Across the veterinary field, revenue is slightly up, but visits keep trending downward. A new report based on data from 6,451 U.S. practices shows why that matters — and where practices may have opportunities to strengthen loyalty and support growth.
What does the data say about visit and revenue trends?
For the past 3 years, visit rates have consistently fallen and 2025 was no exception: visits were down 3.1%, following declines of 1.4% in 2023 and 2.6% in 2024. Even with slight increases in revenue, higher per-visit prices may be masking a deeper challenge: declining client volume.
The data suggests that raising prices alone isn’t enough to reverse this trend of declining visits. Over time, higher price increases appear to correlate with lower visit growth.
Wellness and product-only visits are down overall, suggesting that some clients may be stretching preventive care, buying elsewhere, or stopping treatment altogether.
- Practices with the highest increase in the cost of a basic wellness visit over the last two years (27.4%) had the lowest visit growth.
- Practices with lower increases in the cost of a basic wellness visit over the same period (24.1%) achieved the highest visit growth.
What can veterinary practices do to create sustainable growth?
The report makes it clear that pricing alone will not solve declining visits. Practices have an opportunity to look beyond pricing and focus on retention and visit recovery, which means meeting client expectations and using reporting to uncover challenges and opportunities.
Make it easier for clients to follow through
Stronger client bonding doesn’t come from the visit or pricing alone. It is shaped by what happens around the visit, including how easy it is to schedule, communicate, order recommended products, and follow through on care. In a price-sensitive environment, practices that reduce friction and make it easier for clients to stay engaged are better positioned to retain them over time.
Giving pet owners easier ways to communicate and follow through can help them feel more supported by your practice between visits.
Use reporting to spot drop off and opportunity
Reporting becomes more useful when it helps you see where clients may be falling off and where the practice has room to improve. Automated reporting that offers clear insights into patient trends and retention, as well as financial and operational performance, helps you identify opportunities earlier. That makes it easier to respond before small issues become bigger ones.
The takeaway: you can turn trends into opportunities
One thing is clear: pricing cannot be the sole strategy if veterinary practices want to recover visits and build sustainable growth. The stronger path forward is to improve the client experience, reinforce the value of care, and use data to guide smarter decisions over time.
Download the full white paper to see where these trends may be creating the biggest risks — and the biggest opportunities — for your practice.
