Access to veterinary care is unevenly distributed globally and within countries, creating welfare disparities between animals whose owners can afford care and those who cannot — a welfare equity problem that needs systemic solutions.
Veterinary access equity is a welfare equity problem: animals whose owners can afford care live better lives than those whose owners cannot, and geographically isolated animals have worse outcomes than those in veterinary-rich urban areas. This is partly a resource problem — veterinary services cost money to provide — and partly a distribution problem. Subsidized veterinary programs, mobile clinics, telemedicine, and community animal health worker programs address the distribution dimension while reducing the welfare gap between accessible and inaccessible care. Animal welfare cannot be fully realized at population level when large proportions of the animal population never receive veterinary attention.