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Pets will suffer if owners are not able to afford consultation and travel costs amid a shortage of veterinarians, a Rotorua woman says.
The New Zealand Veterinary Association says there are about 150 job vacancies across the country that cannot be filled and its members were reporting increased levels of stress.
Whakarewarewa Village resident Kathy Warbrick would have moved heaven and earth for her dog, Tutu.
So when she arrived home from Auckland one night in August to find the 14-year-old fox terrier missing, she grabbed a torch and went searching in the pouring rain.
"I found him huddled on the neighbour's property. He wasn't responding to me."
Warbrick brought him inside and rang her vet, only to be told it was no longer able to provide after-hours services due to staffing shortages.
Kathy Warbrick's 14-year-old fox terrier Tutu. Photo / Supplied
Warbrick's daughter is a friend of one of the local vets and he was able to see Tutu, which the dog owner described as "very lucky", however, Tutu died overnight.
Warbrick said she was concerned that other pet owners in her position would have found the cost of a drive to Tauranga on top of vet costs too prohibitive and animals would suffer as a result. She understood there was a shortage and rectifying it would be difficult "but as pet owners we need support".
"I had a very, very sick dog and to be told on a night when it's absolutely pouring that I was going to hop in my car and drive him over to Tauranga - I'm still upset about it.
"There's no magic wand but at the end of the day if we know, if we have a plan in place, if we can have some first-aid training then we can help our animals."
One Rotorua-based vet said he would comment on the issue anonymously because his practice had previously received negative backlash for not being able to take on new clients and he did not want to attract more abuse.
"Workload for the clinic has been steadily increasing over the past years and with the inability to find additional vets, the workload for individual vets at the clinic has also increased, at times to an unsustainable level," the vet said.
"Life is a little more stressful now. The shortage of vets has meant we have had to reduce some of the services we offer and we have had to dramatically restrict taking on any new clients or referrals from other clinics."
New Zealand Veterinary Association chief executive Kevin Bryant. Photo / Supplied
He said the reduction of services was an attempt to maintain an acceptable work-life balance for vets.
"While most are understanding of the position we are in, there have been incidents of staff being verbally abused and threatened when we haven't been in a position to help."
According to the New Zealand Register of Veterinarians there are 51 vets registered in Rotorua.
New Zealand Veterinary Association chief executive Kevin Bryant said there were about 150 job vacancies across the country that could not be filled, and more than 150 were needed to solve the shortage.
Bryant said vets were working "flat out" and the association's members were reporting increased levels of stress across the board.
"They do ridiculous hours and they are also on call. Vets are dedicated people who care and have a huge amount of empathy. So they take on more than they should."
Bryant said pet owners could seek out support and resources online so that many problems could be avoided.
"If you have concerns after hours, ring your vet first. Don't just turn up. After hours is for life-threatening emergencies."
Veterinary Council of New Zealand chief executive Iain McLachlan said many veterinary businesses around the country were short-staffed.
"Veterinarians are under more pressure and, in some cases, clinics may have to offer limited services."
McLachlan said the shortage of vets has been around "for a long time" but Covid-19 border closures, an increase in demand for vet services and a rise in pet ownership numbers have made the situation more obvious.
McLachlan said the council was working with tertiary education providers to look at longer-term solutions.
"In the meantime, we ask animal owners to recognise the pressures your veterinarians are under.
"There may be longer wait times and it may be harder to book animals in for non-urgent care because veterinarians need to prioritise animals that require urgent care."
