A Vet Turned Me Vegan — Here Is How
The most precious turning point in my life
Today, I want to tell you about the most impactful conversation I ever had with a vet. I’ve met a lot of vets in my life — and they all had interesting stories to tell. But this one hit different. Read on👇
One-Sentence-Prologue
In summer of 2017, an eye-opening virtual reality experience about the meat industry provided by animal rights activists in Leipzig, Germany had shocked me to the core and inspired me to go vegetarian.
A carpooling experience with consequences
Just a few months later, I traveled to the city of Hamburg for a university-related event, not knowing that the next transformative spark was waiting for me on that trip. A spark that would turn out even more life-changing.
After putting my phone number on a carpooling list for the event in Hamburg, a woman called and offered me a ride.
I had never met her. The first thing I noticed when she picked me up was her striking, almost intimidating beauty.
To be honest, I got a bit shy when she told me that there would be no other passengers — just the two of us for around 400 kilometers.
But we quickly warmed up to each other and engaged in casual conversations about our lives.
When I found out that she works as a veterinarian, I asked her whether she often witnessed intense animal suffering — and how she manages to deal with it.
Horrifying insights
When she responded, she suddenly spoke with a subdued and very serious voice.
She started telling me about an internship she once did in the dairy industry.
I noticed how her face got tense. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white and her voice even broke a few times as she recounted the intense cruelty and suffering she had witnessed during her internship.
I went completely silent, listened open-mouthed, with increasing horror and disbelief. What she told me was completely insane.
In every gruesome detail, she described...
the disgusting methods used in the repetitive cycle of forced insemination (in what the industry calls “rape rack,” with farmers often shoving their entire forearm into the cow's anus to speed up the process)
traumatizing separations of mother cows from their newborn calves
the heart-wrenching destiny of male calves who — as unwanted by-products of the milk production industry — were confined in narrow cages and killed mere weeks after their birth
the plight of cows collapsing from exhaustion, calling for help as they were brutally dragged out of the barn with a tractor and sent to the slaughterhouse with broken bones
the intense pain and suffering resulting from the fact that dairy cows are bred to produce up to 10 times as much milk as they would naturally — and, as a result:
chronic udder infections, and existing standards regarding the allowable amount of pus in a liter of cow's milk 🤮
Once I had composed myself enough to form a coherent thought, it was this:
How on Earth can it be that I haven't learnt about this in school?
What the hell is wrong with our society that even well-educated people hear about this after so many years of consuming animal products every single day — if they hear about it at all?
(Today, I know that most vegans are familiar with the above facts. But I'm quite certain the majority of our society hasn’t heard of them, yet. Most people still think of the dairy industry as a largely non-violent, “humane” industry.)
When I finally found words again, all I could utter was:
“Oh my god, that sounds horrifying!”
“Yep”, she said. And I saw a shudder going through her body.
She didn't seem like a sensitive soul to me. She seemed strong and resilient. And as a vet, she must have already seen all sorts of bloody, disgusting, and heart-breaking things.
If even a person like her is so affected by what she witnessed in the dairy industry, that clearly meant something.
Later on, she would also share horrifying insights from the meat industry. For example, of screaming animals having parts of their faces blasted away multiple times with a bolt gun before slaughterhouse employees finally managed to put the gun in the “right” place and shoot the bolt into the animal's brain.
Yet, she still insisted that the dairy industry is the worst hell for animals she has ever experienced.
When I cautiously mentioned that I'm a vegetarian, she responded that she follows a vegan lifestyle — and that her experience in the dairy industry prompted her to give up dairy products first, long before she gave up meat.
Her words resonate within me to this day.
A genius 5-minute video
She also strongly recommended a video that summarizes the horrors of the dairy industry in just 5 minutes. A video, she said, that perfectly reflects the reality she had experienced during her internship.
“Just search for 'Dairy is Scary' — it's pretty popular, you will find it.”
Here is the video👇
(NOTE: to give an honest look into the harsh realities of the dairy industry, some brief segments of graphic footage are included. Viewer discretion is advised.)
It changed my life …
When I watched the video at home, it instantly turned me vegan. Several friends and relatives to whom I immediately forwarded the video had the same reaction. 💛
There are few chance encounters in my life — if any — for which I am as grateful as for the vet’s lift to Hamurg in 2017.
… and turned me into an activist
I have been a passionate animals rights activist ever since. This includes street activism, non-violent disruptive protests, chalking actions, online campaigns, blogging, holding speeches, and the organization of mass protests.
There is nothing in my life that gives me more purpose and fulfilment than animal rights activism — and working closely with other beautiful souls that share the same values and mission.
🚀 Sharing is caring
With this post, I want to share the amazing gift I have received in 2017 with you. Please pass this gift on by sharing this post with others.
Got some vegetarian friends? This is the perfect opportunity to show them — in their own interest — that only veganism truly gets them what they hope to achieve. Ditching meat for ethical reasons but continuing to consume other animal products like dairy and eggs is not only inconsistent. It makes no sense at all.
✊ My top goal in life: work full-time towards animal liberation
My dream is to gain some degree of salary independence, so I can spend even more time on what’s closest to my heart: vegan activism. By supporting this newsletter financially, you can boost my motivation and assist in keeping Vegan Horizon paywall-free and available to everyone.
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– Pala