Veterinary Care Deserts: A Spatial Analysis of Accessibility and Inequality of Veterinary Service in Toronto

Access to veterinary care is a multifaceted challenge that revolves around the spatial accessibility of veterinary services and socioeconomic factors that may cause barriers for pet owners seeking veterinary consultations. This study aims to evaluate the spatial accessibility of veterinary services across the city of Toronto, while also investigating the relationships between accessibility scores and socioeconomic indicators through the utilization of spatial regression. Based on network analysis, this study examines the accessibility of veterinary clinics within the 10-min, 15-min, and 20-min travel thresholds and compares the results from the 2SFCA method and the Gaussian-based 2SFCA method. The study found that the spatial distribution of veterinary clinics and heightened accessibility levels clustered in the central area of the city and have statistically significant relationships with home ownership rates and the proportion of individuals having a bachelor’s degree or higher, further revealing social inequality issues of access to veterinary services. This work can be used by animal welfare organizations and policymakers looking to improve access to veterinary care and construct a more robust animal welfare system. Keywords: Veterinary Services, Access, 2SFCA, Spatial Regression