Before, criticism came from mentors and senior clinicians inside hospital walls. Today, it comes from comment sections.
Veterinarians are now flooded with opinions from strangers—clients, anonymous accounts, armchair experts who watched one video and suddenly feel qualified to judge your diagnosis, your fees, even your character.
Some feedback helps. Most is just noise.
The internet gave everyone a microphone. It did not give everyone wisdom.
Here’s the filter:
Accept correction only from people who are competent, credible, and who truly care about your growth.
If a mentor questions your decision, reflect.
If a trusted colleague points out a mistake, listen.
But if the criticism comes from someone who has never managed a crashing patient, never faced a euthanasia conversation, never carried the emotional weight of this profession—then pause.
You don’t need to prove your worth to strangers.
You need to grow, improve, and serve your patients with integrity.
Not every bark deserves your energy.
Not every comment deserves a response.
Sometimes silence is the strongest answer.
Young veterinarians especially struggle with this. One bad review can erase ten grateful clients in their minds. One viral post can make them doubt years of study and sacrifice. But remember: competence is built in clinics, not in comment sections.
Guard your mental space the way you guard sterile fields in surgery. Contamination spreads fast if you let it.
The loudest voices online are rarely the most accomplished ones offline.
The rest is noise.
Dr. Geoff Carullo is a Fellow and the current President of the Philippine College of Canine Practitioners.
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