Shelter Vets Earn $122K—but Still Lag Behind

by Jon Scaccia April 14, 2025

In a profession known for compassion over compensation, shelter veterinarians are finally seeing long-awaited pay increases. A recent survey reveals that full-time clinical shelter vets now earn a median salary of $122,500, a 25% bump since 2018. But here’s the kicker: they still make up to 14% less than their counterparts in private practice.

At a time when animal shelters across the country are desperately short-staffed, understanding how these vets are paid—and why it still may not be enough—has major implications for public health, animal welfare, and workforce sustainability.

The State of Shelter Veterinary Medicine Today

Across America, shelters are facing an urgent crisis. Roughly 70% report a shortage of veterinarians, with delayed surgeries, longer waits for care, and mounting pressure on the remaining staff. It’s not just about animals—it’s about people too. When shelters can’t operate efficiently, communities lose access to critical services like spay/neuter clinics and emergency pet care.

This recent study, based on nearly 300 responses from shelter veterinarians across the U.S., offers one of the most detailed snapshots we’ve ever had into salary, benefits, hours, and responsibilities in shelter medicine. The results? Progress—but also persistent gaps.

Who’s Making What? A Look Inside the Numbers

Here’s what the data tells us:

• Full-time clinical shelter vets earn a median of $122,500.
• Part-time vets make $85/hour, a staggering 77% increase since 2018.
• Academic shelter vets earn slightly more ($130,000), but often work longer hours and take less vacation.
• Leadership or consulting roles top the pay scale at $168,000, a 40% increase.

But compare those salaries to the $137,000 average for private practice veterinarians and $140,000 for companion animal vets, and a clear pattern emerges: mission-driven professionals are still being paid less to do more.

A Day in the Life: High Stakes, Long Hours

Imagine a shelter vet named Dr. Ruiz. She’s on her feet for 10 hours a day—examining sick animals, performing back-to-back spay/neuter surgeries, making heartbreaking euthanasia decisions, and mentoring junior staff. She works weekends. Her shelter’s understaffed. She skips lunch more often than not.

Despite the vital role she plays in community well-being, she makes thousands less per year than a colleague down the road in private practice who sees fewer patients and rarely handles emergencies.

So why does she stay?

According to past surveys, it’s not just about the paycheck. Shelter vets consistently rank mission, impact, and community as their top reasons for staying. But nearly 1 in 3 say they’re considering leaving—often because the pay doesn’t match the pressure.

Why Compensation Matters—Now More Than Ever

It’s easy to say “they’re not in it for the money,” but underpaying shelter vets has serious consequences:

• Burnout from chronic understaffing
• Delays in critical animal care
• Reduced access for low-income communities
• High turnover and long recruitment timelines (often over a year for replacements)

Fair compensation isn’t just nice to have—it’s a retention tool, a public health strategy, and a lifeline for overburdened shelters.

Surprising Trends and Takeaways

Here are four eye-opening insights from the study:

1. Advanced training doesn’t always pay: Shelter vets with internships or residencies actually earned less than those without.
2. Leadership pays off: Consultants and directors in shelter settings made the most—often working remotely or for large national organizations.
3. Vacation is a luxury: While most full-time vets got three weeks off, they often only took two. Academics took even less—despite being allotted more.
4. Location matters: Vets in the Far West and Southeast earned significantly more than peers in the Plains region, revealing regional disparities.

What’s Next for Shelter Vet Workforce Reform?

While salary gains are real—and worth celebrating—shelter vets still face systemic challenges. Recruiting and retaining talent will take more than just money. It requires:

• Stronger career pathways and promotions
• Better benefits for part-time vets
• Addressing regional disparities and cost-of-living gaps
• Building healthier workplace cultures and support systems

For academic shelter medicine, expanding tenure-track positions and board certification pathways may be critical to long-term growth and equity.

Join the Conversation

How does your local shelter support its veterinary staff?
Should nonprofit professionals earn as much as those in private practice?
What more can be done to attract and retain shelter vets in your community?

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