Access to veterinary care is unevenly distributed, meaning animals in lower-income households and in developing countries receive far less welfare protection.
Veterinary care access determines whether animals receive treatment for pain, disease, and injury. Economic barriers to veterinary care mean that animals in low-income households suffer from treatable conditions. The global distribution of veterinary capacity is profoundly unequal — many countries have veterinarian-to-livestock ratios that make basic disease surveillance, let alone individual welfare treatment, impossible.