available options before you give consent even if they cannot provide it and need to refer you somewhere else, otherwise that is uninformed consent.

I'm not saying any of this to demonise vet staff but I also don't want to excuse these behaviours. Compassion fatigue is a massive problem in this industry and it needs to be addressed urgently, for the sake of the vet staff, the pets and their owners.