Culver City animal hospital veterinarians say there's an industry-wide staffing shortage
The increase in pet adoptions during the pandemic is making it tough for some veterinarians to keep up with the demand.
CULVER CITY (KABC) -- If your pet needs a check-up anytime soon, you may want to try and make an appointment now.
Veterinarians are experiencing a high volume of appointments and emergency visits that they can barely keep up with.
"Our patient loads over the last four years has increased 90%," said Access Specialty Animal Hospital administrator Michael James.
At Access Specialty Animal Hospital in Culver City, you could wait five to seven hours for a walk-in appointment.
"Before the pandemic there just weren't as many pets. So with that, the number of emergency visits weren't as significant," James said.
Angela Lindstrom came all the way from Fullerton for her cat's appointment.
"I was trying to make an appointment about a little bit over a month ago and the earliest that I could get in Orange County was November 17," Lindstrom said.
James also said there's an industry-wide staffing shortage, and that the increase in patients has also led to burnout.
"The more patients you add on to that, it becomes a strain on the staff," he said.
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