The results are in! The VetMedux team conducted our annual industry survey in April 2025 to collect market insights and help veterinary marketers make data-driven decisions for the second half of the year.
The survey was completed by 536 veterinary professionals, including 81 technicians (who answered a technician-specific set of questions), to bring you comprehensive insights about the entire veterinary team.
Survey Goals
- Identify how trends have changed since last year’s veterinary market survey
- Understand the differences between corporate and private practice attitudes
- Uncover current clinic priorities and challenges
- Learn how online pharmacies are impacting practices
- Find out what types of education and resources veterinarians need most today
Survey Details
Survey respondent breakdown by practice type:
- 58% in private practice
- 31% in corporate practice
- 6% in relief work
- 5% other
Survey respondent breakdown by job role:
- 43.9% associate veterinarian (full-time)
- 15.9% practice owner/veterinarian
- 13.6% veterinary technician (credentialed)
- 4.7% relief veterinarian (part-time)
- 4.2% relief veterinarian (full-time)
- 3.6% practice manager
- 3.6% practice owner
Top Findings
Read on to discover the most crucial findings from this new industry research. We’ve paid special attention to uncovering what has changed (or not changed) since our last survey in June 2024 to help you keep a pulse on the most relevant and fresh trends.
The economy comes to the forefront.
Veterinary professionals report more challenges combating economic uncertainty, overcoming pet owner financial constraints, and finding staff. Despite these challenges, their reported purchase volume and pace are mostly stable.
Profitability remains the #1 priority.
Both corporate and private practices remain focused on profitability. Many B2B veterinary marketers are rethinking their messaging to address today’s pet owners facing tighter budgets while staying in tune with practices’ profitability goals.
The sole decision-maker is nearly extinct.
Where have all the sole decision makers gone? Just 1% of corporate veterinarians report making purchasing decisions alone.
Buying has become more complex, with larger teams involved, limited time, and influencers researching solutions long before manufacturers know they’re in the game.
As a result, this year we extended our research to include veterinary technicians to uncover their role in the decision-making process.
Fragmentation continues to present challenges.
The veterinary industry continues to be fragmented. The differences in customer journeys between private, corporate, small, and large practices continue to challenge B2B veterinary marketers.
Many marketers are paying more attention to the nuances of buying journeys, activating full funnel marketing programs, leveraging AI, and using automation to provide a more customized buying process.
Educational content remains king.
Veterinarians are looking for solutions to their problems. They are starting their journey with educational content.
Connect with veterinarians by educating them about your approach to solving their challenges.
Trends in Software, Priorities, and Challenges
Top PIMS in Corporate Practice
In historic surveys, the top three reported PIMS were household names. This year, “other” moves into second place after Avimark’s #1 spot, indicating a shift in corporate practice preferences.
Top Reference Laboratories
Similarly to changes with PIMS, respondents reported that the third most popular reference laboratory service is “other”, displacing household names and indicating a potential increase in utilization of other services.
Top Imaging and Client Communication Software
When asked which imaging software respondents use in practice, 21% report that they are unaware of what software they use, indicating an opportunity to increase brand awareness for imaging software.
Client communication software brand awareness reveals a similar trend. Consistent with 2024 results, the largest group of respondents reported using no client communication software at 23% compared to 24% in 2024.
Of those using a client communication tool, the third most popular response was “unsure”, revealing that 17% of respondents are unsure what communication software their practice uses. There’s a significant opportunity for client communication tools to increase adoption and brand awareness.
Top Point of Care Reference and AI Tools
The top 3 point-of-care reference tools are consistent across private and corporate practices. The most significant change from the 2024 responses is that Plumb’s has moved to the #1 spot ahead of VIN for the first time:
- Plumb’s/Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs (77% in 2025 compared to 76% in 2024)
- Veterinary Information Network (VIN) (72% in 2025 compared to 76% in 2024)
- Merck Veterinary Manual (21% in 2025 compared to 16% in 204)
In 2024, 57% of respondents reported that they have not integrated AI or machine learning into practice, and in 2025, that number shrank to 49%, indicating that the market is increasingly adopting AI. However, there’s still a lot of room for growth. The top 3 AI tools that are gaining traction in animal health are:
- AI-enabled medical records and SOAP creation (22%)
- Diagnostic assistance (15%)
- Client engagement and communication (8%)
Top Practice Priorities
The top priorities remain consistent from 2024, and the goals of corporate and private practices are aligned:
Corporate practices:
- Hiring/growing staff
- Improving practice profitability
- Improving workflows
Private practices:
- Improving practice profitability
- Hiring/growing staff
- Improving workflows
Keep these priorities in mind to make sure your messages hit. When deciding where your messages can make the most impact, keep in mind the top 3 educational needs of veterinary practices are:
- CE-accredited programs
- Clinical education
- Speciality-specific education (eg, dermatology, surgery, oncology)
Veterinarians report the majority of their CE hours from:
- Free online/virtual CE events (31%)
- Local or regional veterinary conferences (29%)
- National veterinary conferences (28%)
- Paid online virtual CE (9%)
We also asked veterinary technicians what kind of education they most need today. Here is their top 9 list:
- CE-accredited programs – 77%
- Clinical education – 63%
- Workflow optimization tips – 35%
- Mental health resources – 27%
- New clinical and/or business technologies for practice – 23%
- Pet owner financing resources – 23%
- Pet health insurance resources – 15%
- Practice management content – 12%
- Marketing resources – 9%
Top Challenges
We asked veterinarians what challenges they are having MORE trouble with over the past 12 months. In 2024, the primary concern was finding staff; in 2025, it was economic uncertainty, which increased by more than 28%. The top challenges are:
- Economic uncertainty
- Pet owner financial constraints
- Finding staff
Many practices are searching for solutions to make care more affordable and reduce practice expenses to achieve profitability goals. Additionally, 52% of practices report that online pharmacies have had a negative impact on their clinic over the past 12 months, creating an additional burden on the path to profitability. We asked veterinarians to rank which forces have had the most negative impact on their in-house pharmacy over the past 12 months. Price sensitivity was the #1 most disruptive force, with online pharmacy coming in at a close second.
The Evolution of the Solo Decision Maker
The solo decision maker becomes even more elusive. Of the private practice respondents, only 15% report that they are the sole decision-maker in buying decisions, of the corporate respondents, only 1% say they are the sole decision-maker.
Here’s the breakdown of how respondents identified their role in the decision-making process
Private practice:
- 38% identify as influencers
- 31% identify as partial decision makers
- 16% report no involvement in purchasing decisions
- 15% are sole decision-makers
Corporate practice:
- 53% identify as influencers
- 32% identify as partial decision makers
- 13% report no involvement in purchasing decisions
- 1% are sole decision-makers
In the survey, we asked veterinary professionals how they perceive veterinary technicians’ role in decision-making, and compared it to how technicians view their own influence. The results were eye-opening.
54% of veterinarians reported that they view technicians as influencers, compared to 34% of veterinary technicians identifying themselves as influencers. Indicating that veterinarians view the opinion of veterinary technicians with more weight than veterinary technicians view their own influence. A reminder to B2B veterinary marketers of the importance of marketing to technicians.
Buying Behavior
There appears to be no significant changes in product purchase volume despite economic concerns:
The pace of purchases also appears to be mostly stable:
The top two most purchased product categories so far in 2025 are:
#1 New pharmaceuticals
#2 Capital equipment
For those clinics that are refraining from making purchases in 2025, their motivation to hold off is different than in 2025. In 2025, the #1 reason clinics are delaying purchases is because of economic uncertainty, compared to 2024, where the primary reason for refraining was that they did not see why they needed the product.
Consistent with 2024, veterinarians still strongly prefer to learn about new products via in-person meetings with sales representatives.
Pet Owner Influence
When asked if pet owners’ requests for specific veterinary services, products, and/or medications impact practice purchase decisions, respondents remain split. 42% say yes, 42% say no, and 17% are unsure.
What Veterinarians Want to Learn
Respondents were asked what types of content they wish they had more of. 71% said they want more articles on common clinical conditions. Also high on the list were small content snippets:
Next, we asked respondents to select 10 topics that they are most interested in across a list of nearly 70 topics covered by Clinician’s Brief. Here’s the top 10 list:
- Analgesia/anesthesia/anesthesiology/pain management
- Behavior/behavior-modifying drugs
- Dermatology
- New drugs/updates
- Cardiology/cardiorespiratory drugs
- Endocrinology/metabolic diseases
- Ophthalmology
- Dentistry/periodontology
- Emergency medicine/critical care
- Surgery, soft tissue
Veterinary professionals shared their preferences on what new research they would be most interested in. The most popular topic, with 46% of responses, was research on the spectrum of care. Here’s the comprehensive list of responses:
VetMedux is your direct line to veterinarians.
With Clinician’s Brief and Plumb’s, VetMedux has the most essential and trusted brands in veterinary medicine. Veterinarians come to us because we help them solve problems, and we can help you connect them to your solutions. Contact us today to get started.