More pets mean more vets needed in Ohio

New veterinary clinics are popping up in Ohio amid an ongoing national vet shortage .

The big picture: The pandemic pet adoption boom aggravated the shortage , which has contributed to provider burnout .

By the numbers: The number of veterinary clinics in the country has risen 8.4% since 2012, according to 2021 Census Bureau data, the most recent available.

• Ohio added 35 clinics over that time period, per the data.

Zoom out: Many more vets are probably still needed to meet demand.

• As of 2022, there were about 86 million dogs and 66 million cats in the U.S., an annual increase of about 2% every year since 2016, according to Mark Rosati, spokesperson for the American Veterinary Medical Association.
• In 2023, the AVMA noticed demand for companion animal veterinary services start to return to pre-pandemic levels, a trend expected to continue this year, Rosati told Axios.

Now two in three households nationally own a pet, per American Pet Products Association data.

What we're watching: Veterinary schools are increasing class capacity and a number of new vet schools are in development, Rosati says.

• Of note: 64% of vets are women , per AVMA numbers.