We all love our four-legged friends, and caring for them is a big task. Whether it’s a household pet like a dog and cat, or a family farm animal like a cow, horse or pig, we value their well-being and want them to live pain and stress-free.
While most of us can give love and attention to our animals, we don’t have the skills to respond to medical issues that they may have. This is when we need to call in the experts, who are veterinarians. These professionals are highly trained medical personnel focusing on animal health and specializing in their medical field.
Let’s check out the different types of vets there are.
Type #1: Companion Animal Vets
This is the largest group of veterinarians, with around 75% working in this area. They are also called small animal veterinarians, and you will find them working at local clinics where people bring in their pets for care.
A typical day for this set includes:
- Diagnosing diseases
- Administering vaccines
- Treating wounds
- Administering medication
- Setting broken bones
- Performing surgery
- Euthanizing terminally ill animals
Many work regular business hours and beyond but may also be on call 24 hrs a day. Some even work in shelters to care for animals in need of homes.
Type #2: Marine Vets
Some marine veterinarians specialize in this type of care for animals that live aquatic life. Some marine vets work in zoos or theme parks as well as animal rescue non-profits to care for these animals, and they have different responsibilities depending on the need like:
- Observing behaviours
- Conducting regular exams
- Performing surgeries
- Determining treatment plans
- Responding to emergencies
- Collecting blood and tissue samples
- Marine life education
On any given day, they can work on sea turtles, jellyfish, aquatic birds, fish, whales, dolphins and octopuses.
Type #3: Emergency Vets
Vet urgent care is one of the most critical specialties. Often, a pet or other animal is distressed and needs urgent medical attention. Like an emergency room visit at a human hospital, these vets treat issues like illness and acute and chronic injuries. Critical care is the ongoing care for sicknesses that often leads to the emergency room. These vets deal with broken bones, infections, toxins and other life-threatening situations.
Type #4: Zoo Vets
Similar to a marine vet, zoo veterinarians work with exotic animals in a habitat designed for their comfort and wellness. Zoological medicine is challenging because of the variety of animals being cared for, and they deal with captive and free-ranging animals. Some of the animals cared for are:
- Elephants
- Bears
- Tigers
- Zebras
- Lions
- Giraffe
- Monkeys
- Snakes
Many more species depend on the animals living at a particular zoo. They commonly treat wounds, determine feeding schedules and diet, give vaccinations, perform physical exams and conduct surgery. Zoo vets even assist with breeding programs.
Type #5: Food Animal Vets
Farms raise animals for their meat, and although these creatures mature to be slaughtered for food, their care is important during their lifespan.
A food animal vet works to ensure the welfare of these food animals along with controlling and preventing disease. Many work with large-scale operations like ranches and farms but visit hobbyists and homesteaders. This job requires lots of travelling as they deal with cattle, swine, poultry and fish, which are difficult to bring into a clinic for care.
Type #6: Equine Vets
Some vets work exclusively on horses as this is a more narrow focus on the care of one species of animal. They will provide medical attention to both pet horses and those that compete in racing to provide examinations, medications, surgeries and rehabilitation plans.
Type #7: Behavioural Specialists
Similar to doctors that put their focus on different fields of medicine, vets also have specialties that they pursue, such as behavioural studies.
These vets are trained to recognize and treat behavioural health in animals and address how their health, environment and experiences affect their behaviour. They use various techniques along with psychotropic medications to aid in the well-being of different animals.
Type #8: Dentistry Vets
Similar to human dentists, vets can specialize in animal density to treat many ailments related to oral and dental diseases among animals.
Type #9: Internal Medicine
Animals suffer ailments similar to us, and they need to be cared for. Internal medicine vets work with animals in areas like oncology, radiology, neurology and disease.
Type #10: Research Vets
Different government agencies employ many veterinarians, biomedical research firms and schools to further the goals of animal care. Better methods of diagnosing, treating and preventing health conditions in animals are the focus, as well as food, drugs and biomedical products.
Type #11: Specialist Vets
Other specialties include:
- Radiology
- Ophthalmology
- Surgical
- Nutrition
- Anesthesia
Becoming a vet is a lofty goal, and you must have a passion for animals for this career to be truly rewarding. Use this as a guide to understanding the type of vets there are, as it will better help you when dealing with your animals and possibly direct you on a rewarding path toward a career as a vet.