Mental Health Strategies for Veterinary Emergency Responders 

‘I had a major depressive episode, was hospitalised for thirty days and back to work after six months.’ ‘We lost a veterinarian to suicide during an animal disease response event.’ ‘We are STRESSED.’ These are among the anonymous survey comments I have received from veterinary emergency responders after their deployments.

These experiences are not isolated incidents. Veterinarians, in general, report higher levels of mental or behavioural challenges than the wider population. This has been documented in multiple countries, including Canada [1], New Zealand [2], the United States [3] and Germany [4]. Veterinarians involved in disaster responses have also reported a broad range of mental health impacts, including anxiety, sleep loss, relationship difficulties, depression, nightmares and suicidal ideation.   

In a global study involving 237 respondents, 51% of veterinarians reported experiencing at least one of these symptoms during a disaster response event, while 34% continued to report at least one symptom six months later [5]. Similar long-term mental health impacts have been reported during animal disease-related events. Following the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak in the Netherlands, 40% of veterinarians reported signs of traumatic stress six years later [6]. Veterinary responders showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as long as two years after the 2010 foot and mouth outbreak in Japan [7]. An international study of veterinary responders involved in animal-related disasters found that 57% reported mental health impacts associated with their deployment [8]. Female respondents were more likely than male respondents to describe effects, while higher rates of distress were associated with exposure to animal injury or injury involving members of the public or response teams [8]. 

Together, these and other studies demonstrate the scale and persistence of mental health challenges associated with veterinary emergency response work. Importantly, guidance and resources already exist to address these risks. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), for example, has published guidelines through its National Animal Health Emergency Management Systems (NAHEMS), including a dedicated chapter on Psychological Hazards [9]. However, awareness and uptake of these resources remain limited.  

An international study found that 60% of 237 veterinary respondents were unaware of any mental health guidelines or standards, only 24% had received training, with 16% receiving mental health support during an emergency event and 13% receiving support after [5]. The study emphasises the value of training for improving mental health: veterinarians who had received pre-deployment mental health training reported lower rates of anxiety and/or depression compared to those who had not received training (27.8% versus 42.9%, respectively) [10]. 

Growing Awareness and Available Resources

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has addressed multiple aspects of disaster and emergency management through the publication of guidelines on disaster management [11], the investigation of suspicious biological events [12], and simulation exercises [13]. In addition, WOAH has conducted training sessions, hosted global conferences and supported simulation exercises such as the twelve-country agroterrorism event, Exercise Phoenix. Together, these initiatives strengthen preparedness while also fostering greater awareness of the pressures faced by veterinary responders. 

WOAH has also produced online emergency management training and published the Scientific and Technical Review issue Disaster Prevention and Preparedness, which includes an article on mental health, safety and wellness [14]. More recently, WOAH further raised awareness of this concern with the Animal Echo article ‘Recognising and Responding to Veterinary Mental Distress’ [15]. These resources reflect the recognition of the growing mental health crisis and can help guide improvements. 

Strategies for Responder Well-being

What might these improvements look like in practice? Supporting the mental well-being of veterinary responders requires action at multiple levels, from individual preparedness to international coordination. 

Imagine a widespread African swine fever (ASF) outbreak affecting several countries in a WOAH region. National Veterinary Services could be rapidly mobilised to respond, with teams working under intense emotional pressure. WOAH’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code [16] identifies stamping out and surveillance as two key measures for countries seeking to recover ASF-free status. However, the people carrying out these activities may also be exposed to distressing and traumatic events throughout the emergency response. Several measures can minimise negative impacts. 

At the individual responder level, veterinary staff should receive training not only for emergency response procedures but also in safety, health and wellness policies and practices. Psychological first aid training, including freely available resources such as the Coursera Psychological First Aid course [17], can help responders better recognise and manage mental health challenges. Responders should also be aware of mental health resources available to them before deployment.  

During emergency events, practical measures such as adequate rest, regular meals and time away from the field can make a significant difference to well-being. Access to peer support, team debriefings and access to mental health professionals, either in-person or remotely, can also help responders process distress. 

Supporting Responder Well-being in the Field

Team leaders play an important role in protecting the well-being of their team members. They should be trained to recognise signs of distress such as acute stress disorder, PTSD, depression and suicidal ideation, and know how to respond appropriately and seek support when needed. Team leadership should also ensure that health and safety protocols are consistently followed throughout an emergency response. This may include daily debriefings, opportunities for team members to raise concerns, appropriate work-rest cycles, adequate provisions, and access to quiet sleeping quarters and spaces for recovery. Rotating personnel between different responsibilities can also help reduce prolonged exposure to particularly distressing tasks, such as euthanasia operations and interactions with emotional livestock producers.  

National Veterinary Service Strategies

Supporting responder well-being also requires long-term institutional commitment beyond the immediate emergency response. Here, National Veterinary Services play a vital role. This includes evaluating existing programmes and identifying gaps in legislation, training and protocols related to responder welfare. Mental health considerations can be integrated more fully into emergency management contingency plans, policies and professional guidance. 

In addition, Veterinary Services can ensure access to in-person or remote mental health professionals, while also promoting discussion of mental health through policies, publications and meetings involving both members and public stakeholders.  

Veterinary colleges can also support responder well-being by incorporating mental health, wellness and resilience into veterinary education, as well as advancing research into mental health challenges linked to veterinary emergency management. 

International Strategies

Emergencies caused by transboundary animal diseases often require international coordination and can place significant pressure on animal health responders. In this context, WOAH can take a leadership role in promoting safety, health and wellness across the global veterinary workforce. This could include working in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization to develop guidelines for National Veterinary Services on responder health, safety and welfare during veterinary emergencies within a One Health approach. 

WOAH could also integrate mental health and responder well-being more consistently into key frameworks and programmes, such as the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, the Aquatic Animal Health Code, the Performance of Veterinary Services pathway and workforce development initiatives.   

In addition, WOAH can promote veterinary mental health in global conferences and technical meetings on emergency management, animal welfare, biothreat reduction, specific diseases such as avian influenza or ASF, as well as by highlighting the issue at its annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates. 

Building a Supportive Mental Health Culture

The common phrase in business – ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ – reflects the idea that organisational culture is more critical to success than a strategic plan. 

Researchers have repeatedly documented the failure to adequately protect deployed veterinary responders from mental health risks, despite the existence of strategies including training programmes, guidelines, protocols and standard operating procedures. We would not send our veterinarians into hazardous situations without proper personal protective equipment, yet we often send them into harm’s way without personal psychological preparation and support.  

Strategy alone is not enough to overcome the current crisis of mental health in deployed veterinarians.    

What we need is a mental health culture. Our profession must establish, adopt and promote a culture of safety, health and wellness within National Veterinary Services to strengthen and protect our workforce.  

This is not an option; it is an imperative.  

If you have been affected by the topics discussed in this article, support is available. You can find free and confidential helplines in your region at https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp. 

Main image: ©Yutthana Gaetgeaw, Getty Images

References  

[1] Perret J, Best C, Coe J, Greer A, Khosa K, Jones-Bitton A. Prevalence of mental health outcomes among Canadian veterinarians. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2020;256:365-75. https://www.doi.org/10.2460/javma.256.3.365 

[2] Gardner D, Hini D. Work-related stress in the veterinary profession in New Zealand. N Z Vet J. 2006;54:119-24. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2006.36623     

[3] Nett RJ, Witte TK, Holzbauer SM, Elchos B, Campagnolo E, Musgrave K, et al. Risk factors for suicide, attitudes toward mental illness, and practice-related stressors among US veterinarians. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2015;247:945-55.  https://www.doi.org/10.2460/javma.247.8.945  

[4] Schwerdtfeger K, Bahramsoltani M, Spangenberg L, Hallensleben N, Glaesmer H. Depression, suicidal ideation and suicide risk in German veterinarians compared with the general German population. Vet Rec. 2020;186:e2.  https://www.doi.org/10.1136/vr.105430  

[5] Vroegindewey G, Kertis K. Veterinary behavioral health issues associated with disaster response. Aust J Emerg Manag. 2021;36(3):78-84. http://www.doi.org/10.47389/36.3.78   

[6] Noordman JW, Endenburg N. Terugblik op de MKZ-crisis door betrokken dierenartsen zes jaar later: De gevolgen van de MKZ-crisis bij dierenartsen. Tijdschr Diergeneeskd. 2008;133(24):1042-5. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27714255_Terugblik_op_de_MKZ-crisis_door_betrokken_dierenartsen_zes_jaar_later (accessed on 26 May 2026). 

[7] Hibi J, Kurosawa A, Watanabe T, Kadowaki H, Watari M, Kakita K. Post-traumatic stress disorder in participants of foot-and-mouth disease epidemic control in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2010. J Vet Sci. 2015;77(8). https://www.doi.org/10.1292/jvms.14-0512  

[8] De Grey S, Riley C, Thompson K, Squance H, Cogger N. Psychological impacts and self-management by responders to emergency and disaster events involving animals: findings from a cross-sectional international survey. N Z Vet J. 2025. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2025.2561615     

[9] Center for Food Security and Public Health. National Animal Health Emergency Management System Health and Safety Guidelines. 2018. Available at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fadprep-nahems-guidelines-health-safety.pdf (accessed on 20 May 2026). 

[10] Wisnieski L, Jenkins J, Vroegindewey G. Factors associated with behavioral health outcomes in veterinarians involved in disaster responses. Dis Med Public Health Prep. 2024;18. https://www.doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2024.257    

[11] World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Guidelines on Disaster Management and Risk Reduction in Relation to Animal Health and Welfare and Veterinary Public Health. Paris (France): WOAH; 2021. Available at: https://doc.woah.org/dyn/portal/index.xhtml?page=alo&aloId=34210 (accessed on 26 May 2026). 

[12] World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Guidelines for Investigation of Suspicious Biological Events for National Veterinary Services. Paris (France): WOAH; 2024. https://doi.org/10.20506/woah.3446   

[13] World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Guidelines for Simulation Exercises. Paris (France): WOAH; 2021. https://doi.org/10.20506/woah.3452   

[14] Vroegindewey G, Kertis K. Health, safety, and wellness in disaster preparedness and response. Rev Sci Tech. 2020;39(1). https://doi.org/10.20506/rst.39.2.3111  

[15] Buchy M, Benicasa T. Recognising and Responding to Veterinary Mental Distress. Paris (France): World Organisation for Animal Health; 2026. Available at: https://theanimalecho.woah.org/en/recognising-and-responding-to-veterinary-mental-distress/ (accessed on 20 May 2026). 

[16] World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Terrestrial Animal Health Code. 32nd ed. Paris (France): WOAH; 2024. Chapter 15.1. Infection with African swine fever virus. Available at: https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahc/2024/en_chapitre_asf.htm (accessed on 20 May 2026). 

[17] Everly G. Psychological First Aid [Internet]. Coursera. Available at: https://www.coursera.org/learn/psychological-first-aid (accessed on 20 May 2026).