Pet owners throughout San Diego County have been feeling the impact of a statewide veterinarian shortage. Sometimes the wait for an appointment is weeks or, even, months.
“The vet shortage is incredibly dire right now,” said Dr. Gary Weitzman, President and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society. “In California alone, we are probably short on vets by at least 30% of what we need.”
The San Diego Humane Society employs 26 veterinarians and dozens of veterinary technicians. While they may have enough people to staff their team, they want to help the greater community.
“The economics of becoming a veterinarian are very difficult,” Weitzman said. “There’s always been a disconnect. It’s so expensive to go to vet school, and the earnings don’t actually compare with the expense once a veterinarian graduates.”
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But, it is not the pay that often draws people to the industry.
“It really is a profession that one does because of commitment, passion and love,” Weitzman said.
That’s why SDHS sponsored two bills, AB-1237 and AB-1399, to both encourage people in California to become vets in areas that need the most help and alleviate the pressure on private practices through virtual appointments.
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The California Public Interest Veterinary Debt Relief Act, AB-1237, will offer payments of up to $150,000 to help with school debt. The trade-off is that the veterinarian needs to commit five years to working either at an animal shelter in California or in an underserved community.
“Here at shelter medicine, you know, we’re doing anything from reptiles to animal neglect, livestock,” said Dr. Daniel Barbour, a staff veterinarian at SDHS.
Barbour said working in shelter medicine can be a different beast, and while they do not make as much as colleagues who choose to work in private or specialized medicine, it is worth it because of the unique animals you are able to help.
“I could be on medicine, I could be seeing appointments, I could be on routine, I could be on spay/neuter surgery, I could be helping out with specialty surgery,” Barbour said. “It’s definitely rewarding.”
He added that it is not unlikely for veterinarians to tackle 25 to 30 procedures each day.
As for the second bill, AB-1399, it hopes to expand the abilities of vets to be able to see patients virtually, like telehealth, to reduce the number of in-person appointments that are stretching clinics thin.
“By giving them services through Zoom or, you know, another platform online, that’s going to help tremendously and decrease that number of people coming into private practices until they absolutely have to,” Weitzman said.
