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Veterinarian work is vital to animal welfare. There is a significant shortage of veterinarians across the nation, which is deeply impacting animal care across Texas. According to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, since 2014, approximately 20-30% of US veterinarians have requested to work fewer hours, even with lower compensation. This imbalance has greatly impacted other veterinarians who work full-time, making them overworked, overwhelmed, and ultimately burnt out. To balance this workload, there would need to be 5,000 additional vets working. With increased access to veterinary services through more workers providing care, there would be a decrease in animal mortality rates, more underserved communities would be reached, and overall health for pets and humans would increase.
At the Houston SPCA, we greatly value our dedicated veterinarian staff and recognize they are essential to our lifesaving programs in areas of companion animals, equine and farm animals, small pets, exotics, and wildlife. Our dedicated team provides their veterinary skills to help change the lives of neglected, abused, and injured animals across the greater Houston area. There is also a team who serves affordable, preventive care to our community’s pets at the Houston SPCA’s Pet Wellness Clinic. The Houston SPCA veterinary team is crucial to the organization’s mission to improve and protect the lives of animals in our community and to alleviate their suffering and abuse.
Melvin Davis has been on the veterinary staff at the Houston SPCA for 46 years. Throughout the decades, he says one of the most rewarding parts of his job has been to see every animal that comes through triage receive the same quality treatment and the hope that they will find a forever home with loving owners. An aspect he truly appreciates about working at the Houston SPCA is the communication and response of administrative staff when he expresses the need for resources to do his job efficiently. His main mission is to perform his job to the best of his ability, and he inspires his colleagues to do the same.
The Houston SPCA is actively seeking solutions for this shortage by expanding their veterinary programs to include a new Summer Job Program for college students that offers hands-on experience in veterinary medicine that includes areas of equine and farm animals, companion animals, and wildlife rehabilitation. Additionally, our partnership with Texas A&M’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences remains an invaluable resource, providing fourth-year students with a comprehensive and mandatory two-week, graded rotation. Students gain invaluable firsthand experience in various veterinary practice domains, engaging in essential tasks such as surgery, emergency care, animal cruelty investigations and rescue, forensics, disaster relief, wildlife rehabilitation, herd/population management, and more.
We are actively offering new opportunities for future and current veterinarians to increase the impact of animal care across the Houston area. If you are interested in joining our dedicated team, visit our Careers page to explore exciting new opportunities!
