Veterinary Medicine
For my agriculture report, I chose to do a report on veterinarians. I chose
this career field because I like working with animals and learning about
them. While doing my report I learned more then I thought there was to
learn about animals and becoming a veterinarian. I learned how long it takes
to become a veterinarian, what my chances are on being accepted by a
veterinary college, what veterinarians do, and much more.
Veterinary Medicine is a branch of medical science that deals with the
prevention, cure, or alleviation of diseases and injuries of animals. There
are about 55,000 veterinarians and of that only 15,000 or so are women. Many
veterinarians work for federal, state, or local governments, inspecting food,
supervising laws that protect human and animal health, or dealing with
environmental problems. Many veterinarians treat all animals, but in recent
years and in the densely populated areas of the country, many have limited
their practice to pets.
Some specialize in the treatment of certian populations such as horses,
cattle, poultry, or zoo animals. A small number of veterinarians are employed
as managers of large feedlots for beef - cattle, large dairy cattle operations,
and many of the increasingly large poultry farms. A few veterinarians are
now becoming involved in embryo transfer work, in which fertilized eggs are
removed from superior donors and transferred into the uterus of a cow of
lesser genetic qualities.
A minimum of six years of study after high school graduation is usually
required for a student to become a veterinarian. At least two and sometimes
up to four years of college are completed before the acceptance into
veterinary college. The competition is stiff for such acceptance, with usually
five to ten qualified applicants for each one admitted.
Demand is increasing for food inspection by veterinarians, particulary in
meat, milk, and processed foods and for the regulation of traffic in all
kinds of livestock and the eradication of animal plagues. In addition, the
increasingly close confinement of many farm animals requires veterinary
expertise in vaccination, immunization, and particular methods of hygien.
The Meat Packing Industry is a large industry involving the slaughtering,
processing, and distribution of cattle, sheep, and hogs. Meat slaughtering is
another job in the veterinarian practice. It includes slaughtering of hogs,
cattle, and sheep.
Animals furnish about 28 percent of the worlds total value of agricultural
products. Most domesticated animals have multiple uses, for example, animals
kept primarily for work also supply milk, meat, and clothing materials. The
animals and thier uses are closely associated with the culture and the
experience of the people who care for them.
After researching and doing this report on veterinarians, I have decided that
this field is not what I am interested in doing. But I do now have a knew
understanding for veterinarians and thier jobs. When I started this report I
thought that there was no way that veterinarians where anywhere even closely
assocated with agriculture and know I know that there was a lot that I did
not know about agriculture and veterinarians.
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