By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Dr. Brandon Weidenhaft, a veterinarian at Big Creek Veterinary Services, has practiced in Hays for 24 years and said the rural vet shortage has affected his personal life.
"I rarely get to see [my daughter] because she's studying a lot. My wife will go visit her on the weekend, but I can't leave," he said.
Weidenhaft is the only veterinarian at Big Creek and has difficulty taking time off. The clinic stays consistently busy and rarely slows down. His daughter is a medical student at the University of Kansas.
Veterinary clinics in the region shared their side on the growing shortage of veterinarians and the resulting challenges now affecting pet owners.
Big Creek is a mixed-animal clinic, and although routine care can sometimes be delayed, Weidenhaft said he works to provide timely service and maintains strong relationships with his clients.
When looking at Kansas State University statistics, Weidenhaft attributes the local veterinarian shortage to intense competition and shifting admissions demographics.
"The competition is high. They take about 120 and have about 2,000 applicants each year," Weidenhaft said. "You've got less than a one in 10 chance of even making it, so it's a challenge."
Weidenhaft said many rural veterinarians are aging out and have no one to replace them. As a result, he believes more communities may lose access to pet care.
Big Creek Veterinary Services often treats clients from as far as 40 miles away, including former Hays residents who return during the holidays for more affordable pet care than they can find in larger cities.
Vets facing burnout
Dr. Mark Meier, a veterinarian at Hays Veterinary Hospital, has worked there for about 22 years. He graduated from Kansas State University in 2009 and completed veterinary school in 2014.
Meier said the veterinary hospital primarily treats small companion animals and that factors like inflation, burnout and its rural setting have affected its ability to serve clients.
"It's a combination of everything," he said. "I would say that I'm borderline burnt out, but what are you going to do? One of the surgeons told me at the hospital that sickness doesn't care. You're out here to serve the community, and you're one of the few people who can do it."
Meier purchased Hays Veterinary Hospital in 2019 and has a staff of about 15, including veterinarians and various support staff.
Meier said the clinic has both slow and extremely busy days. The clinic uses a system to prioritize clients for same-day, next-day or later-in-the-week appointments.
Routine care at Hays Veterinary Hospital can have a wait time of two to four weeks, but Meier said most emergencies are handled the same day clients contact the hospital.
"I've done this for about 10 years, so I'm pretty good at detecting what's an emergency and what can wait," he said.
Meier said some clients travel from cities like Salina and Dodge City, and even from out of state, often former residents seeking more affordable care than in larger cities.
Meier is a father of four and takes every other weekend off, plus one Thursday each month. Due to strong relationships, he stays connected with clients and their pets even on his days off.
"I drag my family along with me," he said. "My kiddos kind of live at the clinic. They're good little helpers, sweeping the floors, playing on their tablets and losing some of my equipment."
Rural areas struggle to find vets
Dr. Tony Schmidtberger has been a veterinarian at Hillside Veterinary Clinic in Hays for six years.
Schmidtberger said while Ellis County may not currently face a veterinarian shortage, neighboring rural counties have lost clinics, leading to an influx of clients traveling as far as 40 miles away.
"Ellis County itself is pretty well served," he said. "But, the reason why we're still so busy is all the surrounding counties don't really have anything."
He said his clinic is not overwhelmed, thanks to its larger staff compared to most. Still, he said that for solo practitioners, the long hours often make running a rural practice financially unsustainable.
Schmidberger said efforts to address the shortage would require not just more veterinarians but also more incentives to serve rural areas, especially for those who are not originally from those areas.
"You'd almost have to force the vet schools to accept more rural kids if we want more veterinarians out here," Schmidberger said.
Hillside Veterinary Clinic is a mixed-animal practice that primarily treats cattle, dogs and cats. Emergency services are limited to established clients.
Local practice for sale
The Animal Hospital at the Crossroads in Phillipsburg and in Plainville stopped offering general appointments and large animal services on May 9 and 23.
Emergency services at both clinics ended on May 5, according to a Facebook post by The Animal Hospital.
SEE RELATED STORY: The Animal Hospital announces Phillipsburg, Plainville locations for sale
Local pet owners wait for routine services
Haylee Hafenstein of Hays brings her 2-year-old husky, Ares, to Big Creek Veterinary Services and said the staff is consistent and provides affordable care.
"The staff is always super friendly, very helpful with all my questions, and they've sent helpful reminders to renew his vaccines," she said.
Hafenstein said the clinic has been booked the last few times she reached out. However, she said Big Creek continues to assist her by answering questions over the phone.
Cassy Callahan of Hays brings her 3-year-old Australian Shepherd-Husky mix, Champ, to Big Creek Veterinary, where she said appointments typically have a two-week wait.
Callahan said she switched vets in part because wait times at Hays Veterinary Hospital were always long during her visits.
Hailie Abkes of Hays has two dogs: Mabel, a 1-year-old Dutch Shepherd mix, and Rue, a 5-month-old German Shorthaired Pointer. She said scheduling a vet appointment within the same week has become increasingly challenging, even for routine care.
Abkes moved from Hillside to Hays Veterinary Hospital on the advice of others and said while her experiences have been positive, she still encounters occasional challenges.
"Once they’re booked, wait times in the clinic haven’t been an issue. That said, getting the appointment itself is often the hardest part," Abkes said.
Although Mabel and Rue are young and healthy, Abkes said their routine vaccinations have been postponed at times because of limited availability and scheduling conflicts.
Matthias Pearce of Hays has two 2-year-old dogs: Bart, a dachshund, and Groot, a pinscher. He primarily goes to Big Creek Veterinary Services.
"In 2024, Bart was experiencing stomach pain, diarrhea and blood in his stool. I called Hays Veterinary Hospital and was turned away as they were not taking new clients," Pearce said.
Pearce said the vaccination process can be long, as Groot was due in May but didn’t receive his shots until a month later because of scheduling conflicts.
Despite the challenges, Weidenhaft and Meier said they stay motivated by providing for their families and doing their best to serve the community.
"I want to be able to retire someday and be financially stable," Weidenhaft said. "Take care of my wife and my daughter."
Meier said, "I like being there for people and their animals. That's something that I've always enjoyed, and that's what attracted me to the idea of medicine."