Veterinarians in rural areas are more likely to work with livestock and horses than those in metropolitan centers. Since pets are found everywhere, however, very few veterinarians work exclusively with large animals. A number of veterinarians engage in research, food safety inspection, or education. It is not generally understood that veterinarians contribute to human as well as animal health care. Veterinarians may join physicians and scientists in carrying out research at an academic medical center, for example, and explore such topics as techniques of organ transplantation or the efficacy of a new drug.
Some veterinarians are in regulatory medicine or public health.
They inspect food, investigate outbreaks of disease,and work in scientific laboratories. Protection of the population from environmental hazards is a major concern of the small but significant number of veterinarians who specialize in toxicology or animal pathology. Although there have been impressive successes in controlling diseases transmitted through food animals, changing technology and more complex methods of food production present new threats to food safety. Residues from herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics used in food production pose a particular problem. Scientific advances in livestock production have, paradoxically, created a need for veterinarians capable of dealing with contamination of the food chain by toxic chemicals.