Michael Great in threats to Mt Druitt Vet Dr Vicky Balnave

Days after a customer was convicted of a shocking racial and personal attack on her, Dr Vicky Balnaves tells of the increasing risk our vets face as pet rage soars.

A western Sydney vet has spoken out on the death threats and abuse she says are on the rise in her profession after an aggressive customer threatened to burn down her clinic.

Dr Vicky Balnave said she and her staff encountered several abusive customers every week at her Mt Druitt vet clinic, with COVID fuelling a rise in emotional and financial strains.

The experienced vet endured one of the worst abusive outbursts of her career last December, when an emotional customer threatened to set the Whalan practice alight during a tirade of personal and racial abuse.

“In the case of this particular client, I had to draw the line somewhere as he was the worst level of abuse I’ve ever received in my 10 years working as a vet in Mt Druitt,” Dr Balnave said.

Vet Dr Vicky Balnave from Mt Druitt Veterinary Clinic. Picture: Supplied

“Our clinic generally has a lovely clientele that supports us very much and they just wanted justice as well.”

The man behind the tirade, 34-year-old Michael Great, was subsequently charged with intimidation and convicted in court this week.

Great, who unfairly blamed Dr Balnave for the passing of his Great Dane, who was suffering from cancer, received a 12-month Community Corrections Order as punishment.

However, Dr Balnave said the attack was just the tip of the iceberg.

“We receive death threats like, ‘watch your back, I know where you live. Or, if something happens to my animal, something will happen to you’,” she said.

“They’re the worst sort of threats where things are said in a heated fashion. But we get a good feel for people and their animals and the ones that are just made in the heat of the moment because people are angry, upset or unable to pay the bill.

Mt Druitt Veterinary Clinic in Whalan. Picture: Supplied

“My nurses are the ones that usually take the phone calls and do bear the brunt of a lot of the verbal abuse.

“It’s directed at them and at us vets. We’ve just developed coping mechanisms for dealing with it on an almost daily basis.”

She said the costs associated with vet care unfortunately led to many customer outbursts.

“We receive a lot of abuse regarding money. There’s a lot of emotional blackmail and sometimes we are expected to do things for free,” she said.

“There’s no such thing as Medicare for animals unfortunately, so when bad things happen, they can happen very rapidly, and when people are strapped for cash, that’s when emotions can really go flying.

“It was particularly terrible last year with COVID. I think COVID brought a lot of badness out in people generally and I could easily say everyday we copped abuse in some way or shape.”

Mt Druitt Local Court. Picture: Angelo Velardo

Dr Balnave said many vets were forced to push the attacks to one side to save the hassle of dealing with constant police reports.

She believed many unpleasant encounters could be avoided and encouraged more pet owners to consider pet insurance.

“I see a lot of people unfortunately buy designer breeds such as French bulldogs and they have the capital to pay for the animal but don’t have the money to look after the health problems these animals present with,” she said.

“That would definitely help reduce frictions and conflict, especially when there are large procedures and large sums of money involved.”