Between the Lines

Boundaries Are Not a Luxury

Why sustainable care requires limits—and why honoring them protects everyone

In animal rehabilitation, caring deeply is often treated as synonymous with giving endlessly.

Long hours. Skipped meals. Emotional availability without pause. The quiet expectation to “just push through.” Over time, these patterns are normalized—not because they are healthy, but because they are familiar.

Both physical therapists and veterinarians work inside systems where boundaries can feel optional at best, and selfish at worst. Yet the absence of boundaries is not a mark of dedication. It is one of the clearest predictors of burnout, resentment, and moral distress.

Boundaries are not a luxury.

They are a clinical necessity.

Veterinary medicine, in particular, carries well-documented mental health challenges. These challenges arise from many sources: high responsibility, emotional labor, financial pressure, client conflict, and the moral weight of life-and-death decisions. Less often discussed is how boundary erosion contributes to this burden.

In many veterinary environments, working through breaks, staying late without relief, and absorbing emotional distress are treated as part of the job. For clinicians trained to prioritize patient care above all else, advocating for personal needs can feel unsafe—or disloyal.

Physical therapists enter these environments from a different professional culture.

In human medicine, PTs are trained to protect time for recovery—both for themselves and for their patients. Lunch breaks, scheduled documentation time, and workload limits are understood as part of delivering high-quality care. When PTs carry these expectations into veterinary spaces, they may encounter resistance—not because boundaries are wrong, but because they challenge long-standing norms.

This mismatch can create tension.

A PT asking for protected time may be seen as inflexible.

A veterinarian fears a break may be seen as not holding responsibility.

Neither interpretation tells the full story.

Boundaries are not about doing less. They are about doing what is sustainable—so care remains thoughtful, precise, and humane over time. When boundaries collapse, everyone pays the price: professionals burn out, communication degrades, mistakes increase, and compassion fatigue deepens.

Importantly, boundaries are contagious.

When one clinician models respectful limits, it creates permission for others to do the same. When leaders protect their own boundaries, teams feel safer protecting theirs. When boundaries are dismissed or punished, silence and exhaustion follow.

True collaboration requires boundaries on both sides.

Physical therapists must hold professional limits without apology. Veterinarians must recognize that boundary-setting is not a lack of commitment—it is a strategy for longevity. Together, both professions can create environments where care for animals does not come at the expense of care for people.

Sustainable systems are not built on sacrifice alone.
They are built on respect.

Action Steps

For Physical Therapists

• Model boundaries calmly and consistently.
  Protect time for meals, documentation, and recovery without framing it as exceptional.

• Hold professionalism without over-explaining.
  Boundaries do not require justification beyond safety and sustainability.

• Seek support beyond your immediate workplace.
  Especially if you are the only PT in a veterinary setting, outside community is essential.

For Veterinarians

• Recognize boundary-setting as a strength.
  Clinicians who protect their capacity provide better care over time.

• Avoid normalizing exhaustion.
  What is common is not always healthy.

• Create structural support where possible.
  Even small shifts—protected breaks, realistic scheduling—reduce cumulative strain.

A Shared Collaborative Approach

• Name boundaries as part of care planning.
  Discuss workload, availability, and expectations openly. When limits are clear, collaboration becomes safer, more effective, and more humane.