The pro's of being a farm animal vet

cow

Like a lot of vets, I probably fit the cliché of having always wanted to be a vet. I was one of the lucky ones that had the grades to accompany the enthusiasm to get accepted onto a veterinary degree course. 

I was almost certainly never going to focus on companion animals but beyond that I am not sure that I had fixed ideas about where my specialties would lie. However, by the second half of my course (which we define as the clinical years), it was clear to me that my future lay in farm animal practice. 

Variety

The veterinary profession is so much more than just being able to fix animals and never is that truer than in farm animal practice. Where equine and companion animal vets often specialise within their chosen fields, farm animal vets are often still very general in their work and on a single day can combine seeing a sick animal with emergency calvings, routine pre-planned work on farm, and sitting at home analysing production data and writing health plans. 

Within farm animal practice, there is a strong move towards preventative medicine having equal weight with reactive work, as well as strong links with One Health, sustainability and the environment. There really is something for everyone with the only pre-requisite being enthusiasm for the job in hand. 

ewe and lambs after caesarean

Confidence, competence and enthusiasm

Traditionally, many thought that to be a farm vet you needed to be male and from a farming background, but I think that myth has now been well and truly dispelled. Plenty of us farm vets are women and there’s nothing that we cannot do. Skill outweighs strength. I was lucky enough to have grown up in the countryside and to have spent holidays on our family farm, but I most definitely was not a farmer, and had never milked a cow before vet school. 

I doubt any of our farmers would trust me to milk a cow now, but they do trust me with other aspects of their enterprises, such as treating their animals, advising on protocols and discussing business decisions. We work as a team and all bring different skills to the table to work together for the good of the animals on the farm. 

Some of the best farm vets I know have no farming background at all and I have never seen it present a barrier. All farmers want is confidence, competence and enthusiasm. If you want to learn, farmers love to show what they do to an interested audience. They are rightly proud of what they do and the majority love sharing their way of life and passion with anyone that wants to engage. 

Continuity 

Being a farm vet does involve a different pace of life to that of vets in other parts of the profession. Farm animal vets are equally busy but we can spend a whole day with one client or perhaps see 3 to 4 clients in a day, while equine and companion animal vets would see significantly more. For me, this is an advantage as we really get to know our clients and enjoy good continuity, as well as experiencing traditional farm hospitality. Most situations can be salvaged by a good cup of tea! 

For anyone interested in farm animal practice, I suggest going and finding out about it first hand. Farmers are keen to share their knowledge and there are plenty of wider initiatives in which people can learn about farming, such as Open Farm Sunday. Likewise, farm vets are equally happy to chat and share their enthusiasm for the job. 

We do spend time with our arm up a cow’s bum fulfilling that stereotype but, trust me, on a cold day it’s the warmest place to be! And there’s a lot more to life as a farm animal vet beside this. Nothing beats the buzz of a good calving or lambing, and watching the mum and babies do well afterwards. 

Ewe and lambs

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