When the Vet Is a Two-Hour Drive Away: How Indiana’s Veterinary Shortage is Hitting Pets and Shelters
- Sarah Haag
- Dec 29, 2025
- 6 min read
There’s a hidden crisis unfolding in towns across Indiana: veterinary care — not just for cows and horses, but for cats, dogs, and the people who love them — is getting harder to find. It’s easy to imagine the impact as a rural problem or a farming problem. The reality is broader and closer to home: companion animals (and the shelters that care for them) are feeling the squeeze in ways that make rescue work harder, costlier, and sadder.
Below I’ll walk through the measurable effects we’re already seeing in Indiana, paint the local picture around Greenfield and Hancock County, and offer practical steps neighbors and policy makers can take to protect the animals we love.
The scale of the shortage — and why it matters
"In recent years federal and state agencies have flagged parts of Indiana as “veterinary shortage” or “veterinary desert” areas" (Indiana Center for Animal Policy, Veterinary Workforce Survey), meaning too few veterinarians are available to meet local demand. That shortage isn’t theoretical: it changes how quickly an injured or sick pet can get care, whether a shelter can schedule spay/neuter clinics, and how much local rescues must spend on outsourcing medical care.
At the same time, the 2024 Annual Analysis from Shelter Animals Count's national sheltering data shows that millions of cats and dogs still enter the shelter system every year — in 2024 roughly 5.2–5.8 million dogs and cats moved through shelters and rescues nationwide, with about 4.2 million adopted. Even though adoption rates ticked up in 2024, shelters are often caring for animals longer and taking in animals with greater medical needs — the exact situations that require reliable veterinary access. When the pipeline of affordable, timely veterinary care narrows, shelters pay the price.
How the shortage shows up for companion animals
Longer wait times and delayed care. When clinics are stretched thin adopters and owners face longer waits for appointments. That can turn treatable conditions into emergencies — and it increases the likelihood that an animal’s problem escalates to a point where a shelter must intervene. (Local shelters reporting emergency-only intake policies underscore how pressure builds when systems strain.)
Fewer affordable spay/neuter and vaccine clinics. Low-cost clinics and shelter-run surgical days are often the first line of defense against pet overpopulation. If a clinic’s veterinarian staff is reduced or if waitlists balloon, those programs shrink — and more intact animals stay in the community, increasing the number of litters and future shelter intakes.
Higher costs for owners — and for rescues. "Shelters and volunteer rescues are forced to contract with distant practices or specialty hospitals and pay more for transportation and care (Shelter Animals Count, 2024 Annual Analysis)." For volunteer-run organizations that already rely on donations and fundraising, every dollar spent on emergency vet bills means one less dollar for outreach, foster support, or adoption events. This financial ripple effect reduces a rescue’s capacity to say “yes” to animals in need. Evidence from nonprofit clinics and shelters nationwide shows they’re disproportionately affected by workforce shortages.
Barrier to reuniting lost pets. Reliable microchipping checks and follow-up care can be delayed when clinics can’t accommodate same-day visits, complicating reunification efforts and increasing shelter stays for lost animals.
How shelters and rescues in Indiana are coping — and where it breaks down
Shelters are adapting however they can: triaging intakes, running emergency-only intakes when space or care is unavailable, leaning harder on fosters, and forming transfer partnerships with shelters in less-impacted regions. But these stopgaps have limits.
Capacity strain: "Shelters such as Muncie’s MAC have reported being at or over capacity" (WFYI) — hundreds of animals housed while physical capacity for dogs is far lower — an indicator of how local systems are stressed.
Emergency-only intake: "Indianapolis Animal Care Services at times operated under emergency-only intake status," (WRTV) a measure that often follows spikes in intake coupled with limited medical/staffing resources. That’s a blunt symptom of the same veterinarian-availability problem that affects rural areas.
Local rescue realities: "Volunteer rescues like P.A.W.S. Hancock work tirelessly to fill gaps" (Pet Friendly Services of Indiana, Midyear Impact Report)— running foster networks, partnering for low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, and providing community education. Local programs previously reported hundreds of spay/neuter surgeries completed through targeted programs (PAWS reported running several hundred surgeries in prior years), but sustaining and expanding those programs becomes harder when veterinary partners are scarce or overbooked.
What this means for Greenfield & Hancock County
Greenfield’s animal welfare organizations and Hancock County governments are wrestling with budget and service trade-offs that affect residents directly: letters to local papers and council debates have flagged changes in funding and the consequences for animal management services. Meanwhile, local rescues are the safety net — but a stretched safety net tears more easily when medical partners are unavailable. If spay/neuter access drops even slightly, more litters and surrenders follow within months.
The human cost (yes, humans)
This shortage isn’t only about animals. People who can’t afford higher-priced emergency care, people in rural communities who can’t drive hours for a clinic visit, and families who rely on low-cost preventive services are all affected. "When owners can’t access timely care, pets suffer" (AgriNews, “More Vets Needed Across Indiana, U.S.”) — and sometimes families make heartbreaking choices they wouldn’t make otherwise.
What can we do — practical steps that help now
Support low-cost clinics and local rescues. Financial donations, volunteering, and fostering multiply limited resources. For organizations like P.A.W.S., every donation directly offsets medical costs or funds spay/neuter programs that reduce future shelter intake.
Advocate for policy solutions. Recent Indiana coverage shows "lawmakers considering targeted bills and ideas to build the veterinary workforce" (Indiana House Republicans) (loan forgiveness, expanded training seats, incentives to practice in underserved counties). Contact your legislators and ask them to support measures that fund training or incentivize vets to stay/return to Hoosier communities.
Help keep pets healthy at home. Preventive care, microchipping, proper nutrition, and community-based education reduce the need for emergency interventions. When affordable options exist, encourage neighbors to use them.
Partner regionally. Shelters and rescues can look for cooperative agreements with regional clinics or mobile units; donors and local businesses can sponsor traveling spay/neuter/vaccination days. (Mobile clinic models have helped other states bridge gaps.)
Final word
Indiana’s veterinarian shortage is more than a rural headline — it’s a day-to-day reality for companion animals, the people who love them, and the shelters and rescues that step in when families can’t. The good news is also real: adoption rates remain strong, local rescues are creative and committed, and solutions — from mobile clinics to legislative incentives — are on the table. But to protect our pets we’ll need coordinated action: community donations and volunteering, clinic partnerships, and public policy that rebuilds a veterinary workforce for every Hoosier community.
If you want to help P.A.W.S. Hancock directly, we’re a volunteer-run rescue in Greenfield doing spay/neuter, foster care, and adoption work; every donation, every foster, and every volunteer helps keep a vulnerable animal safe until the next home. Click below to learn more about how you can help.
Sources and further reading (high-impact references)
Indiana Center for Animal Policy. Veterinary Workforce Survey. State of Indiana, in.gov/animalpolicy/veterinary-workforce-survey/. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025.
Indiana Center for Animal Policy. Category 2 Accredited Veterinarians Survey Data. State of Indiana, in.gov/animalpolicy/category-2-accredited-veterinarians-survey-data/. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
Indiana House Republicans. “Rep. Sweet: Legislation Could Help Alleviate Indiana’s Veterinarian Shortage.” State of Indiana House of Representatives, 28 Feb. 2024, indianahouserepublicans.com/news/press-releases/rep.-sweet-legislation-could-help-alleviate-indiana-s-veterinarian-shortage/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Shelter Animals Count. 2024 Annual Analysis: Comparing 2024 to 2023 and 2019. shelteranimalscount.org/explore-the-data/2024-reports/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
WFYI. “Animal Shelter Will Continue to Limit Intake, Long-Term Overpopulation Solutions Sought.” WFYI News, 25 Sept. 2024, wfyinews.org/news/articles/animal-shelter-will-continue-to-limit-intake-long-term-overpopulation-solutions-sought. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
WRTV. “Indy Area Animal Shelter Workers Say They’ve Been Assaulted by Members of Public.” WRTV.com, 11 Dec. 2025, wrtv.com/news/wrtv-investigates/city-animal-shelter-workers-say-theyre-verbally-and-physically-assaulted-by-members-of-public. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Pet Friendly Services of Indiana. Midyear Impact Report: Thousands of Lives Saved (and Counting!) petfriendlyservices.org/midyear-impact-report-thousands-of-lives-saved-and-counting/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
AgriNews. “More Vets Needed Across Indiana, U.S.” AgriNews, 21 July 2025, agrinews-pubs.com/livestock/2025/07/06/more-vets-needed-across-indiana-us/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.