Veterinary surveys show AI gains, staffing strain persists

Veterinary practices are moving deeper into AI and digital workflow tools, even as the profession continues to wrestle with staffing shortages and changing team expectations. New survey results released by Instinct Science on March 11, 2026, show that 91% of general practices adopted or changed at least one technology in the past year, while nearly half, 48%, say they now use AI in some form. At the same time, Instinct’s specialty, emergency, and urgent care survey found staffing shortages remain the profession’s top challenge, cited by 85% of respondents. (globenewswire.com)

The findings help explain why this moment feels different from earlier waves of veterinary tech adoption. Instinct’s new general practice report, based on 763 veterinary professionals, suggests digital infrastructure is now standard in many clinics: 90% reported using digital diagnostics and imaging, and 75% use digital client communication tools. What’s shifting now is that AI is moving from curiosity to workflow, especially in documentation and diagnostic support. That follows earlier industry signals. AAHA highlighted in 2024 that nearly 40% of veterinary professionals were already using AI tools, and AAHA-Digitail survey data involving nearly 4,000 veterinary professionals found 83% were familiar with AI, 39% were already using it, 70% had concerns about reliability, and 43% said they lacked proper training. British Veterinary Association survey data published in 2025 likewise found 21% of vets were using AI in daily work. (instinct.vet)

The workforce side of the story is more complicated. In general practice, Instinct found that 52% of practices did not experience significant turnover last year, which may look more stable than expected on the surface. But that stability comes with caveats: 30% reported losing nurses, technicians, or assistants, 70% said better compensation would most improve retention, and 60% said staffing shortages limit their ability to offer more flexibility. Only 10% of practices still operate on a traditional fixed schedule, while 40% offer part-time roles and 25% have shifted to a four-day workweek, underscoring how quickly workplace expectations are changing. (globenewswire.com)

In specialty, emergency, and urgent care, the pressure remains more acute. Instinct said 85% of respondents cited staffing shortages as the top challenge in 2026, up from 78% the year before. Even though 55% of practices hired more full-time team members in 2025, 32% still reported working more hours, suggesting hiring hasn’t caught up with demand. Another notable shift was financial pressure on clients: 79% of respondents identified client financial limitations as a new pain point. That aligns with broader economic commentary from AAHA-sponsored industry coverage, which has warned of softer client visit growth and more price sensitivity through at least mid-2026. It also fits with international signals on access and affordability: in Australia, VetChat reported that one in six pet owners skipped a needed or wanted vet visit in the prior year because of cost, while interest in telehealth remained high despite low awareness. (globenewswire.com)

On the technology side, the surveys point to a clearer return-on-investment story than some veterinary leaders may have expected. Among general practices already using AI, nearly three-quarters said it made them more efficient, with the most common uses being medical record and SOAP note creation and diagnostic assistance. In specialty and emergency settings, 67% reported improved efficiency after adopting new tools, 57% reported better patient care, more than half said technology reduced treatment or diagnostic errors, and 25% said it helped capture additional revenue. Digital treatment sheets and cloud-based practice management software were among the biggest reported drivers, while AI scribes showed the largest jump in adoption since 2024. Some AI vendors are also pushing a broader argument: that the value of AI scribes is not just faster note-taking, but turning visit data into structured operational insights that can surface workflow bottlenecks, missed charges, and other practice patterns. (globenewswire.com)

That operational shift is starting to affect more than medicine and documentation. Industry commentary increasingly frames AI as a management and governance issue, not just a software purchase. Digitail argued in 2025 that clinics may need a dedicated “AI Coordinator” or “AI Champion” to own tool selection, staff training, prompt and template updates, and ethical oversight, echoing a broader IBM finding that one in four organizations now has a Chief AI Officer. In practical terms, that means veterinary hospitals may need clearer internal ownership as AI tools become part of hiring, scheduling, records, and client communication workflows. Outside veterinary medicine, AI-assisted screening is already reshaping how people apply for jobs; veterinary commentators have begun warning that hiring and career pathways are changing, too, even if the profession is still early in confronting that shift. (digitail.com)

Technology is also beginning to influence the physical and service design of care delivery. Today’s Veterinary Business has described how mobile payments, online pre-visit check-ins, VoIP systems, tablets, and AI documentation tools are changing hospital layouts, shrinking the traditional front desk and making exam rooms more flexible and client-centered. Telehealth is another piece of that broader redesign. In Australia, only 13% of pet owners had tried veterinary telehealth, but 81% said they would consider it, and 75% of veterinarians working in telehealth reported a positive or substantially positive effect on their mental health, stress, and work enjoyment. Those findings are not directly comparable to U.S. practice surveys, but they reinforce the same theme: digital tools may matter most when they expand flexibility for both clients and clinical teams. (todaysveterinarybusiness.com)

Industry commentary remains cautiously supportive rather than exuberant. In AAHA coverage of a Digitail survey, CEO Sebastian Gabor said it was too early to say AI was ready for universal implementation, but described it as a viable tool for specific applications. AAHA’s later reporting on AI in radiology carried a similar message: adoption is growing, but veterinary professionals still need transparency, veterinary oversight, and confidence in how tools are built and validated. That caution also shows up in reporting on an American Journal of Veterinary Research survey, summarized by Today’s Veterinary Business, which found seven in 10 veterinary professionals were uneasy about the reliability and accuracy of AI tools used for diagnosis and treatment. Even some bullish vendor forecasts for 2026 frame the near-term gains as incremental rather than transformational overnight — better charting support, tighter workflow integration, and stronger client communication, with veterinarians still making the clinical calls. (aaha.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the takeaway isn't simply that AI is coming. It’s that practices are already reorganizing around it while still trying to solve for burnout, retention, scheduling flexibility, and affordability. Documentation tools and cloud systems may help reclaim time and reduce friction, but they don’t replace technicians, support staff, or experienced clinicians. The survey data suggests the most successful practices will likely be the ones that treat technology as support for care delivery and team sustainability, not as a substitute for workforce investment. It also suggests AI adoption is maturing into an operational discipline of its own, with growing need for training, governance, and someone accountable for how tools are implemented and monitored. That may be especially important as pet parents become more cost-conscious and as clinics face pressure to prove that new tools improve both care quality and business resilience. (globenewswire.com)

What to watch: The next phase will likely center on governance and proof: whether AI scribes and diagnostic tools continue to spread, whether practices create clearer internal leadership around implementation, and whether vendors can show measurable gains without introducing new documentation or safety risks. Expect more attention on training, validation, workflow design, and even hiring practices as AI reaches further into daily operations. Telehealth, client affordability, and hospital design may also become part of the same conversation, especially if practices look for technology that improves access and flexibility as much as efficiency. (vhma.org)