How to Staff Your Veterinary Practice Through the Holidays

Holiday coverage at a veterinary practice gets decided in October, not on Christmas Eve. Practices that get from Thanksgiving to New Year's without burning out their team do two things early. They publish a fair, written time-off rotation before anyone submits a request. Then they line up relief for the days the rotation can't cover, from relief vets they already know rather than whoever an agency can find on December 23.

The pressure is real on both sides of the schedule. A 16-year review of emergency visits at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary hospital found caseload rose significantly on most major holidays, with Memorial Day the busiest. Thanksgiving Day and Easter were the exceptions. Pets keep getting sick while your team is trying to be home with family.

Why Do the Holidays Strain Veterinary Staffing?

Demand stays high at the exact moment everyone wants the same days off. Most of a team will ask for some version of the week of Christmas, and the people least likely to ask are often the ones who covered it last year too.

The squeeze lands on a workforce with little slack left. In a dvm360 survey of 146 veterinary professionals published in October 2026, nearly 3 in 4 reported moderate or severe burnout, and many named staffing shortages and limited time for breaks as workplace concerns. A holiday schedule that feels unfair can push a tired team member from frustrated to job hunting.

Which Holiday Time-Off System Is Fairest?

There's no single right answer, but there are 5 common systems, laid out in a dvm360 guide to holiday time-off requests. Each one trades a little fairness in one direction for predictability in another.

Whichever you choose, the system matters less than sticking to it. A dvm360 piece on managing holiday requests recommends picking one approach, capping how many people can be out at the same time, and writing the policy into your employee handbook so nobody has to guess.

Which Holiday Dates Need Coverage This Year?

In 2026, Christmas and New Year's Day both fall on a Friday. Each one becomes a 3-day weekend, which puts the Thursdays before them near the top of everyone's request list. Map these dates first:

If your practice closes on any of these days, confirm which emergency hospital you'll refer clients to, and put it on your voicemail and website before the week starts.

How Do You Build a Holiday Coverage Plan?

Once the rotation rule is set, the plan itself comes together in 5 steps:

1. Announce the rule and a deadline together. Give the team one date by which all November and December requests are due. A short message works: "Holiday requests open November 1 and close November 8. We're using a lottery this year, and anyone who picks up a holiday shift gets holiday pay."
2. Map the shifts that must be covered. List every holiday-week shift and how many people each needs, for example 2 people for the afternoon of Wednesday, November 25.
3. Cap who can be out at once. Decide the maximum number of people off per shift before approving anything, so the first few approvals don't sink the schedule.
4. Stagger what's left. Split coverage into morning and afternoon shifts, or A and B days, so more people get some time at home.
5. Decide holiday pay up front. If your practice can offer a holiday rate or another reward for working the most requested days, say so before requests open, not after.

When the map is done, whatever shifts are still empty are your relief list.

How Do You Fill Holiday Gaps Without an Agency?

The open shifts left after the rotation are where most holiday plans fall apart. A practice texts a few relief vets, waits, texts a few more, and on the third day calls an agency and pays its markup. Running relief as an organized program fixes that:

• Start with your own bench. The relief vets who have already worked your floor know your team, your software, and your clients. Ask them about availability before you ask anyone else.
• Post the shifts once, with the terms attached. Each open shift should carry its date, hours, and holiday rate, so nobody has to negotiate by text.
• Let your own team claim shifts too. Associates who want the holiday pay should see the same open shifts as relief vets, which makes the volunteer sign-up system run itself.
• Confirm and pay in the same place. Every booked shift gets confirmed in writing, then approved and paid after it's worked, including any holiday bonus.

This is the workflow Groove by Hound was built for. Practices invite the relief vets they already trust into a private network, relief vets share their availability, and practices post shifts with hourly, flat-rate, or custom pay terms. Groove also supports W2 associates picking up shifts, so staff volunteers and relief vets work from one calendar. There are no shift booking fees, and Groove estimates each shift booked through it instead of an agency saves an average of $300 to $500 in markup.

Even a solid plan meets a sick call on December 24. Keeping a short list of backup people and a clear call-out process makes that day survivable, and our guide to covering last-minute staff call-outs walks through how to set one up. For the longer-term version of this, see what it takes to run relief staffing in-house all year.

The best time to share your holiday plan is before the first request lands. A team that can see the rule, the deadline, and who's covering each open shift spends December working the schedule instead of arguing about it.