The summer flooding in eastern Kentucky threw a spotlight on the shortage of large animal veterinarians in the commonwealth.
Agriculture officials have been watching the trend for several years now. Of the state’s nearly 1,700 veterinarians, only 54 of them are dedicated full time to animals like horses, cows and sheep.
Dr. Katie Flynn is the State Veterinarian with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. She said when the floods hit, they found several rural areas that didn’t have any providers at all. She said people had to come from other counties to care for animals.
“When you’re looking at a disaster situation, we are also relying on our veterinarians to care for the injured or sick animals during that situation and if they have to come from further out, it’s a time issue of saving the animal and providing the best care we can,” said Flynn.
Dr. Flynn explained that long hours, travel expenses and lower pay often keep people from entering large-animal care.
The state veterinarian added that almost 40 percent of Kentucky animal physicians are over the age of 55 and within ten years of retiring.
“We are only seeing one or two veterinarians coming into these areas each year and that’s not going to help us when we look at the significant portion of veterinarians that are potentially to retire in the coming years,” said Flynn.
Dr. Flynn said there are state and federal programs attempting to encourage more people to enter large animal care.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is having a meeting with industry partners next month to discuss more solutions.
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