A veterinarian will take his or her own life on average every 12 weeks in Australia.

It is a harrowing statistic, but one well known among Perth vets.

Their efforts to tackle depression and suicide in the profession using a mentoring system have resulted in significant improvements over the past two decades.

The WA-led program is now on the cusp of going national, but funding it is proving difficult.

There is more to the job of being a vet than spaying cats and microchipping dogs.

Vets work long hours, they deal with death on a daily basis, and they have access to lethal drugs.

This may be why they are four times more likely to die by suicide than the general public.

Perth vet Paul Davey is all too familiar with the pressures faced by his colleagues.

"There's a study that suggests we deal with death 17 times more often than a GP," he said.

"We love dealing with animals and yet so often we have to see them die, see them suffer.

"That is a difficult part of our job and it takes its toll."

Long hours and isolation increase risk

Dr Davey believes new graduates are at particular risk of developing depression, especially those working in rural WA.

Will Powell moved to Manjimup, south of Bunbury in Western Australia, after graduating from Murdoch University three years ago.

"You see some very, very sad things, things that are out of your power to change and if you don't have a good support structure that really can be heartbreaking," he said.

Vet Will Powell, who is based in Manjimup, often travels long distances to treat animals.

Dr Powell is based at the town's vet clinic but makes house calls to farming properties up to 100 kilometres away.

Midnight callouts are common while suffering and death are just another part of the job.

Dr Powell credits a supportive employer with helping him handle the stress and occasional lack of sleep.

But many of his peers have not been as lucky.

"The lack of support has meant some of them aren't working in the vet industry anymore," he said.

"They really got thrown in the deep end."

Dr Davey has been mentoring young vets for almost 20 years, after losing family friend and fellow vet Gavin Barugh to suicide in 1996.

The 24-year-old took his own life the day before starting work with Dr Davey.

"It was very, very easy to put my hand up at that point and say I want to be part of a program that prevents this happening again," Dr Davey said.

Vet graduates paired with mentors

Mr Barugh's death shocked WA's vet community into action and, almost two decades on, WA now leads the way in vet mental health.

A graduate support program was set up in 1997 by the local branch of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA).

Experienced vets like Dr Davey are paired with students on the cusp of graduating from Murdoch University.

Mentors can give advice on challenging cases or simply provide a sympathetic ear.

Eleanor Parker credits the program with helping her through a difficult first year out of university.

"It's a real security blanket and it takes a weight off because you've got someone there who really understands, who knows what you're going through and can give worldly counsel and advice because no doubt they've been there," she said.

Ms Parker graduated in 2010.

Like most vets, she pursued the career because she loves animals, but she quickly saw the dark side of her profession.

"For example, you'll get a puppy brought in with a broken leg that you know you can fix [so] that puppy can go on to live a happy and healthy life," she said.

"But if the client can't pay for the procedure you might have to end that animal's life and that does really take a toll on you.

"I did find myself becoming desensitised, which you need to a degree, but it was also scary because there were times I knew I should be feeling something and wasn't."

Dr Powell also relied on his mentor during his first year out of university.

"No matter where you are there's always a phone you can pick up to call someone and have a chat," he said.

The program has had enormous success, with no young vets taking their lives, and last year Dr Davey was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his contribution.

It was a bittersweet moment for a man driven to help by the tragedy of losing a friend.

"We all draw motivation out of [Gavin Barugh's] loss in that we see that if a program such as ours was available when he graduated we may have been able to help, not just at the time he was in a dark place but a lot earlier than that," he said.

WA program faces uncertain future

It is not just young vets at risk of developing depression.

Brian McErlean from the AVA has spent the past two years trying to educate his peers about depression and suicide through a program funded by a government grant.

"Retired vets have similar problems because they've devoted their whole lives to being a vet and they have poor work-life balance, so when they stop working there's a void," he said.

He travelled to dozens of country towns meeting local vets and says their response was profound.

"I think it was acceptance that there is a problem and when they opened up you heard all sorts of things about work pressures, not having had a holiday for 10 years, struggling with depression," he said.

The association has also trained vets to recognise signs of depression in their colleagues.

"If we can treat the depression we can make lives better, we can save lives and we can make the lives of the people around them so much better because everything improves when you improve mental health," he said.

The State Government is yet to announce whether it will continue to fund the program and Dr McErlean says it is terrible timing for the AVA.

He says the association ultimately wants to set up a graduate program in every state and continue targeting older vets too.

"It's not a very expensive program to run," he said.

"Now that we've trained the gatekeepers, it would probably cost $20,000 or $30,000 a year to run it right around the state.

"It is a matter of urgency - if you value life, it's a priority."

The AVA plans to approach the Federal Government in a bid to secure more money.

Dr Davey is determined to see every Australian vet graduate given access to a mentor.

"We're very proud of what we've been able to achieve but we don't want to stop there," he said.

"We can see the potential, we can see what we've got left to achieve and we'd really love the opportunity to continue the work that we've started."