Economic and Structural Aspects of Companion Animal Clinics in Turkey Operated by Veterinarians Graduated from Istanbul University

Companion animal veterinary clinics, besides being healthcare units, are enterprises which contribute to national economy and create employment opportunities. It is beneficial to learn more overall situation and economic aspects of the companion animal clinics in order to determine the strong and vulnerable areas of the companion animal sector. In this study, face-to-face surveys were applied to veterinarians who graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and operate companion animal veterinary clinics. The results showed that veterinarians' average monthly net income was $2683, the largest income item was vaccinations with 28.2%, while the biggest expense item was again vaccinations with 24.2%. Pet owners spent an average of $388 per year for cats and $619 for dogs. Money collections in clinics were mostly made by credit card, and the average uncollectible receivable of a clinic has been determined as $2332. Most of the veterinary clinics are clinic-type, single-storey clinics, between 100 and 200 m2 size, having two exam rooms and one operation room. In terms of the patient demographics, it was determined that 62.1% of the patients were cats and 33.4% of the patients were dogs. The vast majority of the cats and dogs were between 2 and 5 years of age, and mini-small dog breeds were the dominant breeds. In conclusion, the structures and patient distribution of the clinics operated by Istanbul University graduates were in parallel with the country in general, pet owners spend more on their cats and dogs than the country average, and the average monthly net earnings of veterinarians as an individual graduated from Istanbul University were higher than the earnings of companion animal veterinarians across the country. Considering the status of Istanbul University in the pet industry, the main outcome would be considered as an expected result.