Animal Care and Veterinarian

I. JOB SUMMARY

Main Topic: Environment and Society
Secondary Topic: Physical Geography

Overview: Animal care and veterinarians are responsible for taking care of the pets and providing them medical attention. Animal care can range from dog walking, bathing and grooming, pet sitting, kennel technician and so on. These jobs are locally situated in nature. Likewise, veterinarians work involves coordinating veterinary activities and disease control functions, providing consultative services, investigating incidents of animal disease, and disseminating information on disease control and eradication. They also conduct prognostic and diagnostic examinations, and vaccinates animals. They can also coordinate quarantines and the enforcement of regulations governing the health of animals. They also investigate incidents of animal diseases and losses; collects samples for bacteriological, pathological, and microscopic examinations; determines the presence of contagious diseases; and formulates methods and procedures for carrying out vaccination programs and disease control and eradication programs. Further, they also perform autopsies to determine cause of death and makes recommendations to prevent further loss.

The following are examples of Animal care and veterinarian jobs:

Pet Sitters provide in home pet sitting, dog walking, boarding and doggy day-care.  They care for various pets while their owners are away on vacation or working long hours. They may either stay in pet owners' homes, host pets in their own homes, or perform daily visits to provide pets with food, freshwater, medication, and companionship. They could also be responsible for grooming pets or taking them to the groomers. They usually meet with pet owners to gather pertinent pet care information and discuss pet sitting duties and provide regular updates to pet owners.

Veterinarians may specialize in different areas. For example, a wildlife veterinarian will work with a variety of wildlife, including exotic species. On the other hand, a small animal veterinarian is most likely to work with domesticated cats, dogs, and birds. They generally provide medical services such as medication, vaccinations and surgeries to the sick pets as well as regular services such as behavior consultation and regular check-ups. Their responsibilities range from caring for and treating animals, assisting with exams, filling prescriptions, and updating records. A career as a veterinarian requires a considerable amount of education. Vets must have a four-year degree, continue on to complete a doctorate program, and finally, pass a state exam to become licensed. Other veterinarian careers to consider that require fewer years of college are veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants.

Animal care and veterinarians need geographic skills for various reasons. First, animal nature are generally geographic and influenced by various geographic factors such as climate, topography, vegetation etc. They need to study natural geographic complexes that determine preconditions, nature of distribution and typical characteristics of different animals as well as the diseases they might face. They refer to statistical data based on geographic sciences and zoology to realize the proper way to handle the situations with animals or provide proper care. They use GIS and other research tools to evaluate location based animal health reports.

Geographers at work:  Environmental geographers, biogeographers, zoogeomorphologists

Recommended College Courses:  Environmental geography, biogeography, geographic information science, remote sensing, natural resource use and management, climatology, physical geography

Skills:  Environmental mapping and modeling, geographic information systems, computer and database systems, spatial analysis, understanding and assessment of physical features (soils, topography, hydrology) map reading and interpretation

Occupation Group: Health Care and Personal Care and Services

Learn more about Animal care and Veterinarians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinarians.htm#tab-1

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/animal-care-and-service-workers.htm