Secret shopper study finds uneven access to vet appointments

A new JAVMA secret shopper study suggests that access to routine veterinary appointments for dogs is better than some pet parents may expect, but it’s far from even. Researchers contacted 5,053 general practices in California, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington between February 4 and April 11, 2025, using a standardized “new puppy needs vaccines” scenario designed to mimic a real client trying to establish care. They were able to secure an appointment in 67.0% of attempts. When appointments weren’t available, the biggest barriers were basic access problems rather than explicit refusal: callers couldn’t connect with staff in 15.1% of attempts, faced excessive hold times in 8.2%, and were refused in 1.9%. Listing inaccuracies were relatively uncommon at 2.2%. The study’s headline finding was that preventive care access is generally available, but rural callers and other outliers faced longer waits and longer drives. (researchgate.net, buzzsprout.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the study reframes the access conversation. The bottleneck wasn’t just clinical capacity, it was also front-desk reachability and practice communication. That matters because missed calls, long hold times, and uneven rural coverage can delay preventive care before a patient ever enters the exam room. The findings also land amid a broader profession-wide debate about workforce strain and access, with AVMA continuing to argue that challenges are concentrated in specific segments, especially rural and certain practice types, rather than reflecting a uniform companion animal shortage everywhere. The podcast discussion around the paper also underscored why the secret shopper method matters: it captures what clients actually encounter in real time, rather than relying only on recall-based surveys. (researchgate.net, buzzsprout.com)

What to watch: Watch for follow-up work on whether the same access patterns hold for sick pets, cats, and underserved communities, where delays may carry higher clinical stakes. Researchers also pointed to the importance of looking beyond averages, since some owners may still face care-desert conditions with very long drives or waits even when the overall picture looks reasonable. (buzzsprout.com)