America’s best veterinary hospitals of 2025 ranked by USA TODAY and Statista

Americans are a pet-loving bunch with more than 60% owning at least one pet, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The sheer numbers are enormous: Americans treasure almost 90 million dogs and 74 million cats, along with fish, reptiles, birds, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits and poultry.

A full 88% of those owners say they view their dogs as members of their family, as do 84% of cat owners.

And they want what’s best for their pet, including food, toys, grooming tools – and medical care. The AVMA estimates that dog-owning U.S. households spend $580 per year on veterinary care, cat-owners $433 and $531 for other pets.

But finding great veterinary care is not always easy. In some areas, America faces a shortage of veterinarians and of veterinary hospitals. The AVMA has even published a working definition for “veterinary care deserts.”

Given this, finding a good veterinary hospital where pets can receive high-quality treatment from licensed veterinarians is more critical than ever.

To help pet owners find such high-quality care, USA TODAY has partnered with market research firm Statista to create our inaugural America’s Best Veterinary Hospitals rankings.

Criteria used to make the list included:

• Assessment by veterinary professionals
• Assessment by pet owners
• Surveys posted on USA TODAY for veterinarians and for pet owners
• When appropriate, accreditation

The main body of assessments was gathered from an independent survey of more than 5,000 U.S. veterinary professionals and pet owners who had either visited or received services from a veterinary hospital in the past three years.

The respondents evaluated several hospitals, and all together more than 11,000 evaluations were collected between January and March 2025.

For the list, a veterinary hospital was defined as a facility operated by a licensed veterinarian for diagnosing and treating diseases and injuries in large animals and pets, offering services like surgery and emergency care.

Together, these touchpoints were scored for a final assessment to create the list of 300 health care providers, resulting in the 2025 list of America's Best Veterinary Hospitals.