Reality Check I

With experiences like this in our profession, we must stop and take an introspective look at how we got here, and where the systemic sources of disparity are perpetuated. Without conscious effort for change, the current state will perpetuate. In addition to these accounts, consider these shared statements regarding veterinary experiences.

I have had awful experiences with vets not listening and basically dismissing what I say. It really ruined [his] trust in vets because they insisted on using force after I told them not to pin him down or hold him tight. They literally said, we know what we are doing and we have been doing this forever…

I have also experienced being looked at as if something was wrong with me for not getting my pet vaccinated as a child due to limited funds. No one would ask why. They would assume we were careless about the animal and didn’t deserve kind treatment. 

For language barriers, until last year when we were advised that the county had a phone number that could help for translation services, I would use Google Translate.

We will start with acknowledging the present, shift to explore the past that brought us here, then forge a pathway of change into the future.