About Large Animal Veterinary Careers

Large animal veterinarians are in high demand, especially in rural areas where there is a large number of livestock. The large animal veterinarian may travel numerous miles each day making house calls to different farms to treat cows, buffalos and horses.

Education

Becoming a large animal veterinarian requires a veterinary degree and special licensing. If you want to be a large animal veterinarian, elective courses in livestock management and herd disease control will be necessary. To become licensed to practice as a large animal vet, you need to be certified by the veterinary Medical Examination Board. Full certification does not take place until one year after you begin practicing.

Careers

Some large animal vets may decide to work in the laboratory. They will be tasked with identifying potential diseases that could be harmful to a large population of livestock. Other large animal veterinarians may work in the field. When doing so, large animal vets can specialize in horses and have a career as an equine vet. Other large animal vets may specialize in animal herds, such as cattle or buffalo.

Hours

The lack of large animal vets has been attributed to the grueling working hours. Large animal vets who decide to work in the field are on call 24 hours a day. Many large animal vets report visiting farms in the middle of the night to assist in livestock births.

Pay

New large animal vets averaged about $50,000 a year in 2008. This number can increase to more than $100,000 with experience and a solid practice.