Spanish veterinarians face mental health crisis with high suicide rates

Veterinarians at the limit: one in ten attempted suicide in 2025

The veterinary profession is going through a silent crisis. According to data from the Official College of Veterinarians (Colegio Oficial de Veterinarios), 85.15% of professionals have suffered insomnia due to their work, and 32.67% suffer from it frequently or are undergoing treatment. The most alarming figure: one in ten veterinarians attempted suicide in 2025. The causes are multiple and self-reinforcing: frequent euthanasias, pressure from owners (who increasingly humanize their pets), growing bureaucracy with the implementation of the Presvet system (Royal Decree 666/2023), and difficulty collecting invoices. While some point out that daily contact with owners demanding miracles at low cost wears down even the most composed, others reduce the problem to a matter of generational resilience. The truth is that neither salary (many do not reach €3,000 net) nor social recognition accompany them.

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The weight of bureaucracy: Presvet and infinite paperwork

Royal Decree 666/2023, which regulates the prescription of veterinary antibiotics through the Presvet system, has multiplied the administrative burden. Veterinarians must register every prescription, consuming hours that could be dedicated to clinical care. Added to this is the pressure from owners, who often expect the veterinarian to act as a free public service. "They force them to do it without charging, risking getting stabbed," summarizes an analysis of the situation. Testimonies coincide: there are those who receive threats if they do not extend credit for treatments, and those who must endure accusations of negligence when the animal does not survive.

Dealing with owners: the true wear

"A veterinarian does not deal with animals, they deal with the owners of the animals," is the key phrase repeated by many professionals. While slaughterhouse workers – who also kill animals – do not present similar suicide rates, small clinic veterinarians deal daily with owners who consider their pets children, refuse to pay, or demand euthanasia on a whim. The humanization of pets has skyrocketed emotional demands. "If you have +€3,000 in your account at the end of the month, it passes," one current ironizes, but the reality is that many veterinarians earn half while working more hours.

Exaggeration or real crisis?

There are those who minimize the problem: "They shouldn't have studied," "scamming old people takes its toll," or "doctors also suffer and don't complain." However, the data are stubborn: the 10% rate of suicide attempts in a single year doubles general population rates. Defenders of the profession argue that access to drugs like pentotal (pentobarbital) facilitates the act, but the root is chronic stress. The debate over whether the current generation is "made of glass" clashes with the fact that working conditions have worsened: job insecurity, precariousness, and lack of recognition.

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The question hanging in the air: how long can an essential profession withstand this without the system taking measures? Meanwhile, veterinarians continue sleeping poorly and, in the worst cases, seeing the most drastic exit.

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