BigStock Our profession is somewhat unique in that our industry news often comes placidly wooled. While physicians expect to ingest wolfish news as their top-line fodder, our profession’s info is invariably couched in more positive, digestible terms. I won’t speculate as to why that may be the case, but as a decades-long healthcare industry media consumer and contributor, that’s been my personal observation. At the risk of bringing you down, I propose to counter this narrative by offering you all some real-world observations on this year’s vet industry news. While some you may find some points irrelevant (or offensive), I assure you each of the following news items will have some practical info to impart. 1) Anti-vax trends in pets make national news What to know: The polite, politically correct term may be “vaccine hesitancy,” but most of us know what this is all about: Consumers (and a minority of veterinarians, too) have decided belief trumps science. Splashy articles in The New York Times and elsewhere have merely underlined the need to prepare for more of what’s to come if this course holds. Why you should care: If your practice is like mine, you’ve been clued to this trend for years now. Now that it may be expanding more broadly, it’s time to decide how your practice plans to tackle it so you can present a united front. One more thing: I’ll definitely get some hate mail for this, but I’ll say it anyway. Veterinarians who buy this drivel after spending too much time doomscrolling should reconsider their choice of careers. This is a scientific profession, after all. 2) Two major industry distributors announced a merger What to know: In this $3.5 billion deal, our industry’s largest distributors have now ceased to compete, and get this: They say it’ll save consumers money. Why you should care: When has any merger in our industry saved any of us money? Sure, there will be savings, but most of these (if not all) will be passed along to shareholders and other first-line stakeholders (the legal team and lobbyists who pushed this through). Make no mistake; when we don’t see any savings, they’ll simply blame the standard bogeymen (inflation and drugmakers). The only thing that will trickle down to veterinarians and consumers isn’t savings, it’s the specter of more lies and obfuscations to come as they flout anti-trust principles designed to increase competition. What to do: Write to your local member of Congress and your senator, along with the FTC (not that this administration would ever step in to enforce any anti-trust laws, much less an obscure and decidedly un-sexy intra-industry play among suppliers). 3) $18 million planned for student loan relief in 2026 What to know: In 2026, approximately $18 million in federal funding has been allocated for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), representing a huge increase in past years’ funding for this program. At a maximum of $40,000 per loan per year, this program purports to help mitigate veterinary shortages for students interested in food animal medicine. Why you should care: While we laud any effort that increases veterinary debt affordability, this $18 million figure for 2026 is brazenly misleading. Almost half of this amount is carryover from 2025 funds that were never paid out as promised. If you’d committed yourself to food animal practice on the basis of a loan repayment scheme and failed to get your money in 2025, you might be thinking twice about it right about now, which jeopardizes the program’s fundamental goals. This doesn’t address the fact veterinary education writ large remains shockingly expensive and woefully underfunded relative to our government’s pre-millennial support of our profession. 4) Increased consumer price sensitivity for veterinary services What to know: Most of us are feeling the effects of a new paradigm in client thinking. A few years’ worth of consistent price hikes is clearly taking its toll. No longer is the average client willing to shoulder the same relentless increases, and they’re voting with a restrained use of their dollars towards pet healthcare. Why you should care: Some of our clients are starting to feel burned by our profession. We’re feeling this not just in our practice revenues and personal incomes, but in our reputations, too. After all, a client can’t be expected to understand veterinarians are no longer at the top end of the veterinary food chain. They don’t get that we’re feeling every bit as squeezed as they are. If you get the chance, you should set them straight. 5) The global veterinary education market is set to grow impressively by 2030 What to know: Professional market researchers forecast the vet education market’s $3.18 billion in 2024 to grow to $4.52 billion by 2030, suggesting a 40-50 percent cumulative growth over the second half of this decade. Advancements in e-learning, veterinary team shortages, and pet ownership trends appear to be fueling this increase. Unfortunately, those set to enter the market may not be prepared to weather its financial downside. Why you should care: This may seem irrelevant to you, but veterinary education is an indicator of exuberance in the veterinary employment market. While most researchers don’t consider this growth dramatic in light of shortage conditions, I disagree, and I’m not alone in my trepidation. After all, we’re courting more vet professionals despite the lack of adequate conditions for their success. On the upside, however, you may find you’ll have more warm bodies to people your practice … in the short run. While that may be enough for you, I’m not sure it will offer us—or many incoming students—an ideal long-term solution. 6) Tariffs are raising veterinary drug and product prices What to know: While current tariff policy claims to exempt pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical ingredients don’t enjoy the same status. Your drugs will cost more. Medical supplies and equipment are also subject to tariffs, and suppliers are actively passing on these costs. Exact costs are difficult to quantify, but market analysts expect the prices we pay on these items to increase from 15-25 percent, reports Today’s Veterinary Business. Why you should care: If you think all the buzz about tariffs has nothing to do with you beyond the fact your new washer and dryer will cost more if you buy it this year—think again. Regardless of your political take on the matter, you should know tariffs are currently eating into your income in no small way. 7) Increased integration of AI in veterinary care What to know: The good news is AI can make a difference in diagnostics and front-office work. It makes it easier than ever to read rads and labs. It helps you plow through your record-keeping and educate your clients. Why you should care: The bad news is AI is quickly subbing in for us as an unassailably inerrant diagnostic tool. (So much so radiologists and pathologists are now relying on it, too.) Yet it’s by no means perfect. In other words: If you find Chat GPT (or your AI tool of choice) has become your first-line reference, or you find you have minimal time to reread what you’ve just copied and pasted, it’s time to change tact. You’re doing your patients, your clients, your profession, and your brain a lazy-minded disservice. There’s good news, to be sure, but you probably get enough of that elsewhere. While you may not agree with some of my points, here’s hoping some opinion and analysis on this year’s most negative news will strike a chord with some of you and, if you’re inclined to participate, spur you to action. Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA, runs a small animal practice in Miami, Fla., and is available at drpattykhuly.com. Columnist’s opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Veterinary Practice News.
