Roles and Responsibilities
Vets are primarily required to treat disease, disorder or injury in animals, which includes diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. The scope of practice, speciality and experience of the individual vets will dictate exactly what interventions they perform, but most will perform surgery (of differing complexity).
Unlike in adult human medicine, vets must rely on clinical signs, as animals are unable to vocalise symptoms as a human would (and in that respect is similar to medicine on human children). In some cases, owners may be able to provide a medical history and the vet can combine this information along with observations, and the results of pertinent diagnostic tests such as x-rays, CT scans, blood tests, urinalysis or other diagnostics.
As with human medicine, much veterinary work is concerned with prophylactic treatment, in order to prevent problems occurring in the future. Common interventions include vaccination against common animal illnesses, such as distemper or rabies. This may also involve being involved in owner education so as to avoid future medical or behavioural issues.
Unlike in most human medicine, vets will often consider the appropriateness of euthanasia ("putting to sleep") if a condition is likely to leave the animal in pain or with a poor quality of life.
Read more about this topic: Veterinary Physician
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