Read Our Submission

On 10 April 2025, the Parliament of South Australia’s Joint Committee on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Veterinarians held a public hearing as part of its inquiry into the pressures facing the veterinary profession.

Cherished Pets Foundation, in partnership with Cherished Pets Community Veterinary Care, proudly made a submission to this important inquiry, bringing our lived experience as a social veterinary service operating on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.

Why this Inquiry Matters

Veterinary mental health and wellbeing is a critical issue impacting both the profession and the broader community. Through our work, we witness firsthand the increasing challenges faced by veterinarians — including burnout, moral distress, and compassion fatigue.

These pressures are being intensified by rising client distress, driven by socioeconomic hardship, cost-of-living pressures, and complex social issues that make it harder for people to access care for their pets.

We commend the South Australian Parliament for recognising the need to investigate:

• Working conditions, retention, and suicide prevention

• Financial burdens and unfunded care for lost, stray, and injured animals

• The preparedness of new graduates

• Regulation of hours and workplace safety

• Access to affordable vet care in disadvantaged communities

• The broader social and emotional value of veterinary services to society

Our Model: Veterinary Social Services

At Cherished Pets, we know that animal welfare cannot be separated from human wellbeing. We’ve pioneered a veterinary social service model that integrates veterinary care with social support and volunteer-led in-home assistance.

Our multidisciplinary team, including Veterinary Social Workers, supports people to care for their pets, access help for themselves, and reduce the burden on veterinary professionals — particularly in emotionally complex and financially challenging cases.

Our Key Recommendations

In our submission, we made the following recommendations to help address the systemic pressures affecting the veterinary profession:

• Government investment in social veterinary services to improve access to care and reduce vet burnout

• Formal recognition of social veterinary work within national mental health and wellbeing strategies

• Expansion of preventative and upstream mental health supports across the veterinary sector

• Strengthening collaboration between veterinary and social services to address the complex, interconnected needs of people and their animals

A Call for Policy and Funding Support

We’ve shown what’s possible at a local level — but small, community-led organisations cannot do it alone. To meet growing need, this work must be recognised, supported, and sustainably funded.

It’s time for policy and funding to catch up, so services like ours can be scaled, sustained, and relied upon — for the benefit of pets, people, and the veterinary professionals who care for them.

👉 You can read our full submission here: Cherished Pets Submission