Careers in Veterinary

Veterinarians are professionals who have a wide expertise of treating and curing disorders in animals. People who are looking out for careers in veterinary, primarily should have love and respect for animals. Vets are responsible for dealing with health of pets, livestock, and zoo animals. They also work in animal testing laboratories and racecourses. There are some veterinarians who utilize their expertise to preclude diseases which are transferred from animals to human beings, wherein they carry out a thorough clinical research on such possibilities. Whereas, other veterinarians conduct basic research, and educate people on animal disorders and complications.

Majority of the veterinarians examining animal health problems carry out vaccinations for disorders like distemper or rabies, treat animals suffering from contagions or sicknesses, dress wounds, treat fractures, and perform surgery. Moreover, they also suggest and educate pet owners regarding animal feeding, breeding and their behavioral habits. As per a survey conducted by the 'American Medical Veterinary Association', over 70% of veterinarians, working in private medical centers, mostly treat small animals like cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, and other animals which are kept as pets by people. Around 1/4th of veterinarians are hired in various animal health care centers, which deal in sheep, goats, pigs, and also a few wild animals.

There are some veterinarians who treat and medicate large animals like horses, cows, buffaloes, etc. They are needed in farms or ranches, where they are required to render veterinary services for herds or individually effected animals. Apart from treatment or curing, they may also provide preventive care to all animals, and assist the farm and ranch owners regarding disease prevention. Veterinarians are also asked to visit the zoo by authorities, to treat wild or aquatic animals. In rare cases, they euthanize animals if required. Some vets help physicians and scientists in researches, which leads to the invention of various medicines and antidotes that are used by humans to prevent diseases. Some vets also study the aftereffects of drug treatments, antibiotics or new operational techniques by experimenting on animals.

Vets also perform the duty of a livestock inspector, wherein they examine the animals for transmissible infections and quarantine them. Meat, poultry or egg product inspectors are responsible for checking slaughtering and processing facilities, examining live animals and carcases for diseases, considering government ordinances for food purity and sanitation. Veterinarians may also be employed as animal and plant health inspectors, in food security sectors, wherein they check trade of animal foods to preclude the possibilities of infectious diseases. Usually, such vets are required to utilize their potential in government departments of agriculture and animal health.

Their work involves some risk, as there is a high possibility of them being bitten or scratched by animal or pets which are being treated or medicated. Along with the treatment of pets, they also have to handle the owners of the pets. The owners are emotionally attached to their pets, and might get disturbed by the reaction of their pets during the treatment. To make a career in veterinary medicines, one should possess a 'Doctor of Veterinary Medicine' degree from a recognized educational institution of veterinary medicine, along with a valid license to practice. The salary which is offered to vets is very competitive, with an average annual salary being over $80,000 (as per 2007 records). The job prospects for veterinary medicine professionals may vary in rural and urban areas.

Nowadays many people are adopting pets for several reasons, so with a significant rise in pet adoption, a great demand has been created for veterinarians.