Veterinarians are doctors who treat diseased and injured animals and give advice on how to care and breed healthy animals. The first veterinarian appeared around 2,500 B.C. in Babylon and China. There are two main types of vets. For example, there are large animal veterinarians that work with cows, horses, elephants, and numerous other large species. But there are also small animal veterinarians that work with smaller species, such as companion animals (pets).

There are many different places of employment for veterinarians. Some veterinarians work at zoos. These veterinarians take care of the sick or injured zoo animals. Their job is very hard because the medical problems can be multiplied greatly to all the zoo’s species. There are also companion animal veterinarians. They take care of the general public pets. Out of the 56,000 veterinarians in the United States, half are companion animal veterinarians. Food inspector veterinarians work at inspecting meat. They check meat for diseases, so that the people who consume the meat will not get sick. Food inspectors check about 100,000,000 animal carcasses a year, out of that about 1,000,000 pounds are condemned. There are also veterinarians that checkup on sporting animals, they help racing horses, greyhounds, ostriches, etc. Marine veterinarians are just about the same as zoo veterinarians, but they deal with water animals like whales and dolphins. Some veterinarians also work as professors, teaching college students about veterinary medicine.

A veterinarian’s job is considered a good one because they usually make a good deal of money, especially if they own their own business. The average income of veterinarians in private practice was $57,500 in 1995. The starting salary of a veterinarian is somewhere around $23,000 per year nowadays. But veterinarians in more established careers make around $40,000-$60,000. But those who work for the federal government (meat inspectors) are considered to make less.

Veterinarians also require much more education to be what they are. There are 27 colleges in 26 states that meet veterinary medicine accreditation standards. The required G.P.A. to get into a veterinary college is from a 2.5-3.2. Veterinarian students usually complete about a 4-5 year program in college. But some colleges require that students complete at least 2 years of general college. While in veterinary college students do laboratory work in anatomy, biochemistry, and other scientific and medical subjects. To become a full service veterinarian you have to acquire a D.V.M or a degree as a doctor of veterinary medicine. After you acquire a D.V.M. students must pass an examination from the state board of veterinarian licensing.

A day in the life of a veterinarian is usually very challenging. The veterinarians have longs hours and difficult shifts. Most veterinarians are on call most days, if something goes wrong then they must report to the job. The veterinarians must know hundreds of treatments for sick or injured animals. But some animals just cannot be saved, so they have to be euthanized (put to sleep). Some of the jobs a veterinarian does are: he cures diseases, mends broken bones, and gives birth to animals. A vet does all of his/her activities in many rooms. A main veterinary hospital consists of an examining room(s), a x-ray room, a kennel room with dog run, and a surgical room.

In conclusion, a veterinarian’s job is in many people’s opinion the best job of all. Most people consider being a veterinarian at a young age because of their love for animals. “A veterinarian’s job is considered to be one of the hardest because the patient cannot tell you where it hurts”