BUSINESS
& CAREERS
Faze Online
Pet Veterinarian
by
Sandra Curtis
My day at the vet's office was amazing. Not only did I learn
a lot about veterinary medicine but I met Casey, the umbrella
cockatoo.
This is not your run-of-the-mill bird. Casey speaks in short
sentences having the intelligence almost equivalent to your
five year old brother or sister. Unfortunately though, he
has developed an obsessive compulsive personality disorder
which causes numerous challenges for his owner and himself.
Due to his rather weird behaviour, Casey requires much psychotherapy
and medication. Strange repetitive body actions cause him
to hurt his body which constantly worries his owners.
Enter Dr. Markus Luckwaldt, a small animal veterinarian practitioner
who specializes in avian and exotic animals. Not only is Casey
apparently in excellent hands but so is his owner, Paul Smith
who is immediately put to ease by the compassion and understanding
demonstrated by this veterinarian. Now I must say, Casey is
not actually a small bird and I too needed the reassurance
from the vet that all was fine as we crammed into the examining
room, three adults and uncaged cockatoo.
"Look
at your beautiful feathers, Casey, and how gorgeous you look.
It's okay big guy. You are being a very good boy, Casey"………said
the doctor while he closely examined Casey's wing which was
chewed to the bone exposing open, red sores. This was caused
by excessive over-preening and simply indicates a bird who
is never happy with the state of his feathers! A bad hair
day taken to extremes. For good measure, the nose is cleaned
(the contents of which are fed back to Casey to develop trust
between vet and pet. Yuck!), dentistry work is performed in
and around the mouth and beak and let me not forget to mention
the pedicure (or was that manicure) on the talons.
Watching the interactions with pet, owner and doctor, I was
immediately struck by the high standard of communication skills
required by the veterinarian in dealing with both humans and
animals. Animals, I am told, pick up insincerity and uncertainty
faster than humans. The vet's role reminded me of a quarterback's
job who determines the strategy and game plan for all the
players who are part of the same team.
A Career in Veterinarian Medecine
So you think you'd like to be a veterinary doctor and you
love animals? That's a start but it is only a start if you
are interested in a career in veterinary medicine. Veterinarians
are much more than people with a fondness for animals. A veterinarian
is a doctor of animal health who has trained at a university
for at least six years and is licensed to provide medical
and surgical care for animals. He or she can practice veterinary
medicine in a number of fields.
As Dr. Luckwaldt told me, "A vet is a person who not
only takes something that is broken and fixes it but takes
something that is living and breathing and returns it to better
health. There is personal satisfaction and financial reward
and there is an owner who is appreciative, a pet or animal
who feels better and the establishment of new relationships."
The day to day work of veterinarians involves examining animals,
making diagnoses, doing blood tests or x-rays, treating diseases
or injuries, performing surgery and preventing animal illness
through vaccinations. Vets educate human owners about how
to feed, breed and care for their animals. They might also
be called upon to help very old, sick animals die in a relatively
pain-free manner. This is called euthanasia and is viewed
by vets as a sort of privilege or honour given to them in
order to allow animals a peaceful death when the time is right.
Vets
can specialize in the care and treatment of either small or
large animals. Those who deal with small animals such as dogs,
cats, birds or reptiles usually work in cities and have owners
brings their animals to a clinic or office. Large animal veterinarians
who work with horses, cows, pigs and other farm animals often
have a mobile practice visiting farms and traveling all over
the countryside.
Dr. Luckwaldt told me fascinating stories about his city
practice. There was "Pinky" the hedgehog who had
a massive neck tumour; and the python with pneumonia; the
fruit bat from the Science Centre; the anorexic guinea pig;
the domesticated pigeon and on and on. This is one vet who
loves his work and finds his patients and owners fascinating
and funky.
Some vets work with companies that develop and produce food
or drugs to keep animals healthy. Others are employed by the
government to inspect livestock for diseases. Some even take
part in medical research projects that use animals as test
subjects.
About 75% of Canadian Veterinarians work in small, large
or mixed animal practice. Approximately 10% of veterinarians
work for some level of government, another 5% are in teaching
and research work and the remaining 5% would hold a variety
of related positions in industry.
Incomes vary depending upon the type and size of the practice
and the community served. In addition to the personal satisfaction
of making a worthwhile contribution to the community, most
veterinarians have an income above the national average annual
salary. The starting salary for a new vet in private practice
is usually between $40,000 and $50,000.
Educational Requirements
You can start now to prepare for a career in veterinary medicine.
A student who is interested in becoming a veterinarian should
select courses in science as early as high school and discuss
details for a suitable academic program with a guidance counsellor.
Science courses such as biology, chemistry and physics form
a good foundation. Optional course in humanities and social
sciences are also recommended as well as a strong back ground
in mathematics. If working in a clinic and setting up your
own private practice interests you, then it would be wise
to consider taking courses in business administration.
Practical experience working with animals is always an excellent
way to get your feet wet and gain valuable insight into the
profession. It's hands-on learning and this is priceless.
To obtain the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
a minimum of six years of university education is required.
This involves two years of pre-veterinary study at a regular
university followed by four years of courses in veterinary
medicine at one of the four Canadian veterinary colleges.
Excellent web sites for veterinary schools and organizations
can be found at: http://netvet.wustl.edu/vetorg.htm . The
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association situated in Ottawa
can be found at http://www.cvma-acmv.org/.
There are four universities that offer Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine programs in Canada. They are: University of Saskatchewan
(Saskatoon); University of Guelph (Ontario); University of
Montreal (Quebec); and the Atlantic Veterinary College (Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island).
For information on U.S. colleges that offer veterinary programs
contact: http://www.aavmc.org/.
Related Jobs
You don't have to limit yourself within this profession.
There are many related jobs. Why not look into positions such
as: animal breeder, animal caretaker, animal trainer, farmer,
marine biologist, pet groomer, veterinary technician, veterinary
assistant, clinic receptionist, animal attendant, zoologist,
or zookeeper.
The Ideal Veterinarian
If I could be so bold as to put words into Casey's beak,
I'd venture to guess that for him the ideal vet would have
a genuine sensitivity and understanding of owners and animals.
She or he would have strong communication skills, would work
well under pressure and not shy away from hard work and long
hours. The ideal vet would demonstrate good decision-making
skills combined with compassion and good "bedside manners".
Your vet is your friend who is connected to the owner and
animal in hopefully what is a long, healthy and trusting relationship.
Future Expectations
The demand for veterinarians in all fields will continue.
The veterinarian of the future will need to adapt and keep
pace with technology and the many new advances in medical
research.
Veterinary medicine, similar to human medicine, is continually
confronting change and exploring alternative and complimentary
methods of treatment for animals. Today, in some parts of
the country, there are centres for animals offering homeopathy,
herbal supplements, organic foods, touch massage and mind
body relaxation.
Don't we all know pets, and their owners, who could benefit
from such treatment centres!
Casey left the clinic in a much calmer mood and more content
with life in and out of his cage. The relieved owner had Casey's
new medication in hand and a revised treatment plan to follow.
The vet had taken care of everyone's physical and emotional
needs.
A job well done, as Casey was heard saying upon leaving the
clinic, "Thanks a lot Doc".
