Cyberbullying Awareness in Veterinary Facilities

“For someone to question your integrity or your compassion because they don’t like the outcome or think it costs too much hurts you to the core. Having attacks and harassment like this and seeing some of the things you read about yourself almost makes you want to give up.”

Brian Bourquin, DVM, Veterinarian and Owner of Boston Veterinary Clinic

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), “Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully someone, typically by sending or publicly posting messages that are intimidating or threatening.” This is beyond a simple bad review and is a serious issue in many veterinary facilities. In fact, 40 percent of AVMA members surveyed said they, or someone they work with, has been a victim of cyberbullying.

“It’s a big problem,” says Dr. Brian Bourquin, veterinarian and owner of the Boston Veterinary Clinic. “As an owner of five clinics, I’ve seen it rear its ugly head in many places. It can be harassing emails, leaving voicemails, texts, social media, etc. They’ll go after you and say you’re not compassionate or you kill animals.”

Dr. Bourquin has received harassing messages on every platform available, including LinkedIn. Angry clients will often demand that things be done their way, or they will leave a bad review on Google or similar platforms. While this may not rise to the level of cyberbullying, it is the start of it and can be very damaging to the mental health of veterinary clinic staff.

Unfortunately, disgruntled clients have always been a part of a veterinary practice. However, the anonymity and ease of digital communication have escalated the poor treatment directed at veterinary staff. “Getting bad reviews used to be a fairly rare thing. Well, we got three yesterday. There are more threats in addition to things like people picketing outside of clinics. It’s probably more prevalent now because people see this behavior gets results. I’ve seen anti-declaw groups get clinics closed. It only takes one message, and if you’ve got 5,000 followers, you now have 5,000 people calling and leaving nasty messages. Every time someone is successful, it gives people ideas.”

There are many organizations that are fighting back against the cyberbullying of veterinarians. Keep reading to learn more about what is happening, the causes of cyberbullying, its effect on staff, and what is being done to combat it.

Meet the Expert: Brian Bourquin, DVM

Example of Cyberbullying in Veterinary Facilities

While there have been many examples of cyberbullying of veterinary facilities, an incident at a facility in Maine in June of 2022 has brought the issue to the forefront.

A client brought her German Shepherd puppy to the Maine Veterinary Medical Center. It was determined that the dog needed surgery, and the owner couldn’t pay or secure a loan. Rather than putting the puppy down, the clinic offered to let her surrender it to an owner who could pay. The owner chose this route, and the puppy received the life-saving surgery.

The story somehow made it to the news and went viral. However, the news report was not entirely accurate and included lies that the hospital refused to return the puppy after the owner raised all the necessary funds: “Our staff are now faced with a social media maelstrom that includes hourly threats to burn down our hospital and to kill our staff and their families. We have had to have police guarding the hospital around the clock,” the clinic said in a statement.

Causes of Cyberbullying Towards Veterinary Clinics

Cyberbullying towards veterinarians and their facilities happens for many reasons.
Dr. Bourquin believes one of the main reasons has to do with the expense of veterinary care: “In with humans, for the most part, we have health insurance. You go to the doctor, they recommend a treatment, you pay your copay, and it happens. The money and medicine are typically far removed from each other,” he says.

“Unless you have pet insurance or you’ve set up a fund to pay for veterinary care, you have to figure out how to pay for care. The lack of money can be a deterrent to getting the full care your pet needs.”

Another reason why people might feel emboldened to cyberbully veterinarians is because of how this profession is perceived: “We are notorious for being loving and caring. There’s this imagery of us being giving, which we often are, but we still have to pay rent and our staff. I think that imagery, while lovely, has put a bull’s eye on our back that we are horrible not to provide the best care. We don’t need you to tell us that. We often feel bad enough as is,” says Dr. Bourquin. “It becomes our responsibility to do it for free. Otherwise, we don’t care about animals, and they will smear our name online.”

Effects of Cyberbullying on Veterinary Facilities

There are many effects of cyberbullying. In some cases where online bullying has drawn in a crowd response, phone lines can tied up, making it hard for patients to access care. “There was an emergency facility where people were actually blocking access for other animals. So innocent bystanders, if you will, weren’t getting the care they needed,” shares Dr. Bourquin.

But by and large, the most significant effect cyberbullying has is on the mental health of veterinarians and their staff. “You start to question whether you’re compassionate when you hear over and over, “If you love animals, you would do this for free,” Dr. Bourquin said ruefully. “For someone to question your integrity or your compassion because they don’t like the outcome or think it costs too much hurts you to the core. Having attacks and harassment like this and seeing some of the things you read about yourself almost makes you want to give up.”

He continues, “I’m a large enough business. It’s not going to put me out of business. But it certainly can harm a small family clinic. There’s not usually a ton of money sitting around. You don’t need many days of no work due to something like this. These newer vets are paying off half-a-million-dollar loans, so the financial burden is real. There’s no need for cyberbullying.”

What’s Being Done And How To Help

Many steps are being taken to address cyberbullying directed at veterinary facilities. The AVMA, through a grant from Banfield Pet Hospital, created a reputation management program for its members. This resource teaches clinic owners and veterinarians how to get help if they are being cyberbullied, find tools to help protect their reputations, and be proactive in managing their reputations going forward. NOMV has created a cyberbullying task force with a wide array of tools and resources to help clinics weather these attacks.

The AVMA and NOMV are working hard to increase the visibility of the harm cyberbullying causes. “We need more awareness. The first I heard about it was about a veterinarian who had rescued a cat, and there was a dispute over ownership. She was cyberbullied, and she ended up killing herself. Going after the small clinics causes real harm,” says Dr. Bourquin. In addition to awareness, clinics must proactively prepare their staff and facility for possible attacks.

Lastly, the general public can help: “Be our allies. If you see this happening online, come to the aid of the clinics and staff. Flag fake reviews online. Come out and support us,” burgers Dr. Bourquin. “Don’t just say something online if things don’t go right. Talk to the vet personally if that happens. Be supportive, and remember that no vet is in this for the money. That’s not why we go into this business.”