the good comes the not so good. >> it's super busy. >> reporter: at this animal hospital in chicago, hours were already reduced because of covid. now with a 30% increase in visits, they're trying to keep up. >> we are seeing massive uptick in appointments. it's been a great opportunity for us at this hospital in terms of just shifting, how do we see more patients, getting creative with having curbside drop-offs, having people wait outside with their pets. >> reporter: a crisis of care playing out across the country. nearly every state reporting a shortage in veterinarians. leaving pet owners anxious. >> do you have any appointments it's defeating to not do anything. >> the demand is exceeding our ability to keep up >> i requested a spay and neuter of two siblings, kittens. they gave me a month's waiting time. >> reporter: the situation so dire, this animal hospital in boston forced to ration care. >> the case load is so large that we are seeing only life-threatening