Veterinary practices are feeling the impact in a challenging landscape where consumer confidence has dropped and pet owners are tightening their budgets. According to recent data from Vetsource, veterinary visits fell by 3.1% year over year in 2025, marking the third consecutive year of declines. Modest revenue growth (2.2% year over year and likely due to price increases) may not have been enough to offset fewer visits at some practices.
A Vetsource white paper, available at bit.ly/4c2IIOj, shared additional 2025 data that suggests shifts in pet owner behavior. Here are key takeaways.
1. Revenue Is Up but Not Enough
Veterinary practices implemented an overall price increase of 6.57% from 2024 to 2025, which was lower than in the previous two years. However, revenue grew by only 5.4%. The gap was due to a decrease in unique patients, meaning fewer clients overall came through the door, and price increases alone couldn’t make up the difference.
To address the weakening patient base, clinics should focus on attracting new pet owners and building long-term relationships with current clients.
“Practices need to focus on the customer experience and rebuilding trust,” said Sheri Gilmartin, vice president of sales for Vetsource, a provider of prescription management and home delivery services. “It’s about meeting the client where they are — removing friction, strengthening communication, and aligning with their expectations and needs.”
2. Routine Visits Are Down
The white paper broke down visits for a better understanding of which types were most affected.
- Wellness: They declined by 3.8% in 2025, suggesting many clients delayed or skipped annual exams.
- Product only: These fell by 6.2%, indicating clients might have bought medications and supplies elsewhere or failed to refill prescriptions.
- Surgery: Visits dropped by 6%, possibly a sign that clients delayed or skipped elective procedures.
- Non-wellness: Sick visits rose by 1%, suggesting that while pet owners delayed preventive visits, they still sought care when necessary.
With wellness and product purchase visits declining, communication is more critical than ever. To help clients understand the importance of preventive care, veterinary practices can:
- Send automated reminders about necessary care.
- Use multiple channels, including email, text, and app-based tools.
- Offer online booking.
- Educate pet owners about the risks of delaying care.
- Frame conversations around value and pet longevity.
Many surveys have shown that pet owners prefer to buy medications from their veterinarian if it’s convenient and price-competitive.
“Practices have the advantage to compete and win if they are proactive and fully leverage the tools available to them,” said Gilmartin. “While product sales are a small part of a practice’s total revenue, the value and significance of keeping that client bonded to the practice is substantial.”
3. Higher Prices Deter Clients
The data also highlighted how pricing and demographics relate to practice performance. For example:
- Practices in lower-income areas were more likely to have higher lapsing patient rates, reinforcing the relationship between financial means and veterinary care.
- Practices with the most growth in visits raised the cost of wellness services and parasiticides the least, while those with the lowest growth had the highest price increases.
In short, pricing strategy matters, but clients also value having a trusting, collaborative relationship with the veterinary team.
“It’s all about transparency and value,” Gilmartin said. “A visit to your veterinary practice should not feel transactional. It should feel personalized, with a two-way dialogue and options so owners don’t feel like it’s all-or-nothing. If they feel like you are their partner in caring for their pet — aligning the knowledge and experience of the veterinary team with the expectations and abilities of the pet owner — the loyalty will come back.”
4. Staffing Influences Growth
Staffing trends showed a strong correlation with patient visits. Practices experiencing very high visit growth generally increased the number of unique veterinarians, daily DVM appointments, and technician appointments. In contrast, practices with very low growth often exhibited a decline in the number of unique veterinarians.
Interestingly, practices with the lowest lapsing patient rates increased their veterinarian staff by 4% but also had a 2.7% decrease in daily appointments per DVM. This finding suggests that spending more time with clients and improving appointment accessibility can help build deeper client bonds.
“Fewer appointments per DVM could indicate that pet owners value more individualized attention,” Gilmartin said. “That extra five minutes in the exam room to answer questions or bond with the pet creates an emotional connection.”
Putting It All Together
The Vetsource data paints a comprehensive picture: Visits are declining, particularly for preventive care, while price pressures and economic uncertainty affect client decisions.
“The economy is certainly a factor, and many are feeling the pinch,” Gilmartin said. “Inflation has constrained savings, and discretionary income is restricted. While the economy is a driving factor, the biggest driver of declining visits is the increase in the cost of care.
“Veterinary inflation has significantly outpaced core inflation for the past four years. While there are extenuating circumstances, the outsized increase in the cost of veterinary care has become a deterrent for pet owners, particularly if the increased cost is in the absence of value.”
Veterinary practices can work toward regaining client trust and helping them see the value of their services by:
- Prioritizing the client experience: Every visit should feel respectful, supportive, and worth the investment.
- Allowing sufficient appointment time: Ensure clients feel heard and confident in care decisions.
- Expanding access: Offer technician appointments to improve convenience, affordability, and continuity of care.
- Conveying value: Explain the “why” behind recommendations and costs before delivering services.
- Raising prices strategically: Avoid across-the-board hikes, which can erode trust and reduce visit frequency.
- Offering more options: Tiered care plans and tailored offerings make visits more collaborative and reduce the likelihood that clients forgo care entirely.
The data highlighted challenges and opportunities. As pet owners make difficult financial choices, relationships built on trust remain the foundation for long-term growth.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
Vetsource’s Sheri Gilmartin said that although veterinary visits are down overall, not all practices are seeing a net loss. “It’s important to note that the decline in visits per practice being reported is the national average,” she said. “Roughly 25% of practices increased visits in 2025. In 2024, 50% of practices increased visits.”