The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world and instantly changed the dynamics of several industries. The veterinarian profession is one of these fields. As a result of lockdowns and employees working from home, pet ownership has surged and a greater number of pet owners have found themselves noticing potential pet health concerns as they spend more time with their pets. In turn this has led to pet parents seeking veterinary care for their animals. These factors combined with the need for COVID-19 safety measures has left veterinarians and pet parents facing an ever growing demand for veterinary medical services, with some states potentially being impacted harder than others.
Increase in Pet Ownership
The surge in employees working from home grew to an estimated 42%.2 It has spurred pandemic pet ownership and led to pet parents keeping closer tabs on their pets. According to The APPA COVID-19 Pulse Study of Pet Ownership During the Pandemic, as of December 2020, 10% of pet owners surveyed brought home a new pet as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This percentage grew from 6% in June of 2020. The highest percentage of respondents who welcomed a new pet to their home fit the following criteria: they were either Gen Zers or Millennials, have young children at home, have annual household incomes higher than $100,000, and reside in urban communities. Contrary to these younger generations, just 2% of Baby Boomers reported getting a new pet since the pandemic began. These new pet parents have created an increased need for veterinary services by scheduling wellness exams and vaccinations for their new family members, in addition to other services.
The APPA COVID-19 Pulse Study of Pet Ownership During the Pandemic also found that 73% of people took solace during this emotional and economic upheaval by spending more time with their pets. Turning to pets in order to deal with stress during uncertain times does have a precedent. Pet ownership rates of dogs and cats remained steady throughout the Great Recession of 2008,3 showing just how important pets are to us and how their care and wellbeing remains a priority even in times of uncertainty.
Veterinarians Adapting to COVID-19 Restrictions
While the trends brought about by COVID-19 have been positive for the well-being of pets and good news for those pets that have been adopted, the increased demand put upon veterinarian professionals from the uptick has been overwhelming and stressful. Not only are they dealing with more clients, veterinary practices have had to contend with implementing new safety measures. Before the pandemic, protocols involving PPE (personal protective equipment) like masks, face shields, gloves and curbside patient drop-offs to mitigate the spread of a virus were realities reserved for a science-fiction novel. Now these are considered standard in many areas of the country. In addition to these new practices, veterinarians have had to contend with keeping themselves and their staff members healthy. Those with families have had to balance their work responsibilities with tending to children who are no longer going to school in person. A staff member getting sick with COVID-19 or missing time to care for a child leads to staff shortages. These factors have led to not only a potentially greater demand for vet services, but also a stressful time for veterinary clinics trying to adapt to pandemic era guidelines.
Veterinarians Being Overworked
With the final impact of trends brought on by the pandemic being far from over, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) points to how veterinarians across the nation are potentially being affected differently. Location quotients for the veterinarian occupation are used for identifying the concentration of veterinarian jobs in each state.7 Low concentrations of veterinarian jobs might signal a lack of practicing vets. For example, the BLS reported West Virginia’s location quotient for the veterinarian occupation is 0.91, which means that the concentration of veterinarians in the state is 0.91x below the national average. Combined with increased demand for vet services, it stands to reason that veterinarians in states with low occupation concentrations may be unable to keep up with the growing demand for their services.
Below we’ve detailed a list of the top 15 states with the lowest concentration of veterinarians.
Top 15 States with The Lowest Concentration of Veterinarian Jobs
15. West Virginia
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.91
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.462
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 320
14. New Mexico
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.90
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.457
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 380
13. Massachusetts
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.88
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.448
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 1620
12. Mississippi
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.88
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.448
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 510
11. Rhode Island
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.86
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.438
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 210
10. Illinois
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.84
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.429
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 2580
9. California
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.84
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.424
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 7380
8. New York
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.80
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.408
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 3890
7. South Carolina
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.80
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.405
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 850
6. Utah
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.76
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.388
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 580
5. Hawaii
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.76
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.388
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 250
4. Texas
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.76
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.384
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 4770
3. Nevada
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.75
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.382
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 530
2. Arkansas
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.73
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.369
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 450
1. New Jersey
- Veterinarian Concentration: 0.68
- Number of Veterinarian Jobs per 1,000 Jobs in Given State: 0.346
- Estimated Total Veterinarians: 1420
Effects on Pet Parents
While vet clinics might be feeling the strain of the pandemic in more ways than one, pet parents are also feeling the effects. The rise in demand for veterinary services and new safety protocols have created long wait times to be seen by veterinarians and veterinary specialists.4 Being seen regularly by a vet is still important for pet health and pet parents should continue to schedule their pet’s vet appointments despite delays. Scheduling several weeks in advance can help pets stay on schedule to receive vaccinations and wellness checks. Call ahead or use a pet helpline, like the 24/7 Pet Helpline provided with a Pets Best policy, to ask pet health questions. Services such as these can help save a trip to the vet for pet parents or at least help guide their decisions when it comes to a sick pet.
Vet practices are working hard to ensure pets and staff remain healthy and safe. Often the greatest help to these professionals is for pet parents to remain patient and understanding as we all continue to cope with the effects of the pandemic.
| State | Employment | Employment per 1,000 jobs | Location Quotient |
| Alabama | 980 | 0.495 | 0.97 |
| Alaska | 240 | 0.762 | 1.50 |
| Arizona | 1420 | 0.497 | 0.98 |
| Arkansas | 450 | 0.369 | 0.73 |
| California | 7380 | 0.424 | 0.84 |
| Colorado | 2260 | 0.845 | 1.67 |
| Connecticut | 910 | 0.549 | 1.08 |
| Delaware | 250 | 0.558 | 1.10 |
| District of Columbia | 90 | 0.130 | 0.26 |
| Florida | 4690 | 0.533 | 1.05 |
| Georgia | 2200 | 0.492 | 0.97 |
| Hawaii | 250 | 0.388 | 0.76 |
| Idaho | 420 | 0.577 | 1.14 |
| Illinois | 2580 | 0.429 | 0.84 |
| Indiana | 1560 | 0.508 | 1.00 |
| Iowa | 1040 | 0.672 | 1.32 |
| Kansas | 780 | 0.563 | 1.11 |
| Kentucky | 1190 | 0.626 | 1.23 |
| Louisiana | 910 | 0.471 | 0.93 |
| Maine | 540 | 0.891 | 1.76 |
| Maryland | 1580 | 0.586 | 1.15 |
| Massachusetts | 1620 | 0.448 | 0.88 |
| Michigan | 2190 | 0.504 | 0.99 |
| Minnesota | 1460 | 0.506 | 1.00 |
| Mississippi | 510 | 0.448 | 0.88 |
| Missouri | 1720 | 0.610 | 1.20 |
| Montana | 420 | 0.903 | 1.78 |
| Nebraska | 660 | 0.675 | 1.33 |
| Nevada | 530 | 0.382 | 0.75 |
| New Hampshire | 510 | 0.766 | 1.51 |
| New Jersey | 1420 | 0.346 | 0.68 |
| New Mexico | 380 | 0.457 | 0.90 |
| New York | 3890 | 0.408 | 0.80 |
| North Carolina | 2910 | 0.652 | 1.28 |
| North Dakota | 210 | 0.503 | 0.99 |
| Ohio | 2600 | 0.477 | 0.94 |
| Oklahoma | 1200 | 0.740 | 1.46 |
| Oregon | 1550 | 0.811 | 1.60 |
| Pennsylvania | 3560 | 0.603 | 1.19 |
| Puerto Rico | 80 | 0.097 | 0.19 |
| Rhode Island | 210 | 0.438 | 0.86 |
| South Carolina | 850 | 0.405 | 0.80 |
| South Dakota | 360 | 0.856 | 1.69 |
| Tennessee | 1750 | 0.582 | 1.15 |
| Texas | 4770 | 0.384 | 0.76 |
| Utah | 580 | 0.388 | 0.76 |
| Vermont | 240 | 0.795 | 1.57 |
| Virginia | 2530 | 0.652 | 1.28 |
| Washington | 1920 | 0.578 | 1.14 |
| West Virginia | 320 | 0.462 | 0.91 |
| Wisconsin | 1720 | 0.598 | 1.18 |
| Wyoming | 220 | 0.820 | 1.62 |
References
1 American Pet Products Association. (2020, December). COVID-19 Pulse Study: Pet Ownership During the Pandemic.
2 Bloom, N. (2020, June 29). Stanford Research Provides a Snapshot of a New Working-From-Home Economy. (M. Wong, Interviewer) Retrieved from https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/29/snapshot-new-working-home-economy/
3 Packaged Facts. (2020, June). U.S. Pet Market Outlook 2020-2021 (June 2020 Update).
4 Shannon, J. (2020, December 19). You may have to wait longer for a vet appointment during the pandemic. Here's why. USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/19/vet-appointments-during-covid-19-pandemic-longer-waits-busy-vets/3926813001/
5 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019, May). Occupational Employment Statistics. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291131.htm