{"id":99694,"date":"2021-11-07T06:52:33","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T11:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/?p=99694"},"modified":"2021-11-07T06:52:33","modified_gmt":"2021-11-07T11:52:33","slug":"us-veterinarians-overwhelmed-as-more-pet-owners-seek-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/2021\/11\/07\/us-veterinarians-overwhelmed-as-more-pet-owners-seek-care\/","title":{"rendered":"US Veterinarians Overwhelmed as More Pet Owners Seek Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"VOA \u2014 ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA\u00a0 \u2014 <\/span>The pandemic has not only been challenging for medical workers, it has also overwhelmed veterinarians who report a rising demand for pet care as many Americans acquired furry friends while cooped up at home.<\/p>\n

For a growing number of pet owners, it has been frustrating trying to get into a veterinary clinic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to have no trouble getting in to see my veterinarian before the pandemic,\u201d said Mila Helmsford, a dog owner in Alexandria Virginia, as she walked Bailey, her golden retriever. \u201cNow, when I call to make an appointment, I\u2019m told it could be several days or longer before the vet can see my dog. And that concerns me, especially when Bailey isn\u2019t feeling well.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Veterinarian<\/div>\n<\/div>
Veterinarian Veronica Jarvinen, owner of EMMAvet, an urgent care center in Alexandria, Virginia. During the pandemic the clinic has been overwhelmed with pets needing urgent medical attention. (Courtesy – EMMAvet)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Veterinarians say they haven\u2019t been able to treat the same number of pets per day as they did prior to the pandemic due to social distancing and other pandemic restrictions, creating a backlog.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have more pets than ever before, and many of them got their animals during the pandemic,\u201d said Jessica Vogelsang, chief medical officer for the American Animal Hospital Association, a nonprofit organization for companion animal veterinary hospitals. \u201cSo, there\u2019s an increased demand for veterinary services.\u201d<\/p>\n

As pet owners face long waits, many veterinarians deal with burnout from stress, long working hours and a lack of work-life balance, said David Lee, a director at Cornell University\u2019s College of Veterinary Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them are reducing their work hours or leaving the profession entirely because they\u2019re so frustrated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\"Veterinarian<\/div>\n<\/div>
Veterinarian Tony Martin, an associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, teaches veterinary students about large animal medicine. (Courtesy – University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI strongly believe there is a shortage of veterinarians in the U.S.,\u201d Rustin Moore, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Ohio State University, told VOA. \u201cI\u2019ve heard many veterinarians say they are having a difficult time trying to hire the veterinarians they need for their practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe veterinarian shortage is acute and chronic,\u201d said Mark Cushing, founder and CEO of the Animal Policy Group, an organization that focuses on animal care.<\/p>\n

Others believe there is no actual scarcity, only a perception of one.<\/p>\n

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\"Veterinarian<\/div>\n<\/div>
Veterinarian Jose Arce examines a feline patient at his clinic in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Arce is also the president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. (Courtesy – American Veterinary Medical Association)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think there is this perception of a shortage because pet owners can\u2019t see their veterinarian as quickly as they would like to right now,\u201d said Jose Arce, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, an organization representing more than 90,000 veterinarians in the U.S. Arce said his organization\u2019s data doesn\u2019t reflect a shortage.<\/p>\n

Despite challenges within the profession, interest in becoming a vet has not waned, according to Moore at Ohio State. If anything, he said there are not enough veterinary training colleges to meet demand, noting that \u201capplications have gone up significantly from people who are highly qualified.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the newest programs is the University of Arizona\u2019s College of Veterinary Medicine, which had its first class last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a three, instead of the usual four-year program,\u201d said Katie Bergingson, the director of admissions and student affairs. \u201cThis means we can get our graduates into the workforce faster, especially into communities where veterinarians are really needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

And many of the students say veterinary medicine is more than a vocation, it\u2019s a passion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love animals. They bring me so much joy,\u201d said Deianira Smith, a 26-year-old veterinary student, who aims to teach people how to take better care of their animals.<\/p>\n

Animal Policy Group\u2019s Cushing believes veterinary practices need to be more efficient and ready for a new normal of high demand and high expectation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMillennials now own 60% of all pets and they\u2019re demanding a higher level of services, including medical advice,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can be more hands-on with their animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Jessica<\/div>\n<\/div>
Jessica Wright sits next to her dog Penny at her home, Apr. 6, 2021, in Decatur, Ga. Wright had to navigate distanced veterinarian appointments as she took Penny into her home during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Arce, with the American Veterinary Medical Association, sees remote telehealth continuing to blossom at animal clinics, as well as better use of technicians to assist overworked vets.<\/p>\n

Veterinary positions are anticipated to grow 16% by 2029, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n

For both veterinarians and their clients, it can\u2019t come soon enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the animal hospital where I take my dog is doing the best they can right now,\u201d said dog owner Kayla Lewis of San Francisco. \u201cBut I hope I won\u2019t have to worry about getting in to see my vet too much longer. My dog, Shadow, is like a member of my family.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOA \u2014 ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA\u00a0 \u2014 The pandemic has not only been challenging for medical workers, it has also overwhelmed veterinarians who report a rising demand for pet care as many Americans acquired furry friends while cooped up at home. For a growing number of pet owners, it has been frustrating trying to get into a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recposts"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["fa","en"],"languages":{"fa":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99694"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99697,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99694\/revisions\/99697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}