October 15, 2025

  

Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation launches comprehensive animal health programme to support veterinarians and increase access to veterinary care

 

 

Boehringer Ingelheim has launched a US$2.5 million comprehensive Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation Animal Health Programme.

 

The programme commits a three-year strategic collaboration to address three critical challenges facing the veterinary profession: supporting veterinary wellbeing, fuelling the pipeline of future veterinarians, and increasing access to veterinary care in underserved urban and rural communities.

 

"We know that animals, people, and communities are deeply connected. That's why our new Animal Health Programme goes beyond philanthropy -- it is about strategic investments in the future of veterinary healthcare," said Rene Ward, Executive Director, US Animal Health Corporate Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim and Board Member of Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation. "By supporting the wellbeing of veterinary professionals and expanding access to care in underserved areas, we're helping ensure that animals and the people that care for them can thrive."

 

The programme launches at a critical time when veterinary professionals balance medical expertise with deep empathy, financial pressures with ethical decisions, and the daily highs and lows of lives saved and lost. The comprehensive approach addresses both immediate needs and long-term sustainability of the veterinary profession.

 

Fuelling the Pipeline: The veterinary profession faces a critical workforce shortage rooted in educational barriers. With just over 30 accredited veterinary colleges in the US and acceptance rates of 10-15%, competition is fiercer than most medical schools. Graduates who do gain admission face average debt burdens exceeding US$150,000, creating a bottleneck that limits the profession's ability to meet growing demand for veterinary services in underserved communities.

 

A $60,000 collaboration with the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization is developing three science-based STEM lessons on antibiotics, vaccines, and genomics designed to reach students at critical middle and high school levels. By connecting classroom learning to real-world animal health applications, this initiative builds a more diverse pipeline of future veterinary professionals who will advance livestock care for generations to come.

 

Supporting Veterinary Wellbeing: Today's veterinary professionals face significant workforce challenges including high turnover rates and early career departures due to exhaustion---a challenge that veterinarians report experiencing more than the general population. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, turnover rates in veterinary practices have reached as high as 25%, with many veterinary professionals leaving traditional practice roles before retirement age. Veterinarians also navigate ethical dilemmas daily, unique to veterinary medicine, which many outside the profession often underappreciate.

 

In collaboration with Not One More Vet (NOMV), the programme offers confidential, professionally facilitated mental health support groups, individual counseling, and wellness education for veterinary professionals. The Veterinary Initiative for Team Advancement and Leadership (VITAL) is piloting in 10 nonprofit clinics in underserved and rural areas, focusing on creating psychologically safe clinic environments through engagement, team training, and leadership development.

 

Addressing Care Deserts: Currently, many Americans live in areas where veterinary care is scarce, with 240 shortage areas, known as care deserts, identified across 47 states in fiscal year 2024--the highest number on record.

 

Through a collaboration with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), the program provides US$2,000 stipends for rural externship opportunities for 10 veterinary students in rural America. Additionally, Boehringer Cares is collaborating with the University of Georgia to launch a mobile veterinary clinic, expanding access to animal care in rural areas while giving veterinary students valuable field experience.

 

-      Boehringer Ingelheim