There's a more recent survey. Here's a summary:
http://www.avma.org/press/releases/090901_starting_salaries_survey.asp
And here's a relevant excerpt:
"According to the survey results, 88.6 percent of students had debt at the time of their graduation from veterinary school, and all but 9.6 percent of that debt was incurred while the students were in veterinary school. Average debt increased 8.5 percent between 2008 and 2009, with student debt averaging $129,976 in 2009, compared with $119,803 in 2008. Nearly a third of the students had an average debt above $150,000."
Let's read that again: NEARLY A THIRD of veterinary students graduate with debt ABOVE $150,000.
And "When it comes to salaries for these new hires, the average starting salary among all employer types combined increased 0.7 percent, from $48,328 in 2008 to $48,684 in 2009. Excluding those who continued their education through advanced study, the average starting salary increased 5.2 percent, from $61,633 in 2008 to $64,826 in 2009."
So, basic math: debt is increasing at a rate faster than salaries.
People are graduating from veterinary schools where their tuition went up 12.5% PER YEAR during the four years they were there. Talk about blowing all your projected budgeting prior to vet school out the window.
For me, I had to take out $50K first year, $55K second year, and now $60K third year. Just to make ends meet.
Student debt is a tremendous problem. Ignoring it will not make it go away. There are many, many facets to the situation--and a big one is ever-decreasing government funding for veterinary schools--but it is a REAL problem and, IMHO, a very viable reason for someone to turn away from veterinary school and towards another profession.
And as far as working goes--not only did I work every single summer/spring break/winter break (except for our paltry two-week long winter break this year)--I have also worked 8 hours every Saturday at the teaching hospital during the school year itself. Just FYI when you're talking about working to make $$ and reducing the amount borrowed.