(WFRV) - The national veterinarian staffing challenges are impacting not only clinic owners and staff but also pet owners, who are often left with nowhere to go but expensive emergency animal hospitals if their pet needs immediate care. “We just try to accommodate as much as we can, but with so many pets and so few vets, you can only do so much. Unfortunately, we don’t have staff to see everybody,” said Julia Bloch, CVT and practice manager at American Animal Hospital. “We’re in a national shortage for veterinarians as well, so it’s harder to find a vet. A lot of people are getting out of the industry. As some people know, it may be healthcare, but it doesn’t pay like human healthcare.” Brown County Parks campsite reservations for 2025 NFL Draft to open Sept. 24 Viewer comments to Local 5 News reported that multiple veterinarian clinics were booking appointments a month or more in advance, as clinics prioritize their established customers. “If you’re not established at a clinic or see them regularly on an annual basis, it’s hard to get in. With everyone that got pets during COVID, it went up exponentially,” Bloch said, adding that some seeking vet care “aren’t able to pay for services. And unfortunately, we’re still a business, so we have to be able to keep the lights on and employ people. The emergency hospitals are for emergencies for that reason; they’re a great asset to have and a great resource, and yes, you’re going to pay a little bit more money.” Veterinarians advise pet owners to become established clients at a practice to ensure they have a clinic to turn to when their pet is under the weather. Otherwise, pet owners may face the difficult decision of determining whether their pet's condition requires emergency care. “The emergency care is in the eye of the owner; if the owner thinks it’s an emergency, the animal needs to be seen,” said retired veterinarian Dr. Margaret Orzel, DVM. “If you can’t find help [as a vet], you can only see so many pets and so many clients in a day; you just can’t do anymore.” The lack of vet technicians and support staff contributed to Dr. Orzel’s retirement in December. “Nobody wants to work the hours we used to work. When we opened our clinic, we were on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” she said. “Veterinarian and vet technician salaries do lag behind human medical salaries.” Vet offices have also become increasingly stressful workplaces, particularly in recent years. “We had someone come in the last year and was throwing things at our front desk person,” Dr. Orzel said. “That’s never happened before; we had to call police. It’s just increasingly difficult to work with people.” The demanding job, coupled with difficult clients, is making staff hard to come by. Vets say excessive overtime or slashing breaks is not the solution. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh surpasses fundraising goal, with over $105,000 donated during ‘Titans Day of Giving’ “We have to worry about our staff, as far as being able to let them have breaks and have a social life, and have balance between life and work,” Bloch said. “If we overbook ourselves or overwork our staff, we can’t give that gold standard of veterinary care that we like.” Vets believe that compassion and better wages could improve workforce numbers. Locally, they hope that Fox Valley Technical College's veterinary technician program, which had its first graduating class in 2021, can make an impact.