Knowing about Pet Medicine
Also known as veterinarian medicine, pet medicine is the branch of the medical science that gives us specialists in animal health. Every vet has to get a degree in general pet medicine in order to be able to practice this profession. There are some vets that specialize in more advanced fields like surgery for instance. Besides the additional degrees they get for specialties, all pet medicine practitioners have the knowledge to use veterinary medical equipment like stereo zoom microscope, treat infections, perform vaccinations, recognize and diagnose disease, repair broken bones and so on.
Experience then teaches vets the real skills of pet medicine, no matter how tough in theory they may have been. Just like with the treatment of human patients, vets will encounter animals with regular problems as well as health issues out of the ordinary. Doctors working at animal shelters and at rescue centers often see the most serious of cases. There is no room for uniformity or routine with such professions. Moreover, every pet that is brought to such a facility needs an evaluation of the health condition, together with cleaning, vaccination and sterilization. And all these tasks are performed by personnel trained in pet medicine.
Even if they have a lower type of qualification, the nursing or animal care stuff at rescue centers and shelters have pet medicine trainings. Rescue officers have to be able to perform the first aid procedure on injured, dehydrated or traumatized animals before transporting them to the clinic. This means that the treatment of the animal begins in the street or at the location where it is picked up from, because, for severe conditions, the animals have to be stabilized in order to be transported. Sometimes, this first medical intervention saves their lives.
Pet medicine applications are also found in research where lab tests are necessary for the creation of pet medication, vaccines and other products designed for pet care. Experts with pet medicine degrees also collaborate with food producers and manufacturers of pet care items. All the domains touching on animal welfare actually have a ramifications in veterinarian medicine. In fact, this field of activity is wider than we can imagine.
You can get a much clearer picture if you watch RSPCA or some other Discovery and Animal Planet series, where real life cases are brought to the attention of the public. Pet medicine also plays an important part in the temperament and behavior evaluation of rescued pets before they can be given for adoption. Traumatized animals require special care from specialists and in the majority of cases professional help teaches them how to regain trust in humans and make good family pets.
robbie on June 30th 2011 in Dog Ownership, Dog behavior, Dog products, training Tips
