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The State of Veterinary Practice Management Report
New insights from 400 veterinary professionals across North America to better understand the operational realities faced by practice managers and veterinary practices today.
Vetstoria is part of the PetDesk family. While this report reflects research conducted across North America, the operational trends and client expectations explored throughout are increasingly relevant to veterinary practices globally.
Optimising clinic operations: closing the reality gap
NEARLY
1 in 4 practices
worry about insufficient appointment volume. Yet more than 50% of practices report some year-over-year revenue growth.
NEARLY
50% of practices
report that new hires take 3+ months to reach full productivity, with CSR and CVT training most likely to fall short of expectations.
MORE THAN
25% of appointments
run longer than scheduled, quietly reducing available capacity every day and overburdening staff.
We surveyed 400 veterinary professionals across North America to explore their views of practice operations, staffing and training, technology adoption, appointment management, profitability pressures, and client acquisition and retention.
The data reveals that future success isn’t about working harder or simply adopting more tools. Instead, the most resilient practices will be those that close the gap between perception and reality—aligning how efficient they think they are with how they actually operate, and ensuring their technology delivers measurable impact.
This research points to a clear opportunity: practices that actively market their services eliminate operational friction and reclaim lost capacity, stabilising schedules and protecting revenue in a changing market.
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Other key findings from the report
The large majority of staff regularly perform tasks outside their defined roles.
While most practices consider themselves well-run and efficient, the data tells a somewhat different story: training timelines stretch well beyond expectations, and nearly all practices acknowledge room for improvement in administrative time management.
~40%
of practices report staff frequently or daily performing tasks outside their defined roles.
19 out of 20
practices indicate room for improvement in time management related to administrative work.
In terms of profitability, staffing costs remain the top concern.
Inventory management costs and concerns about lower average transaction values closely follow, simultaneously creating margin pressure from both the cost and revenue sides of the business.
~65%
of practices reported revenue growth, yet profitability pressure persists.
60%+
of practices use reminders, two-way texting, online booking, and client portals.
Practices broadly value technology but do not connect it to their most pressing business problems.
This includes problem areas such as staffing pressure, revenue growth, and profitability. Digital tools are widely used and provide efficiency gains, yet their perceived impact on revenue growth, staff morale, and appointment no-shows is often neutral.
Clinics will need to actively market to better compete and grow.
Most practices rely on word of mouth and limited digital presence for growth, yet most do not track acquisition costs, maintain a formal marketing plan, or leverage loyalty programs to increase visit frequency—limiting their ability to grow sustainably.
78%+
of practices do not track client acquisition costs (CAC).
33%+
of practices do not have a marketing plan.
~75%
of practices that track CAC spend 3% or less of their annual budget on marketing.
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The survey was distributed to 8,825 veterinary professionals across North America and conducted online between December 4 and
December 19, 2025. A total of 400 completed responses were collected and analysed. Survey topics included practice operations,
staffing and training, technology adoption, appointment management, profitability pressures, and client acquisition and retention.
While conducted in North America, many of the operational and client experience trends identified
reflect broader shifts occurring across the global veterinary industry.
