Plastics in flux While one local manufacturer is closing up shop and laying off workers, two others are expanding and staffing up.
Berkshire Business Journal 75 S. Church St. Pittsfield, MA 01201
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 137 PITTSFIELD, MA 01201
Change service requested
Pages 2-4
BEN GARVER
Berkshire Business Journal DECEMBER 2024 I VOL. 3, NO. 12
Pet care is at a premium
Shortage of veterinarians a frustrating challenge in the Berkshires
STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN
Veterinary technician Crystal Montemoino, left, holds 13-year-old Jameson, a black lab and Jack Russell terrier mix, as Dr. Michelle Looney looks at his gums during an exam at Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital. By Amanda Burke The Berkshire Eagle NORTH ADAMS — At North County Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Lindsay Cermak cares for animals and, by extension, the humans who walk them through the front door. Her practice, like that of her peers throughout the county, is busy. Her office fields upwards of 10 calls every day from prospective new patients looking to establish care for their pets, but Cermak said her office manager must break the news that they’re not accepting new clients right now. “It’s hard,” she said. “Sometimes it’s people with new animals, puppies and kittens, and they’re not finding a new vet, or sometimes it’s someone who, unfortunately,
didn’t have a vet and now has a pet who’s getting older, getting sick and needs help.” Finding a veterinarian in the Berkshires, and beyond, has become a significant challenge in recent years for a number of reasons, including a rise in pet ownership during the COVID pandemic, more veterinarians retiring or otherwise leaving the field, and the difficulty — and expense — of attaining a veterinary degree. “There’s been a shortage of veterinarians in specific areas of veterinary practice, particularly anything rural or semi-rural, for a number of years,” said Dr. Alastair Cribb, dean of Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Cermak’s alma mater. “Then, as we went through the pandemic
and came out the other side, we essentially hit what really is almost a global shortage of veterinarians.” In Berkshire County, that’s left some pet owners hitting frustrating walls at they try to receive care for their new pets. While not impossible — some local providers are taking new clients, though likely booking appointments months in advance — others are offering appointments only to existing pet patients. “You can definitely see the shortage, because there’s a lot of practices that are not taking new clients,” Cermak said. “It’s a problem, because there’s a lot of people are getting pets and can’t find a vet.” To understand the factors that combine to create a frustrating situation for pet owners and even vets themself, another local veterinar-
ian, Dr. Michelle Looney, points back to the changing attitudes surrounding pet ownership she’s observed throughout her career. When she started out about 30 years ago, she said, the family cat and dog were just that; animals. But the human-animal bond has evolved, and now many view their pet as a part of the family. As a result, more pet owners are willing to pay for a range of treatments. “More people want to do more things and take better care of their of their animals,” said Looney, chief of staff at Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital on West Housatonic Street. “Even if finances are tight, they’ll find a way to do it.” Meantime, veterinary medicine has advanced to the point where VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE, Page 10