About 500 counties in the United States are currently underserved by a veterinarian. Successful farming closely examines the men and women in these rural vets’ shoes.
These vets often work long hours and can be called at any hour of the day or night. They drive miles and see patients with a seemingly endless list of needs.
Cows with Injuries
Across the country, ranchers call in veterinarians to treat sick cattle when their regular doctor can’t get to them in time. Veterinarians who travel the country in a mobile veterinary clinic visit remote cattle and dairy operations, addressing issues ranging from birthing foals to treating snake bites. Eric and Cindy Davis of the Texas-based nonprofit World Vets spend their days on horseback, riding miles through mountains and plains to remote ranches, where they address a seemingly unlimited list of health problems. The Davises have treated everything from cactus thorn injuries to an infection that would have killed a calf.
A devoted doctor can make all the difference for livestock producers who are invested in their animals and want to get them back to work as soon as possible. As a result, veterinarians who travel to these ranches are highly regarded as heroes.
The need for veterinarians has never been greater. According to USDA figures, the number of farms without a permanent veterinarian has risen from 5 percent to 30 percent in the past two decades. Rural areas, where fewer cattle vets are located, have been hardest hit. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that about 500 counties are underserved by veterinarians.
Veterinarians also play an important role in human health by researching and developing new medications and devices that improve people’s lives, such as permanent artificial limbs for patients with broken bones and new antibiotics to prevent food-borne illnesses. They study diseases like malaria, yellow fever, and cholera in humans and wildlife; and help control outbreaks in livestock, such as foot-and-mouth disease.
As a result, veterinarians are becoming more diverse than ever before. Female veterinarians are increasingly entering the field, and more than half of all veterinary students are women. But they face a tough financial road after graduating. AVMA statistics show that 2018 veterinary school graduates left with an average of $143,000 in debt. And younger generations, male and female, are less likely than their parents to want to own a practice.
Many veterinarians have found niches in the military, governmental agencies, and research institutions. Some travel to developing countries, repairing and improving animal welfare systems, which are often tattered by war and conflict. Others serve as epidemiologists for city, county, and state governments, investigating outbreaks of foodborne illness, influenza, and rabies. They also promote public health by promoting livestock vaccination programs, food safety practices, and facility sanitation.
Cows with Cancer
A visit to the veterinarian can be an expensive and emotional journey. But for some, it can be a lifesaving one. Rural cattle vets have an unusually broad skill set to treat animals, from the smallest dog to the largest cow, and they face unique challenges in providing care. For these vets, it is not just a career but a way of life.
For many vets, especially those working in rural areas, the majority of their patients are livestock and other farm animals, not pets like dogs and cats. A day’s work can involve everything from treating the occasional cactus thorn injury to birthing foals or battling a severe case of mammary cancer in a dairy cow. These vets often travel long distances to reach their patients, spending time on horseback or in the back of a pickup truck riding miles over the plains or desert to the next farm they are called to.
Emergency and critical care veterinarians have extra training, certifications, and skills that enable them to deal with the most serious cases. A regular veterinary clinic often sends these vets for overnight treatment, such as a cat that swallowed poison or a dog with a snake bite. They must often act as detectives because, unlike humans, pets can’t tell them what is wrong.
It is difficult to tell when an animal has cancer, which can be fatal. If the tumour has spread to other organs, it is almost always too late to be cured. The goal of treatment in these cases is palliation—reducing pain and prolonging life.
In a recent interview, Dr. Sue Sullivan said she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian when she was 10. After completing her undergraduate degree, she decided to pursue a veterinary medicine career because she felt passionate about animals and the impact that veterinarians have on their lives. She has worked in the equine industry for over two decades and owns and operates Cedar Grove Veterinary Services.
As a rural veterinarian, she knows her work’s impact on the lives of the people around her. She says that she feels a responsibility to make sure that everyone has access to quality veterinary care, regardless of their ability to pay. She also wants to encourage more women and people of colour to become vets.
Cows with Abdominal Pain
As the demand for cattle vets has risen, so too have the stresses of the job. Many veterinarians in rural practice travel long distances to clients’ farms, work longer hours than their urban counterparts, and are on-call all the time, ready to rush out at a moment’s notice for an emergency.
Chase Reed, 30, is one of these hardworking vets in north-central Kansas. His small, two-person mixed animal veterinary clinic is heavy on cow-calf work, and he can be called out to area farms at any hour of the day or night.
His latest callout was to a large dairy farm where a sick, pregnant heifer was having trouble calving. The calf was stuck inside the birth canal, causing the cow to be in tremendous pain. The cow was so distressed that she was refusing to drink or eat anything and was licking her side, which caused it to be raw.
The veterinary staff at the farm were trying to help, but the cow was still in distress. In the end, they used a mechanical tool to dislodge the calf from its mother’s body and deliver it by cesarean section. The calf was fine, but the cow was still very upset, with her abdomen swollen to the point of incontinence.
It was another reminder of the importance of good communication with livestock owners. When vets know a client’s operation and the health history of their animals, they can make better recommendations and provide more effective treatment plans.
Trends in human medicine have crossed over into veterinary medicine, and some veterinary practices now widely offer complementary therapies such as acupuncture. But not all vets are happy with how these methods are applied to their patients.
Many veterinary associations and statutory bodies now recognize that it is an ethical duty for veterinarians to prioritize animal welfare. They should not be tempted to compromise this ethical framework to satisfy a client’s wishes. For example, a refusal to administer analgesics for painful procedures on farm animals should be against veterinary ethics – not just because of the pain and distress they cause the animal but also because of the damage to a veterinarian’s reputation.
Cows with Infections
In addition to routine animal health care, veterinarians provide vital medical services in a number of other areas. Veterinarians work as epidemiologists for city, county, state, and federal agencies investigating animal and human disease outbreaks such as food-borne illnesses, influenza, and rabies. They also help ensure the safety of food processing plants, restaurants, and water supplies. They may even be called to serve as expert witnesses in criminal and civil cases involving animals or their owners. Veterinarians also work as researchers at universities, private laboratories, and government-funded institutes and are involved in the development of new medicines, vaccines, and procedures. They also play a crucial role in rebuilding and improving the animal agriculture systems in underdeveloped and war-ravaged countries.
Veterinarians are also involved in developing and implementing agricultural policies to promote sustainability and improve the quality of life for people, pets, livestock, and wildlife. They work closely with legislators to shape laws protecting animals’ and people’s welfare and health. They also teach and train veterinary students, laboratory technicians, and other professionals. Veterinarians often specialize in one or more of these fields, and some choose to focus their careers on public health.
Some of the most interesting veterinary casework involves the Keetons, a family ranch in Levelland, New Mexico. The couple works to make sure that their cattle are healthy and productive, so they can raise enough calves to replenish their herds. That means ensuring healthy births and treating any sick cows quickly.
Another important aspect of a rural veterinarian’s job is the prevention of foreign animal diseases, which can be deadly to domestic livestock and humans. If the Keetons see signs of respiratory illness or diarrhea, they call their veterinarian immediately.
Many farmers and ranchers are reluctant to call a vet for routine animal care because of the high cost of veterinary visits in a struggling farm economy. This has resulted in rural veterinarians dealing with more emergency cases. Luckily, some of these vets are making the most of the challenges by finding innovative ways to treat livestock and other animals.