Compassion is defined as a deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it (Figley & Roop, 2006). Fatigue is defined as the mental weariness resulting from exertion that is associated with attending to the emotional andphysical pain of others (Figley & Roop, 2006). Combined together, compassion fatigue has been called the hurt of the heart (Ogilvie, 2006), something all of us in the veterinary profession are susceptible to, and many of us today suffer from this condition. Why us? Only compassionate, empathic, loving, and caring people suffer from compassion fatigue—the very people who are so vital to the animal-care field (Figley & Roop, 2006).
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