Rural Pet Owners Have A Tougher Time Seeing A Vet, Study Says

Key Takeaways

• Rural residents have a harder time accessing veterinary care

• Folks had to wait longer and drive farther for a vet appointment for a new dog

• They also were less likely to land an apppointment

THURSDAY, Nov. 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Pet owners in rural areas might find it harder to get a vet appointment for their sick cat or ailing pooch, a new study says.

They also are more likely to wait longer and travel farther for a scheduled appointment, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“Access to veterinary care appears to be generally pretty good and the wait times aren’t too long, particularly if you compare it to how long people often have to wait to establish primary care, but there’s clearly room for improvement in less populated areas,” lead researcher Simon Haeder, an associate professor in Ohio State University’s College of Public Health, said in a news release.

For the study, researchers conducted a “secret shopper” test of more than 5,000 randomly selected veterinary practices in six states in early 2025. The states were California, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

Researchers posed as people trying to get a check-up for their new dog, and they asked for the first available appointment.

Overall, the team was able to get an appointment 67% of the time. When they didn’t, it usually was due to an excessively long hold on the phone – researchers were instructed to hang up if left waiting for more than five minutes.

Those who got an appointment would have to wait an average six days and travel, on average, more than 6 miles to the vet clinic, results showed.

However, barriers to vet care were more substantial when the team called rural practices:

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• Appointments were made less than 62% of the time.

• Average wait time was nearly nine days.

• Average travel distance was 13 miles.

Researchers said the results underscore a need to increase the number of veterinarians nationwide.

“When pets don’t receive prompt preventive care, diagnoses and treatment, both the pets and their owners suffer, and we know that living with a beloved pet can be good for health, both mental and physical,” Haeder said.

“And gaps in access can pose broader public health threats, especially if animals aren’t protected against vaccine-preventable illnesses like rabies,” he added.

More information

The ASPCA has more on pet care.

SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, Oct. 30, 2025

What This Means For You

People in rural areas should be prepared to wait longer for vet care, researchers warn.