As Summer Pet Injuries Surge, Vet Demand in These Top 10 States Soars: Michigan Lands Ninth in the Ranking

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• Colorado pet owners top the chart with 1,726 vet searches per 100,000 residents.
• Michigan places ninth with 1,499 searches per 100,000 people.
• Hawaii sits bottom with just 822 searches – less than half of Colorado’s rate.

A new study has uncovered Michigan as one of the top ten states where residents most search for veterinary services.

Research by the pet insurance comparison site Pet Insurance Deals looked at Google search data for 153 vet-related terms, such as “Mobile vet near me,” “24 hour emergency vet,” and “Signs your dog needs a vet,” across all 50 states.

States with highest veterinary search volume in 2025

Colorado takes the first spot with 1,726 veterinarian-related searches per 100,000 residents. The top search in Colorado is for “vet near me,” indicating that a large percentage of people either don’t have a regular vet, or are first-time pet owners. Colorado has dense forests and mountain trails, making it a superb place to hike with your dog, but also a hotspot for mushroom poisoning.

Dog owners should watch for sniffing around fallen logs or damp soil where toxic mushrooms thrive. If your pup eats something suspicious do these three things: 1. Don’t induce vomiting, 2. Take a photo of the mushroom, and 3. Call your local vet or animal control immediately. Cats and other small pets, on the other hand, can be in danger from wildlife, such as mountain lions or coyotes.

West Virginia comes in second place with 1,647 searches per 100,000 people. The state is known for rural charm and rolling hills, but according to Forbes, in 2023 West Virginia had the highest rates of Lyme disease nationally at 17.2%. Cats roaming and dogs running through tall grass and wooded areas can pick up ticks quickly. Owners are encouraged to maintain regular tick prevention and check their pet’s fur after walks.

Oregon secured third place with 1,625 searches per 100,000 residents. During rainy seasons, standing water can become a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria such as Giardia, causing diarrhea, and leptospirosis, a blood infection, which is spread by wildlife urine. It’s commonly found in stagnant water sources. To keep your pet safe, consider keeping dogs on a leash in wetter areas, and avoid places with stagnant water for your cats, because they naturally drink from available water sources.

Utah comes in fourth with 1,606 searches per 100,000 people. Utah has a stunning landscape that is a great place to explore, especially with your dog. However, it’s also home to venomous rattlesnakes and plants like foxgloves, which are poisonous to dogs. Owners in Utah looking to take their dogs for a walk on the wild side should consult their veterinarian about snakebite vaccinations and precautions.

North Carolina rounds out the top five, with 1,588 searches per 100,000 residents. Pet owners in North Carolina should be extra careful when living or exploring near water sources to avoid a visit to the veterinarian. Not only are pets at risk from water sources contaminated by hog waste, but also blue-green algae blooms, which can be toxic to pets.

Ranking sixth through tenth for searches per 100,000 people are Arizona at 1,551, Washington with 1,536, Florida with 1,508, Michigan with 1,499, and Tennessee with 1,485 searches.

Hawaii saw the lowest veterinary search interest in the country, recording just 822 searches per 100,000 residents.

Nationally, reactive terms such as “vet near me” (1.6 million searches each month) and “emergency animal hospital” (745,000 searches) receive the highest number of searches each month, whereas proactive searches for things such as “puppy wellness exam” (266 searches) or “how to find a good vet” (543 searches) see a much lower volume.

Tom Sadler, Managing Director at Pet Insurance Deals, commented on the findings,

“The data in this study reveals the states looking for veterinarian services the most, and it appears to paint a clear pattern. Pet owners should consider being more proactive with their pets’ care. Not only will your pet be at a lower risk of health concerns with regular vet checkups, but keeping up to date with vaccinations can help to lower insurance premiums.

“Dog owners are at higher risk of needing a vet because they are more likely to take their dogs into situations where they are at higher risk for injury, such as walking in an area with rattlesnakes, but they expose them to environmental dangers, such as dirty water sources or potentially toxic organisms.

“For the majority of pet owners, our pets are members of our family, and as a result we are more likely to put ourselves at risk to rescue them from dangerous situations. But with a little pre-planning, we can avoid many of the situations where emergency vets, or worse, hospital visits are required.”

 

Methodology:

Monthly average search volume data was taken from Google Keyword Planner (GKP) based on searches over the past 12 months to reveal the rankings for the states most in need of a vet. A list of 153 unique and relevant keywords was collated and run through GKP. This list included examples such as: Vet near me, Animal hospital near me, Local vet clinics, etc. Using this data, the total search volume for the listed terms can be observed at a national level and per individual state, as well as the top five most searched-for keywords in each state and the most searched-for term nationwide.

The states have been ranked, and the state with the highest search volume for the selected terms is listed at the top, descending. This is given as both an absolute and per-100,000 population figure.

All states ranked by veterinary care searches: