A lot of times I hear that it is very hard to become a large animal vet if you have not had a lot of experience with those animals such as actually growing up on a farm. Obviously this will help if you have lived on a farm but will it really hinder you when it comes to actually becoming a large animal vet if you have not had this luxury?
Large Animal Vet Experience
- Thread starter Hals
- Start date
-
- Tags
- experience
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2013
- Messages
- 5,611
- Reaction score
- 3,990
I wouldn't think so. Once you're in veterinary school, you're more or less given the same opportunities as a person who has had horses their whole life. It's up to you to take advantage of them. Someone with a history in large animal might have more connections than you, but it's definitely not impossible to make your way. This is from someone with mostly zoo/wildlife experience, but I have a developing interest in equine medicine as well. Normally, you wil have to at some point rotate through the large animal rotations, so it's not like you'll get beaten out for those either.
For now, try to find any large animal vets that will let you tag along!
So far I have spent my summers volunteering in a horse stable and just from being around there all the time I have learned so much. Also, I have already set up the opportunity to shadow an equine vet in my area. I just need to figure out how to shadow a large animal vet that makes farm calls.
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2013
- Messages
- 5,611
- Reaction score
- 3,990
Find one, and call them. Sometimes you have to drive a decent distance depending on where you live, but it's not impossible
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2008
- Messages
- 5,200
- Reaction score
- 1,189
Some of the best equine vets I know grew up never touching a horse before vet school. Learning the "horse language" and about different disciplines was harder for them, but if it's what you want, you make it work.
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,033
- Reaction score
- 511
Food animal vet here. I spent around 100 hours at a sale barn before vet school. I struggle with lay terminology and production schemes at times but I'm getting there. I had serious doubts in vet school about being able to do this. I think my own doubts were a much bigger barrier than anything.
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2009
- Messages
- 3,629
- Reaction score
- 1,994
Mixed animal vet here. Grew up in the suburbs of NYC. Did horsey stuff throughout my teens but the closest I came to a farm animal was the petting zoo. And then I went to college and fell in love with dairy cows. And goats and alpacas. Teched in a mixed animal clinic for a few years. Knew from day one of vet school that I wanted to do either large animal or mixed animal medicine and here I am. Almost changed my mind when I realized that beef cows are crazy and not nearly as cuddly as dairy cows, but luckily I left Oklahoma and now most of my beef cattle belong to 4H kids.
Where did you gain most of your experience when you did decide to start while you were in vet school?
