At times in recent years, the Guilford County Animal Shelter has had trouble finding veterinarians to hire and, it turns out, shelter administrators aren’t the only ones in the state who’ve been looking for vets.

A new study found that the entire state of North Carolina is one of the top five states in the country when it comes to veterinarian demand.

One reason demand is so high in this state, according to those conducting the study, is that North Carolina is a great place to own a pet.

“The state’s lush parks, extensive hiking trails, and dog-friendly beaches make it ideal for active pets and their owners,” the study stated. “The high rate of veterinary service-related searches could be attributed to this active lifestyle and the integral role pets play in the lives of North Carolinians.”

The just-released study found that Colorado has the highest demand for veterinarians per resident, with Michigan and West Virginia in second and third place, and North Carolina coming in fourth.  Arizona rounds out the top five.

So, which of the 50 states is the one where vets are least in demand? That would be Hawaii.

The study, commissioned by canine supplement company PetLab, looked at the number of Google searches per 100,000 residents for the 10 most common search terms relating to animal hospitals and veterinarian care.

North Carolina came in fourth with 133,550 average monthly searches dedicated to veterinarian services. This is the equivalent of 1,248 searches per 100,000 people.

By comparison, in Colorado, the state where veterinarians are most in demand, there was an average 75,927 monthly vet-related searches, or the equivalent of 1,300 searches per 100,000 citizens.

North Carolina had the highest number of searches per 100,000 people out of the top 10 for the specific term “vet near me.”

 

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