Vetnews | Mei 2026 20 « BACK TO CONTENTS on veterinary professionals and animal shelter workers (6,7) and supported Arluke’s (10) concept of the killing-caring paradox. For many, euthanizing a large number of animals created an internal conflict that threatened their professional identity and decreased their job satisfaction, led to turnover intentions, and affected their mental health. Veterinarians providing continuous high levels of emotional support experienced emotional exhaustion, an element of burnout. Burnout is a psychological syndrome comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment (27). In previous research, Canadian veterinarians reported higher levels of burnout, compassion fatigue, and suicidal ideation compared to the general population (28). Emotional detachment and focusing solely on the task to cope was common among participants. Although these strategies may offer temporary relief in uncontrollable and stressful situations (29), they typically provide few long-term benefits. Not surprisingly, most experienced distress and several described having PTSD symptoms following depopulation, including intrusive thoughts and cognitive and emotional changes such as anxiety and feeling triggered by certain sounds, smells, and images. Some researchers have labeled this form of PTSD “perpetrationinduced traumatic stress” (7,30). Although perpetrationinduced traumatic stress does not involve a direct threat to a veterinarian, witnessing traumatic events and actively participating in them threatens their ethical character and identity as someone who cares for animals (7,30). As with PTSD, the prolonged mental health impact of depopulation often surfaced weeks after the event. This is consistent with a study that reported 50% of veterinarians involved in an emergency response experienced immediate behavioral health issues and 32% reported still having symptoms 6 mo later (15). There are several implications of the findings. Drawing upon the experiences of our participants, our recommendations in Table 1 align with suggestions of other researchers (31). For example, veterinarians would benefit from tailored training and education to address the unique challenges of depopulation. Incorporating mental health components into euthanasia curricula, which traditionally focus on technical methods and physical safety, is crucial to reduce mental health difficulties (32). Our participants believed knowing what to expect could have mitigated negative effects. National organizations such as the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing have developed crisis tool kits, disease-specific guides that provide information and offer ways to support the emotional needs of those involved in depopulation (33). Also, the Mental Health Commission of Canada offers a mental health first aid course for recognizing the early signs of mental health decline and learning ways to support someone in crisis (34). Furthermore, a growing network of therapists in Canada who are familiar with the stressors of agriculture offer counselling support (35). It is important that these resources are shared with veterinarians and their teams. Another crucial aspect of preparation involves mapping the euthanasia process. An efficient process not only outlines each step but also pinpoints potential triggers in the process so that trauma responses are minimized or eliminated. In terms of limitations, our cross-sectional design prevented tracking participants’ well-being over time. However, to capture a broad range of perspectives, we recruited participants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Also, our sample was small. Although we had enough data to conduct our exploratory study and generate knowledge (20), it is important that our findings are validated using larger samples and even quantitative surveys. Moreover, since our study was conducted in Canada, the findings may not generalize to other regions. Whereas further research is necessary to corroborate our findings, this study represents the first qualitative examination of the psychosocial impact of depopulation on Canadian veterinarians, providing valuable insights and comparison data. Our analysis of veterinarians’ experiences with depopulation highlighted the complex balance between professional obligations and personal well-being, as well as long-term psychosocial consequences. A reliance on emotional detachment tended to be an ineffective coping strategy, as many participants experienced emotional exhaustion, reduced job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and even PTSD symptoms. The adapted disaster risk-management framework offers ways to understand the resources that can be provided to support veterinarians during depopulation events and decrease risks to their mental health. CVJ v REFERENCES 1. AVMA. AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals: 2019 Edition. Schaumburg, Illinois: American Veterinary Medical Association, 2019. Available from: https://www.avma. org/sites/ default/files/resources/AVMA-Guidelines-for-the- Depopulationof-Animals.pdf. Last accessed December 3, 2024. 2. Bussolari C, Packman W, Currin-McCulloch J, Strand E, Kogan L. Mass depopulation of swine during COVID-19: An exploration of swine veterinarians’ perspectives. Vet Sci 2022; 9:563. 3. Government of Canada [Internet]. 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