What Type of Veterinarian Do You Want To Be? Quiz

Answer: A general or veterinary practitioner

While you would be taking your pet in to see a veterinarian, this quiz is about veterinary specialties -- and the specialty is general or veterinary practitioner. Hopefully you don't take your pet to see the vet only when there is an emergency. A veterinary toxicologist is a veterinarian specializing in poisons and toxins.

Answer: A veterinary practitioner who is an equine specialist and surgeon

There are veterinary practitioners who specialize in and get boarded in equine medicine and surgery. They will have the necessary equipment and knowledge to do this emergency surgery. A practitioner who specializes in exotic mammals generally does not specialize in equine (horse) medicine.

A farrier is a specialist (non-veterinary) in shoeing horses. While a second opinion is always a great idea, just taking an animal to a competitor because your regular vet is honest about her abilities, may lose precious time.

This is an emergency!

Answer: All of these

All of the examples given above are ones in which a veterinarian probably won't do much surgery (unless they really want to). In addition, epidemiology, microbiology, pathology and other veterinary specialties also do not involve much surgery. So if you don't want to do surgery, but really want to be a veterinarian, there are options open.

Many of these specialties may also work outside of a veterinary hospital for employers such as conservation organizations, zoos or government organizations, making the positions quite interesting!

Answer: A veterinary poultry specialist

While there are probably veterinarians who specialize in organic and free-range farms, the AVMA specialty is a poultry specialist. Wild birds probably are different species from the poultry that your uncle raises and so would probably have different diseases. Hopefully, he doesn't just call in a vet during an emergency.

While general practitioners can and do see poultry, many of them do not. So your uncle is making a wise choice to choose a veterinarian who does specialize in poultry and also to have them come to the farm for regular check-ups.

Answer: A veterinary oncologist

A veterinary oncologist specializes in treating many different types of cancer in a variety of animals (generally mammals). The local cancer center probably would not know how to treat your cat. A veterinary dermatologist can treat skin cancers, but what if your cat has a different type of cancer? A veterinary cardiologist specializes in heart disease in animals.

Answer: A welfare veterinarian

A welfare veterinarian is the most likely specialist to be working at an animal shelter. Veterinarians specializing in welfare may work for the government, welfare organizations, conservation organizations or scientific institutions to make sure that animals are treated well in all conditions.

A veterinary pathologist examines animals after they are dead. A veterinary behaviorist can help with behavior problems. And yes, there are veterinarians who specialize in orthopedic surgery.

Answer: A veterinary dermatologist

While most general practitioners do get extremely good at diagnosing skin diseases, they often will recommend that your pet see a dermatologist, if the disease is difficult to diagnose or treat. Veterinary sports medicine specialists do exist, but wouldn't normally treat skin problems.

A behavior specialist might have to treat itching, but their main focus is on behavior. A theriogenologist is a specialist in reproduction.

Answer: A veterinary ER doctor

Your dog is alive, so hopefully a pathologist will not be examining him! A veterinary epidemiologist specializes in how to prevent disease and disease patterns. A veterinary emergency hospital would be the best choice for your dog in this case, and the doctors at the clinics will often be specialists in emergency and critical care medicine.

When there is no veterinary emergency hospital nearby, please trust your veterinarian who is on-call. They will do their best for your pet.

Answer: A specialist in zoo and aquatic medicine

Reptiles, amphibians and mammals are not fish and the veterinarians who specialize in treating these animals, often have no experience treating fish. A hydrologist is a scientist who studies water (but not fish). The AVMA specialty is in zoo and aquatic medicine. However, there are other organizations that certify veterinarians to diagnose and treat fish.

Answer: All of these

A disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans (or vice-versa) is a serious disease and often cannot be prevented by one person alone. A team of people specializing in both human and animal diseases will probably tackle this problem. The AVMA specialty in preventative medicine includes epidemiologists and pathologists, but in this case having a specialist in avian medicine and also specialists in microbiology might help.