Celine Leheurteux, DVM
View her original TEDx talk here, english subtitles available.

Before now, everyone loved the vet. 
Veterinarians were the nicest professionals with the most honorable job! Being like them is what I wanted to do when I grew up... 

My name is Céline Leheurteux. I am a veterinarian. It's a commitment deep inside me, a part of my identity. To get bitten, scratched, urinated on... To see what you see, feel what you feel. It takes a real calling! Five years at the University of Montreal and two years in the field to start feeling like the doctor of ALL species. Except humans.  

But... a lot of the time I feel like I'm healing them too!  
 
Many of them ask me if I can work on them, as well as their pet... I tell them they’re not hairy enough and humans have an extra layer of complexity! A good bearing of psychology and tact is needed to be a veterinarian. Unlike what many may think, veterinarians not only need to be good with animals but they need to be good with humans just the same! 
 
It is the client (human) who makes choices for the patient (animal), and does so according to their beliefs, experiences, and finances. This is a unique reality, and the reality of every veterinarian on earth!  

Veterinarians are expensive today. Money is the dark side of our commitment.  

As much as I couldn't stand to put dead animals in a garbage bag, as if I was working in the mafia, I can't stand what I hear about veterinarians anymore.  

As if our image was withered, crumpled by money. I created a body bag to protect the dignity of animals. I am here to protect the dignity of veterinarians. By showing you the dark side of our profession.  After 20 years I still believe this is the most beautiful profession, combining science and heart.   
 
Being there for the animals, being there for the people. It's so beautiful.  But it is a double-edged sword. An extreme sport where you have to jump into the void constantly.  Doing procedures without having practiced them before. Opening a stomach, sawing a bone, sewing a jaw, removing a lump, a hook from a kitten or a pig.  

You have to do it. Get the jitters, the adrenaline.  The show must go on Celine.  People in pain need you here and now. Like them, you have to be in the moment. Take it easy and put on my gloves.  

Stones completely filling the bladder of a Shitzu: first cystotomy  

Open another abdomen, pull this way, pull that way, it's bleeding, liquid is contaminating the abdomen. I don't want to do this anymore, I miss my mother, I want to be a real estate broker, this is my last one:  

  
And here they are, the first c-section.   

Ok, I do one more... 

Next:   

A broken tail, no choice, you have to amputate!   

It's not a job, it's a mission.    

”But it's so expensive at the vet's... “ 

Yet veterinarians support the pyramid of health professionals with the lowest salaries.  We're fine with that. We live very well with that. But to be told that we're in it for the money is discouraging. Because our profession is based on a vocation. We can't pretend.   

In Quebec, a veterinarian earns 1/3 of a doctor's salary.   

About $85k/year.  The veterinary nurse, or technician, earns an average of $19.50/hr, $39k/year (6)  

No overtime bonus, no golden retirement, few benefits.  

She is our light in the clinic, without her we are a shadow of our former selves. She can draw blood from a bad-tempered cat, perform blood tests, assist in surgery. She can even hypnotize a Chihuahua.  She is an angel. Not just a technician as you sometimes hear. She studied for 3 years to know how to do almost everything in a clinic.  

I want to reassure you, there are no commissions at the vet's for 99% of us. There is no incentive to sell treatments or medications. We are not here to fleece you!  

We feel so much better when we know that the person in front of us is not on commission! We can breathe, we are not threatened.  

Today, the animal is a member of the family, but society will not help you keep it healthy.  In 2019 in Quebec, almost 50% of the government budget went to health or rather to disease.* A visit to the emergency room costs $762*,   

A visit to the veterinarian, about 100-150$.  
A hospitalization, 3063$/day for a human,   
at the vet, between 50-200$.   

And we eat very well!   
When I was a young graduate, I had to tame the financial aspect that was hidden from me at the University.   

A cat that hadn't eaten in two weeks came to see me.   

I hesitate between a 60$ radio or a 45$ blood test at the time...    

I choose the blood test to know if it can be used for the next step.  

If it's worth treating.   

And it's the cheapest.  
Everything is normal, I still don't know what's wrong! As I learned in a seminar, I tell the client:  I have good news, everything is fine with his vital organs.  We can continue our investigation (frozen face).  

 -What's wrong with my cat?   

-45$ and you still don't know what's wrong with my cat?   

-And you want me to spend more money?  

-Are you a vet?   

-Your business is not working, little girl! Go back to school!   

I would have loved to go back to the cocoon of the Faculty... But the faculty wouldn't have taught me to diagnose with 45 bucks either.  

I wasn't trained to treat on a budget. You had to toughen up and keep your big heart. Because these animals are our friends, sometimes the only person to talk to. Or at least the only ones who take us as we are!  

There is no human like an animal.  

Everyone wants the best for them, but who wants to pay the price for the best?   

There seems to have been a misunderstanding between the public and veterinarians in the 2000s. Everyone wanted the best care, laser, ultrasound, digital x-rays, party! But everyone forgot to the estimate. The vets moved on... isn't that what you wanted, the best care after all?  

For example: An animal that has never had dental care in its life. Tartar makes his teeth stick, he has had a headache for years... but his little tail is always going.  

“He doesn't hurt, he doesn't cry, Doctor” 

An animal doesn't complain. It doesn't cry. I am about to paint on the wall of my consulting room! I detect the discomfort in his eyes. I am his interpreter, often his advocate. I want him to feel better.  It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do before. We're here. For his dental care it will cost $500-$1500 depending on the number of extractions.  
 

It will change his life. And yours too. Does $1500 for a pet sound like a lot?   

Yes.  

It even looks great.  It was half that 20 years ago. Care has evolved so much.  There is now $100K of equipment in the room.   

Dental x-rays ($45K), heart monitor ($9k), local and general anesthesia, surgical extractions with $25K of equipment. Not to mention the medications... 

Back then, I used to pull teeth with plumber's pliers and a pedal cutter. No x-rays, we would go by eye or smell.  

I let it heal without stitching, it was fine. There were no more complications. Risk tolerance has decreased, veterinarians have adapted.  

When I tell clients that test results will arrive in 20 minutes, they look at me in disbelief. This isn't a hospital, lady, this is a veterinarian's office!   
That's amazing, 20 minutes!  
But it costs $1000/month to rent the equipment.   

 
A veterinary establishment generates about 10% profit on revenues. This is the minimum recommended to keep a business in operation.  

On a $500 bill, $50 will be left to renew the medical equipment and buy a pack of gum for the owner.  You didn't know that, the employed vets don't know that either.  

We just have to explain. It's already getting better. No, we don’t work on commission. We’re not there for the money. The equipment is expensive. 
 
Like someone just drained an abscess from a tomcat's neck. I love it. It's so satisfying... You don't know what you're missing! 

You had to work harder in school to drain abscesses! The comments about the veterinary care are excellent.  

Almost no waiting, empathetic care, follow-up. Did the beautiful Toupie recover well from his surgery, the wound is beautiful?  

Call us if there is anything.  

When he passed away, a condolence card signed by the whole team.  It would have made me feel better when my father passed away. It's amazing care. We just wish we could get it all cheaper.   

Because they are animals?  

It's not financially possible.  

Imagine if we started negotiating when we go to the doctor.  

I'll try it at the eye doctor's next week: Dr., I don't believe in that test. What's your best price, I don't need a bill.  My favorite: If you liked people, Doctor, you would do this for free.  He's going to tell me, hey, this isn't the vet's office! 
 
There is a solution: pet health insurance. Imagine if we had no health insurance. In Canada, 1% of animals are insured.  In Sweden, 40%.   

When I see a patient with insurance, I feel liberated. I can finally play doctor!   

And not veterinarian-lawyer-psychologist-financial planner!  

 25 to 75$/MONTH *** to have peace of mind and give the best care.   

It doesn't matter how much insurance you pay!  

Because we are veterinarians but first and foremost human.  The reservoir of empathy of veterinarians is particularly deep. BUT it is not bottomless. We have to keep our cool in an emergency and be warm-blooded when we need to be. But the distress of veterinarians is palpable. The numbers speak for themselves. Veterinarians and technicians take their own lives 2-3X more than the general population. Nearly half euthanize themselves with what we have to end the suffering of animals.  Once everyone has left the clinic.  The vet will inject himself quietly, alone and end his disappointment, his suffering.   

It has to stop.   

The veterinarian is now an endangered species, it must be protected.  

He is at the crossroads of life, death, humans and animals.   

So many euthanasias... 

My dismal record, 8 in one day. 5000 in my career. One day, 3 euthanasias simultaneously.  

A woman with her 18 year old Golden who had lost her husband, business and autonomy, with him. In the other room, a mother with her son's cat who had to be committed.  In the third, at the same time, a father in tears with his son's cat.  The cat found in a garbage can had accompanied his son in his incurable disease until his last breath, last week.  For the latter, I could not contain my compassion. His pain pierced my coat. It was too much.  

But it's beautiful.   

I'm living life, from beginning to end. Other than that, a short day at the clinic, getting my face licked by puppies...  
We are here for the RIGHT reasons. Let trust replace distrust, is what I'm suggesting today. Let the two solitudes come together in the love of animals that unites us. Rather than remaining camped like two cats guarding their territories.   

I need confidence. I need to manage risk. Make the collimator to find the best solution adapted to each reality. You are safe: I am monitored by the College of Veterinarians. When there is trust, I will take risks, reveal my secrets, give it all I've got. I want it to work.   

Example: The wounds of a cat attacked by a coyote are not doing well... I can send her to a referral center far from home.  
If there is trust, I dare to treat the wounds with honey. Used in ancient Egypt, it's not traditional here... much more affordable option than to send her to a referral center. However, It could end up in a lawsuit...  

I feel that it is necessary to try it, that it is necessary to make. The cat heals fabulously and I live my childhood dream. I used my heart, my head, my intuition, and went to the front.    

It's so beautiful. This is my mission. I wish you would love the veterinary teams like I love them. Because I know them from the inside out. I see the magnitude of their calling, the sacrifices they make. If you saw all the love they put into the care, we wouldn't be where we are. Extraordinary care for those we love is precious.  

My name is Celine Leheurteux and I will always be proud to BE a veterinarian!    

And as my father used to say:  
The more I know about humans, the more I love my dog.   

References 

Health now accounts for 49.6% of government program spending The Press March 10, 2020  

* Is healthcare spending out of control? 

https://cdn.iris-recherche.qc.ca/uploads/publication/file/Note_couts_de_la_sante_WEB.pdf 

1.6 M en 2018-2019 

http://www.budget.finances.gouv.qc.ca/budget/2018-2019/fr/documents/sante_1819.pdf 

45G$ santé 24G$ en éducation et enseignement supérieur 2018-2019. Budget total 120G https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/550341/budget-web-quebec-2019 

45,4Gsanté /104$ total =44% Ghttps://www.finance-investissement.com/nouvelles/actualites/le-budget-du-gouvernement-du-quebec-en-chiffres/ 

52,3G$ en 2020 

* https://www.hgj.ca/a-propos/frais-relatifs-aux-services-medicaux/ 

*** https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/insured-pet-population-grows-by-18/ 

**** https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/2112dafd-e3ea-4ad7-b2d6-e872541514d7__7C___0.html 

Salaires des médecins au Qc https://cdn.iris-recherche.qc.ca/uploads/publication/file/Re_mune_ration_des_me_decins_WEB_02.pdf 

5. AVMA.org 

6. Doherty 2020 

Salaire ophtalmo pyramide : https://fmeq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MemoireRemunerationMedecin.pdf