OKLAHOMA CITY ( KFOR ) – There’s a veterinarian shortage in Oklahoma, specifically those that deal with large farm animals. The state Department of Agriculture called it a significant challenge, but they have started efforts to address it.
“Oklahoma is definitely an agriculture state,” the Department of Agriculture’s deputy commissioner said. “We’re a livestock state. So, this is this is a challenge that we know can have very long term effects for our industry.”
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Rowlett knows what lies ahead for the agency as they look into why there’s a veterinarian shortage in the Sooner State and how to fix it.
“Definitely a challenge, but one that we think we’ve got all the right minds to help help solve,” she said.
According to Rowlett, they’ve seen a lot of retirement in the area and not a lot of new young vets are jumping into the field of dealing with larger animals.
“The nature of the work isn’t necessarily what all new veterinarians are interested in willing to do,” Rowlett said. “There’s work life balance and lots of other things that come into play.”