CABOT, Ark. — We've seen staffing shortages in every industry throughout the pandemic and now it's taking its toll on the people who take care of our beloved pets.
Industry experts said its always been an issue, but COVID has only made it worse.
Michelle Roach, Pine Street Animal Clinic Office Manager, said if things aren't changed, there may not be many people to take care of your pets.
"It's been pretty heartbreaking to have to turn people away just because we don't have the staff," she said.
That's what some veterinarian clinics have had to do, as demand increases and staffing does the opposite.
Heidi Ward, with the Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association, said it's not just an issue in our state, it's also nationwide.
"Many people adopted animals while we were in lockdown and veterinary services never stopped. It was always super busy," she said.
This pushed a couple Arkansas clinics to shut down completely while clinics like Roach's works non-stop.
"You can drive past the clinic and sometimes see cars in the parking lot at 10, 11 o'clock at night," she said.
It's not just the places that take care of your pets, Ward said, there's also a need for large and food animal vets.
"There's multiple reasons for that, but of course, one of them is that Arkansas does not have a veterinary school," she said.
Ward said that makes it hard to bring students back to practice here once they've left.
It's one of the reasons why, according to Lyon College president Melissa Taverner, they have plans to develop Dental and Veterinary Graduate schools in Little Rock.
"We're looking at not just having an increase in the number of clinics or the number of practices, we're looking at a real shortage and practitioners," she said.
Taverner is hopeful this step could not only impact future veterinarians, but the state, as a whole.
"We want to make sure that we provide that opportunity for the students of Arkansas, so that they can stay home as it were, so that they can continue to serve the state," she said.
Since the grad schools were just announced on Monday, Taverner said they aren't surge when the programs will start, but their target is by 2024.
You can learn more about the programs here.