Veterinarians perform surgery on animals and prescribe and administer medicines and vaccines. They explain to animal owners how to properly care for their animals while maintaining a safe, wholesome and affordable food supply. Some veterinarians specialize by species of animals such as cattle, horses, swine, dogs, cats, poultry, exotic birds and zoo animals. Most veterinarians provide services for many species. Some veterinarians specialize by the type of work they do, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology and internal medicine.
Veterinarians perform valuable research on animal and human health related concerns.
Veterinarians are vital to maintaining a safe and healthy food supply. Veterinarians work as inspectors of animals to assure diseases and residues that may make meat hazardous for people to eat are avoided. In general, when veterinarians work on large animals in the country, the working conditions are similar to that of a rancher or farmer. Many practices in South Dakota have facilities to handle large animals and livestock owners bring many animals to the veterinarian. Regularly scheduled appointments with the farm or ranch management are conducted to prevent many emergencies.