Vets needed: a national issue made local The U.S. is currently experiencing a veterinary shortage. Approximately 2,000 vets retire per year, and American schools graduate only about 2,550 new vets every year, according to a 2022 study by Mars Veterinary Health, the world’s largest provider of veterinary care. The projected healthcare needs for companion animals like dogs and cats alone will require over 41,000 vets to enter practice in the next decade. The current estimate suggests the country will run short of 15,000 vets just for companion animals by 2030. Causes of the problem include the early retirement of older vets during the pandemic, the high cost of a degree for a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), with tuition and fees currently at $34,000 per year for California residents at UC Davis, and high dropout and suicide rates for the profession. The data come from a 2023 study from the National Institutes of Health and multiple studies from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Californians are particularly feeling the effects of the shortage. A little over 40% of California households own a companion animal. Approximately 23% of California households own a cat and close to 40% own at least one dog, according to a 2020 report from Pawlicy Advisor, a national marketplace for finding companion animal insurance. Since California leads the country in agricultural production, its ranches, farms and farm animal rescue organizations will suffer as well.
1. Offer financial support in the form of donations or supplies like hay or pet food and towels. If you work for a company, see if it will match the amount of your donation. 2. Adopters who have adopted an animal from the organization can sign a release to tell their story to promote fundraising efforts. 3. Use social media to share news about the rescue’s fundraising events, like gala dinners. 4. Volunteer time to assist an organization with fundraising efforts or activities involving animals, like walking dogs. 5. Inform and invite vets about events like career days where they can engage in public education, to encourage children, teens and young adults to become veterinary professionals.— Jessica Zimmer Five ways to support animal rescue organizations
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