It’s no secret: hiring in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession has never been more challenging than it is right now, at the outset of 2026. You’ve likely experienced the pressure firsthand: unfilled roles, shrinking candidate pools, and increasing competition for top talent.
At The VET Recruiter, we hear it from employers every day:
- “We’ve had this position open for six months and no one qualified is applying.”
- “We’re offering sign-on bonuses, relocation, and flexible schedules, but still can’t fill the role.”
- “We’re burning out our team because we’re so understaffed.”
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. But you do have options . . . and we’re here to help.
The Veterinary Hiring Landscape Has Changed
The recruiting and hiring challenges facing Veterinary employers are not temporary. They’re the result of several long-term, compounding factors:
- A well-documented shortage of veterinarians and credentialed technicians, especially in rural and underserved areas.
- Increased demand for Veterinary services, particularly after the pet ownership boom of recent years.
- Widening compensation expectations, with candidates expecting higher pay, better work-life balance, and meaningful professional development opportunities.
- Fierce competition, not just from other private practices, but from consolidators, corporate groups, new Denovo practices, and even telemedicine providers.
In this environment, traditional “post and pray” hiring strategies don’t cut it anymore. You can no longer rely on job boards alone to attract the caliber of candidates you need. And simply offering a sign-on bonus won’t set your opportunity apart if you’re not reaching the right audience to begin with.
That’s where we come in.
We Do the Heavy Lifting, So You Don’t Have To
At The VET Recruiter, we specialize in recruiting top talent for employers in the Animal Health, Veterinary, and Pet Care industries. We know your world. We know the challenges you’re facing. And we’ve been solving hiring problems like yours for nearly three decades.
When you work with us, you are getting:
- Access to passive candidates who aren’t actively looking but are open to the right opportunity.
- Industry-specific knowledge that allows us to match not just skills, but culture, values, and long-term goals.
- Expert screening so you spend your time only on the most qualified and aligned candidates.
- A strategic resource who can advise you on market conditions, compensation trends, and candidate motivations.
We take the time to understand your organization, including your values, your mission, your pain points. And we serve as an extension of your team to find the best fit, not just the fastest fill.
Why You May Be Struggling to Hire
Before we talk about solutions, let us talk briefly about why so many employers are stuck in today’s hiring market.
- You are only reaching active candidates. In any given market, only about 20-30% of professionals are actively job-seeking. That means the majority of the best talent is working, busy, and not browsing job boards. A professional recruiter can tap into the hidden market of passive candidates and bring opportunities directly to them.
- You are underestimating the competition. You may think your compensation package is competitive, but if you are not benchmarking it against what other employers are offering for similar roles in your area (or nationally), you could be losing candidates before you ever hear from them.
- You are moving too slowly. In a tight labor market, top candidates do not stay available for long. If your hiring process takes weeks (or worse, months), you are likely missing out on the talent you need. We can help streamline that process so you can move with purpose and confidence.
- You are wearing too many hats. Hiring is a time-consuming process. As a business owner or busy manager, your plate is already full. Delegating your search to a trusted recruiting firm frees you up to focus on running your business, serving your clients, and supporting your team.
It is About Building Your Future
Every hire you make either strengthens your team or slows it down. Especially in small and midsize organizations, the impact of one exceptional (or poor) hire can ripple through your culture, client experience, and bottom line.
That is why we don’t treat recruitment as a transactional process. We treat it as a strategic investment in the future of your organization.
We ask:
- Will this candidate support your growth plans?
- Will they elevate your team?
- Will they bring new ideas and energy?
- Will they stay and thrive in your environment?
We help you answer these questions before you extend an offer.
When to Contact Us
If you are experiencing any of the following situations, it is time to contact The VET Recruiter:
- You have had a role open for more than 30 days with no viable candidates
- You have interviewed multiple people, but none feel like the right fit
- Your current staff is feeling burned out due to vacancies
- You are expanding and need to add headcount fast
- You want to upgrade talent in a key leadership or clinical position
- You are losing candidates to competitors after initial interviews
Even if you are not ready to hire today, let’s start a conversation. The earlier we understand your goals and challenges, the more proactively we can support you.
A Recruiting Firm You Can Trust
There are other firms out there who say they recruit “Veterinary talent.” But The VET Recruiter, established in 1997, is one of the few firms in the United States and Canada that is exclusively focused on Animal Health, Veterinary, and Pet Industry recruitment. This is not a side business for us. It is our sole focus and we are passionate about it. We attend many Animal Health and Veterinary Conferences on a regular basis and we visit veterinary schools. We are entrenched in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. We are part of it and have an extensive network of both active and passive job seekers.
We’ve built relationships with thousands of candidates across the country, from associate veterinarians to board-certified veterinary specialists to Animal Health executive leaders to Veterinary Biotechnology leaders to Veterinary sales and marketing professionals, to those working across Research and Development or working in the Veterinary Shelter space or working in Veterinary academia. Our candidates trust us to bring them meaningful opportunities, and our clients trust us to bring them exceptional people.
Let’s Solve This Together
Hiring does not have to be a painful, drawn-out, or frustrating process. You do not have to settle for the “best of who applied.” And you certainly don’t have to do it alone. You also do not have to settle for only the people you know. We have a diverse network of Animal Health and Veterinary professionals across so many areas of our industry.
At The VET Recruiter, we bring the strategy, experience, and reach to help you hire with confidence . . . even in a competitive, candidate-driven market.
So, if you are struggling to hire, reach out to us today. Don’t wait. Let us help you find not just someone—but the right one. Examples of our placements include: https://thevetrecruiter.com/examples-of-our-placements/
We invite you to find out more about our Animal Health and Veterinary recruiting services for employers and also learn more about our recruiting process and how we can help you fill your critical positions in 2026.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of Animal Health and Veterinary organizations. If this is something that you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.