NOMV links environmental health to pet and veterinary team wellbeing

A new Not One More Vet blog post argues that environmental health can’t be separated from veterinary wellbeing. In “Healthy Planet, Healthy Pets, Healthy Veterinary Teams,” NOMV says rising temperatures, worsening air quality, and chemical exposures are showing up in companion animal care as more heat-related illness, respiratory concerns, and other environmentally linked health risks, while the same pressures are adding emotional strain for veterinary teams. The piece lands as major veterinary organizations, including the AVMA, formally recognize climate change and sustainability as professional issues for animal health and veterinary medicine. (avma.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the article reflects a broader shift from treating climate and environmental change as a public-health sidebar to treating it as a clinical and workforce issue. Recent research in Frontiers in Veterinary Science found that 81% of surveyed respondents believed climate change has at least some relevance to patient care, but only 6% felt very knowledgeable about its animal-health impacts, and 94% said no education was available or they were unaware of it. The same paper pointed to practical topics teams may need to discuss with pet parents, including disaster preparedness, heat-associated illness, vector-borne disease, and air quality. Meanwhile, practice-level sustainability efforts may also support morale, recruitment, and retention, according to AAHA reporting on greener hospital operations. (frontiersin.org)

What to watch: Expect more pressure on practices, educators, and professional groups to build climate-related CE, client guidance, and workplace support into routine veterinary care. (frontiersin.org)