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The
Work
Veterinary doctors deal with the treatment of animals, sometimes exclusively domestic pets, but often also farm animals, such as cattle or horses, though most veterinary surgeons develop a particular area of expertise.
PRIVATE PRACTICE
Veterinary doctors in urban areas can set up private practice to deal mainly with small or domestic animals. This can be quite profitable, especially in big cities, but tends to get restricted to canine and feline pets. However, some veterinarians in private practice take on part time assignments at government veterinary hospitals in urban centers.
HOSPITALS
Veterinary surgeons attached to veterinary hospitals in cities may also find themselves handling mainly domestic pets. But government postings could also be in rural areas where responsibilities extend to cattle, sheep goats, horses, poultry, etc.
EXTENSION OFFICERS
Veterinary doctors are required for extension programmes at the block level, i.e. they educate and encourage livestock farmers to build up the quality of their animal stock. They also advise on animal farm management and animal health problems.
At least one extension officer at every block level handles the control and eradication of any notifiable disease; disease monitoring and surveillance; supervision of animal health schemes; and other animal husbandry programmes.
DAIRY SECTOR
The dairy industry employs a large number of veterinary doctors who work at ensuring increasing
yields in milk production, and also the health and breeding of dairy cattle.
In addition, there are seven cattle breeding farms under the Central government at Rajasthan, Gujarat Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, where scientific cattle breeding programmes are undertaken and progeny testing of selected breeds of indigenous cattle and buffaloes is done.
There are also 35,000 artificial insemination centers, 17 frozen semen banks and four bull stations for cattle development, to provide input and extension support in rural areas.
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES
Veterinarians are employed in the R&D wing of pharmaceutical companies where they handle the production of vaccines, or the development of animal feeds and fertilizers.
ACADEMICS
Veterinary scientists can work in research institutes or animal welfare societies. There are also openings as lecturers at veterinary colleges for those with a Ph.D. in veterinary science.
ARMY
A large number of veterinary doctors are absorbed into the Army Remount Veterinary Corps (RMC), equivalent in all respects to the Army Medical Corps. Similarly, vets can also work for the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and other paramilitary organizations. They look after horses, ponies, camels, mules, cattle, and sniffer dogs for bomb detection.
WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT
Vets play an important role in the captive breeding of wild animals, particularly those feared to be getting extinct. They are put under sedatives and caged, and later, bred in captivity to increase their
number. This also helps in maintaining the ecological balance and in catering to the health of wild animals.
POULTRY FARMS
Veterinarians work in poultry farms to maintain the health of poultry birds and to develop strains with high egg productivity, as well as poultry for table consumption.
There are also Central Poultry Breeding Farms, similar to the cattle farms, where hybrid and fast-growing broiler and egg-producing strains of poultry are developed. Veterinary doctors handle the diagnosis and treatment of all animals entrusted to their care. With the scientific advancement of medicine, the role of the veterinarian has altered a great deal.
Veterinary doctors deal with the care and treatment of domestic pets, as also farm animals such as cattle, horses and poultry, though most vet surgeons develop a particular area of expertise.
Approach in treatment can also vary according to the different animals. Those handling domestic pets have to keep in mind the owner's emotional attachment to the pet and provide individual attention and care.
In farm animal practice, vets are concerned not only with treating animals, which are the owner's investment but also with advising on the well-being and productivity of the entire stock.
They are thus involved in improving production and productivity of different livestock species, and reducing loses resulting from mortality and disease.
Major tasks performed
· Diagnosing the ailment of an animal. This requires a physical and sometimes clinical examination of the animal.
· Administration of appropriate medication for the ailment.
· Timely administration of vaccines for ensuring disease-free growth of the animal.
· Advising on nutrition and health, particularly in the case of poultry birds and cattle.
· Conducting scientific breeding of animals by means of artificial insemination, or in-vitro-fertilization.
· In research areas, veterinarians experiment with guinea pigs, rodents, hamsters and rabbits to control the spread of diseases transmitted by animals. Other research areas encompass animal genetics, embryo transfer, vaccine production and so on.
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