75 Million Pets Aren't Getting Vet Care. Your Clients' Pets Are Part of That Number.

Source: Today's Veterinary Business

A veterinarian recently wrote a letter to the editor in Today's Veterinary Business and she quantified what pet professionals have known for years: the veterinary care system is failing a huge chunk of the pet-owning public — not because people don't care, but because care has become genuinely unaffordable and unreachable for millions of families.

According to the article, 75 million pet owners skipped or declined veterinary care last year due to cost or access. Veterinary costs have outpaced inflation every year since 2019. Average annual care can reach $3,000 per pet, and 67 percent of families say they could not cover a $5,000 emergency vet bill without going into debt. Separately, 74 percent of pet owners report being unable to get a same-day appointment. Clinics close at 5 p.m. Pets do not.

The consequence of that gap is not simply inconvenience. Nearly half of the pets in situations where care was delayed experienced worsening conditions, required emergency treatment, were surrendered, or died. The primary conditions driving those outcomes — anxiety, ear infections, skin issues — are manageable when caught early. They become crises when no one can reach a vet.

The argument is that veterinary telehealth is a meaningful part of the solution. California expanded telemedicine access in January 2024, and medical consultations grew by more than 13,000 percent. One in three new telemedicine appointments now originate in the state and in states where telehealth is permitted, veterinarian participation is 50 percent higher. Over a pet's lifetime, that access can save a family up to $24,000. And those funds can go back into preventive care instead of crisis management.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR PET PROS

If 75 million pet owners are skipping veterinary care, a significant number of your clients are in that group — or they're one unexpected bill away from joining it. The pets you groom, walk, train, board, or photograph are not always getting the foundational medical care that makes everything else work. That is not your fault and it is not theirs. But it is context you need to understand.

It also means that when pet parents push back on your pricing, hesitate to book, or go quiet after you raise your rates, financial stress around pet care is often in the background. This is not a reason to lower your prices. It is a reason to communicate the value of what you do with more precision.

The veterinary sector is having a loud, public conversation right now about cost and access. That conversation is landing in your clients' inboxes and feeds. You have an opportunity to show up as the professional who understands it — who sees the full picture of what pet ownership actually demands — rather than the one who just sends appointment reminders and invoices.

HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION

Reference this data when you talk about your services in the context of prevention. The clearest version of that argument is not "I'm worth it" — it is "here is what I catch before it becomes a vet visit." Every groomer, trainer, pet sitter, and dog walker in this industry is doing work that has a downstream effect on veterinary costs. Most of you never say so. Start saying so.

If you serve veterinary clients directly — or if you have referral relationships with clinics — this is a conversation worth having. Telehealth is expanding. Pet parents are being reached virtually who were not being reached before. That is a new audience that is actively looking for trusted professionals to care for their animals. Position yourself to be found by them.

Create content that acknowledges the financial reality your clients are living in without undermining the value of what you provide. Something as simple as "I know vet costs are a lot right now — here is how consistent [grooming / training / walking] helps prevent the problems that become emergencies" is more useful and more honest than another post about how much you love dogs.

And if you have not yet built a referral relationship with a local veterinarian or veterinary telehealth service, now is a good time to start. The lines between care providers are blurring. The professionals who build bridges across them will have a structural advantage.

CONTENT SPARK

Content idea: "Your vet can't always be available. Here's why the rest of your pet's care team matters." A reel, email, or short blog post that connects the access and cost crisis in veterinary care to the everyday value of consistent professional services — grooming that catches skin issues, training that prevents behavioral escalation, pet sitting that keeps animals in their routine and out of stress-related illness patterns. Cite the 75 million figure. Make the case that pet care is a team sport, and that you are one of the most important players on it.

Source: Today's Veterinary Business — "75 Million Pets Aren't Getting Care. Cost and Access Are Why." by Dr. Kate Elden, Chief Medical Officer at Dutch URL: https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/dutch-veterinary-telemedicine-opinion/