News

OSU says growing veterinarian shortage impacting adequate care for livestock and equines

An associate professor at Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute says a nationwide shortage of veterinarians is impacting livestock care in rural communities.

Sara Mastellar says for example, there are a number of equine veterinarians are reaching retirement age.

“We’re not really seeing veterinarians want to enter equine practice,” she says. “There’s also some salary differences and it’s a larger difference than you would see at a companion animal clinic.”

She tells Brownfield the university is focused on keeping more graduates local and its increasing in-state recruitment efforts.

“It’s not only the equine side or the large animal side or the rural side, but it’s also helping them be as successful as possible,” she says. “They get to take part in hands-on experiences that they might not get going through other programs.”

Mastellar says expanding opportunities for students statewide is key to ensuring producers have the veterinary services they need.

AUDIO: Sara Mastellar, Ohio State University