Why is it so hard to see a vet now blog post thumbnail 1

No, your vet’s not lazy. Why it’s so hard to see a vet these days. 2022 post-pandemic pet and vet statistics infographic

Last month, on November 2, I dropped into my vet’s office to make an appointment for my dog. I was told that there were no appointments available for the entire month of November, and the calendar for December was not yet open for booking.

I’ve been wanting to make this infographic for a while and finally had some time to dig into the statistics this past weekend.

A few notes on data and sources

I try my best to verify data sources and pick only those that I feel are reliable and most recently published.

Pet demographics were obtained from a few sources including the Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook by the AVMA using data collected in early 2021. Therefore, I went with the Forbes survey for pandemic-related pet ownership which was published December 8, 2022.

Veterinary population statistics were extracted from the companion animal vets subcategory under clinical practice category of the 2021 AVMA U.S. veterinarians statistics.

Why is it so hard to see a vet now? Infographic text

As of 2022… 90.5 million household in the U.S. own at least 1 pet1

78% of pet owners got new pets between March 2020 – May 20212

Americans currently own about 89 million dogs and 62 million cats3

But there are only about 57,805 companion animal vets4

That’s an average of 2,612 cats/dogs to 1 veterinarian

Your vet & vet staff are overwhelmed

  • Schedule routine care at least 1 month ahead
  • Be patient with vet staff at appointments
  • More pets = more emergencies, so plan ahead and prepare for wait times

PNG

Why is it so hard to see a vet now?
Why is it so hard to see a vet now?
Version: v202212231453

Accessible PDF

Why is it so hard to see a vet now? (Accessible PDF)
Why is it so hard to see a vet now? (Accessible PDF)
Version: v202212231453

Sources

  1. Facts + Statistics: Pet Ownership and Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
  2. Survey: 78% of Pet Owners Acquired Pets During Pandemic (Forbes Advisor)
  3. AVMA 2022 Pet Ownership and Demographic Report (avma.org)
  4. U.S. veterinarians 2021 | American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org)
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