Growing up with this small dream of mine, I've always thought that there is only one type veterinarian, the one that treat cats and dogs. Funny thing is when I was young, I never considered livestock animals as animals. In my eyes they were just food, oh how naive and inconsiderate I was towards these poor animals.
But, that is exactly why we learn and go to school. Bit by bit, I was exposed to so much more on knowing about these animals, on how to treat them, how to care for them, how to make sure they too as sentient being will be treated well and with appreciation and grateful heart. It's an eye opening phase of my life especially when I enter the university life where I've learnt so much more. Livestock production system, animal behaviour, health and welfare, parasitology and their nutrition, all was covered in these short span of four years. It was mind boggling to even learn that there are not one but many many more types of veterinarians out there in this world.
Some of the veterinarians that I found really interesting are:
- Wildlife specialized veterinarian
- Large animal / Farm animal / Livestock specialized veterinarian
- Laboratory animal / Researcher veterinarian
1. Wildlife specialized veterinarian
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| Wildlife vet in action, sedating cheetah for exams. |
A wildlife vet have to do a lot of tasks, some the routine that they do are as follows:
-sedating animals for exams
-performing the examinations, vaccinations, taking blood samples, administering fluids
-prescribing medications, evaluating and treating wounds
-assisting with captive breeding programs
-providing intensive care for young animals that were abandoned by their parents
Wildlife vet and wildlife rehabilitators always work hand in hand together.
2. Large animal / Farm animal / Livestock specialized veterinarian
Large animal vet as you can see from the pics shown, they mainly handle livestock species such as cattle, horses, sheep, goats and pigs. They earned their license and are trained to diagnose and treat illnesses that can affect these species. Since livestock species are very important sources of food and economy, these species should really be well taken care of.
Like any other vets, large animal vets conduct health exams, vaccinations, cleaning and suturing wounds and performing surgeries. They too will oversee the reproductive health of the animals along with the producers and farmers, as they will be the one to perform artificial inseminations. These group of unsung heroes will have to work long hours and spent a great deal of their time on farms dealing with animals.
3. Laboratory animal / Researcher veterinarians
Lab animals are very crucial for researchers to do their research, but as important as the research, the welfare and the health of these animals too are important and should not be overlook. Therefore, as a laboratory animal veterinarian, he/she will usually develop clinical and preventative health programs for the specimens. Besides handling the animals, it is also their job to train the research staffs and technicians in the proper care and handling of the animals. The humane methods of surgery and animal restraining as well as the proper use of analgesics and aesthetics, will be passed down to the technicians and research staffs. Normal routines like performing health check and prescribing medications are within their scope as well.
Lab animals requires different types of diets and nutritions. Regarding this matter, the vet too will have to educate the researchers on the nutritional requirements and environmental needs of the animals. Disease risk precautions will always have to be taken as these animals are prone to get sick and perform stereotypic behaviour.
>>>> Now, we've come to the important question of the day.
5 years from now, as a vet student, what do you see yourself as? What will you be doing? What kind of veterinarian would you want to be after graduating?
I think about this question for a moment and I found out that, every time I will have different vision of myself, different future that I wanted for myself. People sees things, they learn through their mistakes, they learn through their life experiences. Taking all these into considerations, I found myself having different dreams all the time.
I used to see myself to be a small animal vet, treating cats and dogs and all sorts of small animals in my own little vet store named "Joy for your Pets". As i grow up and having to expand my knowledge on animals, I found myself wanted to be a researcher, working in labs, succeeding in proving my thesis. I went and took my first degree in Animal Biology, and during that four years studying abroad, I've come to love and interested in the topic of animal behaviour and welfare, that I actually did have a plan to do a master degree on animal behaviour, who knows, maybe someday I too can be a "Tiger Whisperer" or "Otter Whisperer", you never know.
All in all, my deep love for animals never dies down. And so right now, I'm continuing what I'm doing, learning and experiencing life while connecting with animals. In 5 years time, I see myself graduating with a DVM, and as a student bound with a contract with my sponsor, I see myself working in government sectors, but preferably still within the context of taking care and handling animals. Nevertheless, since I've come to love and have a deep interest on animal behaviour especially, and I really love tigers, I want to be a wildlife vet with a deep understanding on animal behaviour, going out in the wild, saving animals and treating them. This is the kind of vet life I would want to have. Therefore, there is a plan in my mind now that after I'm graduating, I will probably take a master degree in animal behaviour. :)
There's no wrong in dreaming so I'll dream big, and through these dreams, comes the motivation for me to try harder, to strive more, and to persevere in all the hardships may come along the way. May the force be with me. Haha. ;)
"Thanks for reading."
