Veterinary crisis: hidden struggles lead to rising vet bills

Gowrie Clinic owner Dr Gundi Rhoades revealed a "perfect storm in the sector" had led to extreme shortages and left her looking for a vet for three years.

"I couldn't find a replacement for the vets that had left ... I was on my own, I would have needed three and I couldn't find one which was really hard on me," Dr Rhoades said.

"So that was really tough ... and at one point for 10 months I was by myself."

A recent NSW Parliament Veterinary Workforce Shortage report has revealed that a number of factors, such as unmanageable workloads, inadequate pay, stress and abuse from clients could be contributing to shortages.

The report found that 63 per cent of NSW vets had advertised a vacancy in the previous year and over 40 per cent of positions were still vacant after 12 months.

"We do not have enough vets to do the work and these vets that we do have are likely burnt out and leave the profession too early, because the pressure is too high," Dr Rhoades said.

"We need to double the number of veterinarians, to fill the spaces that have been there in the last few years."

Vets often provide out of hours emergency care and treat stray animals and injured wildlife, like koalas, with little to no compensation from the government, the report also found.

"For decades [it has happened], and never have we got compensated for any of that ever ... apparently they're supposed to be able to pay us, but I still haven't seen a penny of that," Dr Rhoades said.

"We have to find a solution, but most vets do it out of the goodness of their heart anyway."

As the vet shortage persists, some clinics are offering higher salaries to encourage the few veterinarians in the NSW workforce to work for them.

Mrs Rhoades recalls one job offering a graduate veterinarian $130,000 a year with a house and car included.

"How do you even afford to pay that? We are all private businesses, so that money has to flow from the clients," she said.

"It's expensive anyway, but [higher salaries] will just push it even more in that direction."

These highly-competitive salaries could see vet bills becoming an even greater burden for pet owners.

Though Dr Rhoades said vet bills currently "seem expensive" because Medicare skews the public's idea of what medical treatments should cost.

"The principles are the same to human surgery ... we've got hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment, it's a whole hospital set up, but it's privately funded. ... and we are really well educated," she said.

Clients being unable to afford their vet bill is a "constant problem" for veterinarians and Dr Rhoades is calling on the public to be "kinder to vets" who are also struggling with rising costs of medicine and equipment.

"Several times a day people really struggle with money, and that's understandable," she said.

"But we need to charge to keep the door open, to provide the service and help people - that's a fact."

Australian Veterinary Association president Dr Sally Colgan welcomed the NSW goverment's findings and said most people weren't aware of the struggles vets face.

"Veterinarians in NSW and across Australia are facing unprecedented challenges," Dr Colgan said.

"Challenges like workforce shortages, burnout, poor mental health, and personal and practice financial obstacles that, frankly, would surprise most Australians."

Dr Colgan said the fact that there were 24 recommendations in the report indicated that the workforce crisis was "multifaceted and complex".

"Supporting the work and mental health of veterinarians is vital not just for them but also for the communities they serve," she said.

Dr Rhoades said she also welcomes the report after years of struggling to withstand the workforce shortage.

"To be deeply listened to, after decades of trying to make it work and trying to pay the bills and feeling so alone often," she said.

"It felt good that somebody had a look and now, of course, we will see if something will actually be done about it."