Veterinary surveys show AI gains, but staffing strain remains

Veterinary practices are entering 2026 with a sharper mix of optimism and strain than many industry watchers expected. New surveys from Instinct Science found broad technology uptake across practice types, with general practice clinics rapidly adding digital tools and specialty, emergency, and urgent care teams reporting measurable workflow gains from newer systems, including AI scribes. But the same data show that staffing shortages, retention pressure, and client financial constraints remain deeply embedded in daily operations. (globenewswire.com)

The headline shift is in general practice. Instinct Science’s inaugural general practice report, based on a survey of 700-plus veterinary professionals, found that 91% of practices adopted or changed at least one technology in the past year. Fewer than 10% still operate on a traditional full-time, fixed schedule, while 40% offer part-time roles and 25% have moved to a four-day work week, suggesting flexibility is no longer a niche benefit but an operational expectation. Nearly half of general practices reported using AI in some form, with the most common use cases centered on record generation and diagnostic support. (globenewswire.com)

In specialty, emergency, and urgent care, the pressure looks different, but no less intense. Instinct’s 2026 report for those settings, based on a survey of 200 veterinary professionals, found 85% still cite staffing shortages as the sector’s top challenge, up from 78% a year earlier. Even though 55% of practices hired more full-time team members in 2025, 32% said they were still working more hours, indicating that demand continues to outpace staffing gains. Client financial limitations also emerged as a major issue, cited by 79% of respondents. (globenewswire.com)

Technology appears to be helping at the margin. Among specialty and emergency respondents, 67% said new tools improved efficiency, 57% said they improved patient care, more than half said they reduced treatment or diagnostic errors, and 25% said they helped capture additional revenue. Digital treatment sheets had the biggest reported efficiency impact, followed by cloud-based practice management software and AI scribes, which saw the largest jump in adoption since 2024. In general practice, nearly three-quarters of AI users said the tools made them more efficient, and more respondents pointed to cloud-based software than server-based systems as having the most positive impact on daily work. (globenewswire.com)

These findings fit a broader industry pattern. AAHA reported in 2024 that nearly 40% of veterinary professionals were already using AI tools, showing that the current acceleration didn’t come out of nowhere. AVMA’s 2025 economic report also found that 75.1% of practice owners felt the pace of digital transformation in their practices was “about right,” while 76.5% reported using practice management software and 66.8% reported electronic medical record software. Even so, owners who felt they were falling behind most often blamed lack of time and cost, which helps explain why adoption remains uneven even as enthusiasm grows. (aaha.org)

Industry commentary is also becoming more focused on governance, not just adoption. Digitail has argued that clinics may need a dedicated internal lead for AI selection, implementation, and ethics as tools become more embedded in hiring, documentation, and communication workflows. Meanwhile, recent Veterinary Viewfinder coverage has highlighted concern that AI is starting to shape employment decisions as well as clinical administration, a reminder that workflow gains can bring new policy and oversight questions. Those reactions suggest the next phase of adoption may be less about whether practices use AI and more about who manages it, how it’s evaluated, and where human review remains essential. (podcasts.apple.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the surveys reinforce that technology is becoming a staffing strategy, not just an IT upgrade. Clinics are using AI and cloud-based systems to reduce charting burden, standardize workflows, and make limited teams more productive. But the data also show the limits of that approach. Hiring still isn’t keeping up with workload in emergency and specialty care, and flexible scheduling in general practice may help retention without fully solving coverage gaps. For practice leaders, the operational question is shifting from “Should we adopt?” to “Which tools meaningfully improve care, team well-being, and financial performance?” (globenewswire.com)

What to watch: The next signal will be whether 2026 adoption translates into durable workforce and financial improvements, especially as practices face ongoing affordability concerns from pet parents, tighter expectations around flexibility, and growing pressure to set clearer guardrails for AI use. (globenewswire.com)