Is there an increasing demand for vets in Australia? Yes, there certainly aren’t enough vets for the animals that need them. World Vet Day 2025 is a chance to thank our vets for keeping pets safe and healthy in their hour of need, all while dealing with a range of pressures in their work.
Vets play a central part in the animal-human bond. Let’s take a moment to find out more about this annual day that celebrates the essential medical work vets do and take a peek into some of the unique industry challenges they face.
In this article
What is World Vet Day 2025?
World Vet Day is an international celebration of the world’s animal doctors, from those who treat our pets to those who work in conservation and farming.
Without vets, the world as we know it would be a very different place. Pet ownership, for starters, might be on very shaky ground because we wouldn’t be able to keep our cats, dogs, birds, rabbits and guinea pigs as healthy and happy.
We wouldn’t be able to produce safe meat and poultry products without vets either because vets help ensure farm animals stay well. Ultimately, vets also help humans stay healthy through food security.
When is World Vet Day 2025?
Every year, World Vet Day takes place on the last Saturday in April. That means we’re celebrating on 26 April in 2025. Do you have your calendar out? Let’s save the date and plan something special to do with our pets. More on that a little further on.
What is the theme of World Vet Day in 2025?
Each year World Vet Day celebrates a new theme. It often ties into big global events affecting the work vets do, such as antibiotic resistance. Last year, this international celebration of animal doctors was focused on vets as essential health workers.
This year the theme is “”Animal Health Takes a Team“. It’s about underlining the collaborative nature of veterinary practice and the essential roles that various professionals—including veterinary nurses, technicians, researchers, and allied health workers—play in delivering high-quality services to our pets and animals.
How to celebrate World Vet Day 2025?
One small but impactful way to celebrate World Vet Day 2025 is by showing your vet appreciation. You could do this in numerous ways, but here are a few ideas:
- Say thank you – Send a card, message, or treat to your local vet clinic to show appreciation for their hard work.
- Share your story – Post a photo or story of how a vet helped your pet, using hashtags like #WorldVeterinaryDay and #AnimalHealthTakesATeam.
- Support a clinic – Donate supplies, treats, or funds to a local animal shelter or veterinary clinic.
- Educate others – Share facts about the vet profession and this year’s theme to raise awareness.
- Treat your pet – Celebrate the day with your pet—go for an adventure, bake pet-safe treats, or simply spend quality time together.
Five facts about vets in Australia
While on the face of it, becoming a vet may sound like a chance to spend time with lots of cute pets, vets carry some weighty pressures. As pet owners, it’s essential that we understand these pressures because we rely on vets. Often, we do so without knowledge of the high levels of burnout and low staff retention within the veterinary world.
Since we’re celebrating World Vet Day 2025, let’s take a closer look at some key aspects of working as a vet in Australia on a day-to-day basis.
#1. Vets are outnumbered
Vets are in big demand in Australia because, as one of the top pet owning nations, there are more pets than there are people, let alone vets! While this sounds positive for those wanting to enter the profession, it means there’s a heavy workload for those already in practice.
“We don’t have enough vets and nurses in the world at the moment for the number of pets that we have.”
– Royal Canin ANZ Chief Health Officer, Dr Bronwen MacRae
Interestingly, vets in Australia already work long hours even when the supply demand is met. The type of work where animal patients can come in injured or ill means no two days are the same. But it also means they might end up trying to save a patient while their family sits at home missing them at dinner.
#2. Vet burnout is real
Vets are experiencing burnout at high rates due to long hours, immense work pressures and owner expectations. It’s important to realise that pet health affects vet mental health and so does the way pet owners treat vets.
When you’re treating wounded and sick patients there’s a certain level of shared trauma you experience. Added to that, one of the greatest reasons people become vets is out of a love for animals and a desire to care for them. But, as a vet, one often must perform euthanasia. (Read more on putting a pet to sleep).
Sometimes pet owners blame vets for pets being ill and injured – sometimes they blame them for treatment costs. Vets are often in the firing line from pet owner expectations. As pet owners, we need to take care of our vets and give them their due respect.
#3. Veterinary clinics are entire hospitals
When you step through the doors of a vet clinic, you’re stepping into a mini hospital. Vet clinics are often equipped to cater not just to multiple species but also to multiple pathologies.
While you or I would head over to the dentist for teeth, the optometrist for eyes, or our GP for colds and tummy upsets, our vet clinic is a one-stop-shop with all (or, at least, most of) the necessary machinery under one roof.
As you can imagine, running and maintaining a vet clinic expensive. It’s worth keeping this in mind when budgeting for vet bills. Understanding the real price of new pets even before getting one can help you balance your books. That way, you can spend more time focusing on building your bond with your pet.
#4. Vets are multi-species doctors
Another important thing to consider this World Vet Day 2025 is that unlike our GP, vets treat multiple species – from dogs and cats to birds, mice, rabbits and more. This means they need to have a scientific understanding of multiple biologies. It also means they need a much wider range of equipment. A mouse isn’t the same size as a cat and a dog doesn’t have the same set of illnesses as a bird.
Add to that the extra training, time, and tests needed (since animals can’t explain how they feel!), and it all adds up—making vet care more complex than you may have considered.
#5. Vet bills aren’t subsidised like doctor’s bills
This one is a huge call to action for pet owners. We know that it takes the same level of knowledge and the same level of equipment to operate on a dog or cat as it does for a human. But we also know that often vet bills are expensive.
Many pet owners debate this with their vet, or get angry at them. Some even take to the media, saying their pet’s treatment is too costly. In reality, this isn’t the vet’s fault. They have enormous overheads and need to earn a wage and pay salaries. They must also undertake ongoing training as new technology – like AI in medicine – becomes available.
As pet owners we need to be aware of the costs we may need to outlay when we get our pets, and plan ahead. While there isn’t Medicare for pets, we have another route to help pay for unexpected vet bills: pet insurance.
Ensure top care with pet insurance
Vets in Australia are far and few between compared to the 29 million pets. As a responsible pet parent, celebrate World Vet Day 2025 by buying a pet plan. Pet insurance helps pay your unexpected vet bills but it also means less admin for vets. Ultimately, it means worrying less about money and more about your pet.
Choose from our three dog insurance and cat insurance plans and get one or more months FREE! Pet insurance helps cover the costs of diagnosis and treatment for accidents, illness and dental conditions – depending on which level you choose.
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