BLACKSBURG, Va. – It may take a little longer if your furry friend needs to get a check-up at the doctor. That’s because nationwide, there’s a shortage of veterinarians.
That holds true in our region where some animal shelters offered incentives to get workers in the door.
Franklin County Humane Society Director Anita Scott said the shelter can host more than 100 dogs and cats. While there is a great need for services such as spaying and neutering, there lies a problem: a lack of veterinarians.
“We have been searching for a vet since last August,” Scott said.
Scott knows there’s a need to fill, with the organization even offering incentives to get veterinarians in the door.
“A sign-on bonus for vets, if they want to come and work one day a week, or once a month or once a quarter, if they want to do wellness services or spay and neuter, we will take what they have,” Scott said.
Dr. Jacque Pelzer, with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, said the pandemic highlighted the issues vets have to deal with. It’s why some left the profession, Pelzer added.
“If you think about the care of an animal, we do that every day, but you add on top of that biosecurity, infectious disease protocols that were put in place, that’s a lot for a person to deal with,” Pelzer said.
To help fill the void, the school trains students in a four-year program. During the last year of the program, students learn how to diagnose and treat diseases in animals.
Students are required to know how to work with domestic species, which includes cattle. It helps make the student competitive for jobs in the field.
“I started getting offers last summer,” Ian Doody, a 4th-year student, said.
Doody plans to work and serve in his community.
“It feels good to help people out. I think a lot of people think we’re in it for the money but we’re not we’re doing what we can to help,” Doody said.