rabbits, birds, the occasional reptile, and other companion animals. These .
vets" main jobs include: preventing diseases with vaccinations, diagnosing .
diseases with physical exams and lab tests, treating diseases with medical .
care or surgery, and preventing pain and suffering with pain medication or .
euthanasia.1 Small animal vets typically work in large offices, see over .
forty animals a day and sometimes work up to ten hours per day. Some small .
animal vets also often work with both large and small animals in mixed .
animal practices. These animal vets are exposed to less injury than .
livestock vets but they do get hurt. For example, they get bitten by dogs, .
scratched by cats, and have a higher exposure to rabies.
The most dangerous form of veterinary medicine is the veterinarian that .
works with livestock and large animals. The high risk of injury during .
surgery and/or exams drives many potential large animal vets away from this .
type of practice. Dr. Sevedge said that one of his good friends in .
veterinary school died because one of the horses he was working on kicked .
him in the head. Being a livestock vet isn't all that bad; the animals they .
get to work with are relatively friendly. Some of their more common patients .
include: horses, pigs, cows, goats, sheep, and any other farm creature too .
big to bring into the vet's office. As I said earlier, large animal vets .
have to make house calls because the creatures that they work with are often .
too huge to bring into the vets" office, so they never see as many patients .
in a day therefore they don't make as much money as a small animal vet.
Not many people know that veterinarians play a major role in human and .
animal health. Many vets work in laboratories, discovering new animal .
diseases and making improved vaccinations. The government hires these .
veterinarians; in 2000 they hired over eight hundred vets. The main job .
these veterinarians have is to prevent lethal animal transmitted diseases .