Almost three months ago, my clinic experienced a cyberbullying attack that left me in a very dark place. Like most ER clinics, we have been insanely busy. Despite my team working hard every day, saving lives, and making a difference in literally thousands of animals’ lives every month… All it took was one unhappy client to try and bring that down. “Try” being the keyword.

This person made a Tiktok video calling us murderers (I was not involved in the case nor on shift but was targeted simply by being the clinic owner), all based on a handful of negative Google reviews that the client read after being dissatisfied with their experience at my clinic. By the time we caught wind of the video, it had thousands of views and already had comments calling for violence against my clinic and eventually against me directly. Those leading the cyberbullying attack started a funding site to gather donations to help “shut [EVH] down.” Our phone lines were clogged by vulgar phone calls, text messages, and emails. They flooded my Google page with THOUSANDS of false reviews. THOUSANDS! We went from the highest-ranked ER in our state-based off on authentic reviews to one of the lowest-ranked. I was horrified and felt demoralized and defeated. Before I could even catch my breath, my family and I had to flee town due to the threats of violence and someone doxing my home address and contact information. It was a dark, dark place to be.

At the height of the storm, this client *almost* made me question if this was the right field for me. This client *almost* made me question my purpose in life, *almost* made me walk away from everything I have worked my entire life towards, and *almost* made me give up on my dream. *Almost*

Then I remembered how resilient we are as Veterinarians and how grateful and blessed I am that my passion, purpose, and vocation meet as one. How astounding our profession is that we get to care for so many amazing species, sometimes multiple on the same day! We get to share in the joys and the sorrows of our clients. We get to help our patients through some really tough things and see them flourish due to our perseverance and compassion. And when their body doesn’t want to fight anymore, we give them a respectful and proper goodbye. And we are all the better for it!

Too often, we forget those things during the height of “the storm.” The waves are crashing down on our boat, and we fear we may sink under the weight. But if we can steer towards the light on the horizon, I promise it will be okay!

I pray that no one experiences an attack like this. Still, sadly, statistics also show that cyberbullying has had a significant impact on the mental health of the veterinary profession as a whole. Most recommendations during an event like this are to “sit and wait for the storm to blow over,” but this route did not align with my beliefs. I could not just sit there and watch someone do this to everything I had worked my entire life for, and everything my team had worked so hard to accomplish. After multiple attempts to handle this situation outside of the court system, including offering mediation so we could discuss the client’s experience and address any concerns, we ultimately had to go through the court system. We filed a defamation lawsuit, and the court agreed with us, granting a permanent injunction stating that the client needed to remove the videos with defamatory comments/statements, post a retraction video/statement (click here to watch it now), and not make false comments about EVH or me again.

Although we are grateful to have our name cleared in such a manner, it doesn’t feel like justice enough for my team who endured the vulgar phone calls nor for the countless pets whose owners could not get through on clogged phone lines, and certainly not for my children who remain traumatized to this day from the threats of violence against their mom. Instead, we will use this experience to fortify our boat, raise our sails, and carry on with our mission of having a positive impact on our patients, clients, colleagues, and our community. The same way we have for the past nine years. To those who sent us words of encouragement, food, gift baskets, and posted such endearing comments about our team on social media… saying thank you hardly seems enough. It is because of you that our team continued on. Thank you for being the wind at our backs, pushing us onward even in the midst of the storm.

– Lindsay Ruland, DVM

CEO, Chief of Medicine