03/25/2026
Ellensburg Animal Hospital would like to address recent online commentary regarding our clinic, much of which has been unfair to our team, misleading to the public, and dismissive of the care, professionalism, and emotional labor that veterinary staff provide every day.
Veterinary medicine is one of the most emotionally demanding professions there is, and unless you’ve lived it, it’s hard to fully understand what happens behind the exam room door.
Every day, veterinary teams carry an enormous weight. We help families through some of their worst moments. We deliver hard news. We fight for sick and injured animals. We stay late, skip lunch, make difficult calls, and do everything we can to care for the pets entrusted to us.
And sometimes, we help a beloved pet pass peacefully… then, just a few minutes later, we are expected to walk into the next appointment with a smile on our face and carry on like our hearts aren’t cracked wide open.
That is the reality of this field.
Running a veterinary hospital is also incredibly expensive. The equipment, medications, lab work, staffing, training, supplies, utilities, emergency preparedness, and day-to-day care it takes to keep a hospital functioning are substantial. Veterinary medicine is not “just a quick visit” or “just a shot.” It is skilled medical care provided by a team of people who have spent years gaining education and experience who have dedicated their lives to serving animals.
And behind that team? We are still people.
We have families. We go home carrying the cases that stayed with us. We replay the appointments that hurt. We wonder if we could have done more. And yes, we read the reviews, the comments, the angry posts, and the public attacks.
Those words do not just “stay online.”
They land on real people. People who were likely doing their best in a hard moment. People who may have just helped a family say goodbye to a pet. People who may not have had time to process their own grief before moving on to the next patient who needed them.
Every cruel comment, every accusation, every public pile-on cuts deeper than most people realize.
This profession is already struggling under the weight of compassion fatigue, burnout, staffing shortages, financial pressure, and emotional exhaustion. Many veterinary professionals are giving everything they have, and still being told it isn’t enough.
Please remember: veterinary teams are not robots. We are not uncaring. We are not untouched by loss, grief, frustration, or heartbreak.
We care deeply. Sometimes too deeply. We will continue to work hard to care for your animals, advocate for them, and do our best to accommodate the needs of every patient we can.
But kindness matters.
Patience matters.
Grace matters.
Because the people caring for your pets are human, too.
