A veterinarian Ashfield in standard American definition is a medical professional with
practices veterinary medicine treating animal diseases, disorders and injuries.
They are also called veterinary surgeons (British) English) and fondly as a vet
by many.
In
essence, they are the ones who care for the health of animals, pets, livestock
and animals in zoos, and racetracks.
Some serve humans by doing research carried on animals in laboratories
looking for solutions on human and animal health problems.
Vets
diagnose animal health problems, vaccines against diseases, and medicate
animate that are suffering for infections and other illnesses or victim of
accidents. They all come very well-prepared to treat and dress wounds, set
fractures and perform the necessary surgery. On top of these, like all doctors,
they advise owners on animal feeding, behavior and breeding.
Professional spread
77%
of veterinarian Ashfield work in private practice treating pets (American Medical
Veterinary Association). They regularly care for dogs and cats but they can and
does work on treating other animals like birds, reptiles, rabbits, and others
kept as pets.
16%
of veterinarians work in private mixed with food animal practices that include
goats and pigs, cattle, sheep and other animals in addition to the farm
animals. Still others, a smaller group (6%) work on the care horses
exclusively.
Food animals
The
vets working on food animals (or horses) drive to farms and ranches or to other
places to do their veterinary services to herds or individual animals. They
work with ranch owners and personnel regarding the animal production, feeding,
and housing issues.
They
also treat wounds, set fractures and surgery, including caesarian sections on
birthing animals.
Food safety
Those
working on food animals are also involved in food safety and inspection. Some
work as livestock inspectors who check on animals for transmissible diseases.
They also advise animal owners on the treatment of their animals and sometimes
practice protective quarantine measures.
Some
work as inspectors on meat, poultry and eggs. They examine slaughtering and
processing plants, check on animal carcass for diseases, and enforce government
regulations on food purity and sanitation.
Some
of them also work as examiners in the import-export of animal products for
disease prevention here and abroad.
Working settings
As
a whole, vets who are working in private (or in clinical practices) usually
work long hours in noisy places. They have to sometimes deal with some
emotional issues and demanding owners. They also are at risk when working with
frightened animals or can suffer pain after being kicked, bitten or scratched.
Those
who are working in food animals or horses need to spend driving to and from
their work places (farms ranch animals). Most are usually working outdoors in
all types of weather and may have to treat animals in less sanitary conditions.
Education
Candidate
vets have to graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from a
highly-competitive 4-year program at an accredited college of veterinary
medicine. New graduates with a doctorate degree in vet medicine can begin to
practice after getting their license.
Many
graduates opt to enter a one-year internship even with a small salary. The
internship does lead to better paying jobs for a veterinarian.
