Becoming a vet

[alex_33]

Hello
I really woudl liek to become a vet when i get older becuase i really love animals and so i was wondering if anyone could help me out with a few questions i have.
How long must you attend university for?
What are some good school that specialize in vet courses?
Can you specialize in reptiles?
And how much on average do you make a year? (not that it really matters but it woudl be nice to know)

thanks in advance
alex

[HeatherRose]

I know that the Universityof Guelph has a good zoology program, and that's what you'd need to become a vet....(it says in the brochure :P....)

You can specialize in exotic animals, or reptiles, as there ARE specialists out there....

The other questions I'd like to know the answers to as well :D.....my high school's careers dept. is severely lacking :S....

[Melly18]

Same as heather..... Guelph has a great program for becoming a vet... a friend of mine is going there for that program next year :)

[SnowSnake]

For Quebec there is only one place. And thats in St-hyacinthe. It's a 5 year program and after if you want to specialize in reptiles you have to go for a stage in arizona or california (there must be other places too downthere). I've heard that it doesnt pay too much but someone else could fill you in on that.

[hudson]

Actually if you plan on staying local there's probably quite a bit of money to made since there is only one local vet that will treat herps, and he's not that great not to mention he'll be retiring in a few years. The next closest herp vet is in Mississauga. So we will be in need of one soon!

[katev17]

I know there's a herpetology course at Guelph, but I believe that you're not able to become a reptile specialist just through that... I'm not sure, though, I could be completely wrong. If my memory serves me correctly, Shane took this program, so maybe HE could help us out :) ... Otherwise, another cool program they have is the Wild Life and Habitat Ecology one... a little more directed to the less-mathematically/scientifically inclined... *Is headed for that* ... well good luck, I also know that Algonquin College has a veterinary assistant ... or vet tech, or whichever, program that you might want to look into...

Haha, Heather, the vet section of Guelph is in KEMPTVILLE eh? :)

Kate

[HeatherRose]

lol ....no ......nooo.....*cries*.....That's the AGRICULTURE section! OMG I have to find out ... Ack.

Pfft fine, I'll be a firefighter.

Nah..*I'll mess up may hair :P *. But a herpetology course sounds neat! I ws looking at the brochure again, Kate and I'm torn between Wildlife Ecology and Zoology....:P It would be INTERESTING to say the least, attending University together...lol...

*sigh* anything but Kemptville...

[Andy_G]

Don't you also have to complete two to four years before actually being accepted into the courses?

[Andy_G]

Woops, two to four years of veterinary sciences that is.

[HeatherRose]

probably Andy....Hey wouldn't we have to take a year of science before we entered any of those programs Kate?

[NewLineReptile]

Well if you are in Welland my sister is a vet in St cathrines and to Hudson the vet that you are talking about is he at Richmon Vet clinic in Thorold?
but you could probably take some of the course at Niagra and then go to Guelph or to Sheariden in Toronto
but to help more on your question my sister had to do 5 years to get were she is to day i think you have to do 2-4 years as a vet tec to get your on hand training but good luck

[katev17]

Heather, you so crazy! Yea there's the vet departments in Kemptville, because when I was there for that soccer-hell-camp, everybody asked me every five minutes if that's where I was going. :\ lol The whole school is agricultury!

Anyway, I'm not sure about the sciences thing, I think you take some sciences but like a "Zoology 101" Or something... not too sure! Check out the Guelph website, y'know that Zoology section with all the courses you can take?

Ahahha oh man, going to Guelph together would be INSANE. Forget about "Interesting," it would just be nuts. lol Fun though..! Hey if we could survive a week together at JCW, we could go to Guelph together :p lol... anyway I guess if I want to go to Guelph I actually have to go to school so bye!

Oh yea, I'll check out about the science courses today... well I'll try... and I'll let you guys know when I eventually find out! :)

Kate

[Alicewave]

If you would consider a school in the States, I would go to Cornell (Ithaca, NY). They have an excellent veterinary program and a wonderful exotics department. I have taken my herps to their animal hospital several times and I have always been pleased.

[vanderkm]

There are four veterinary schools in Canada, those at the University of Guelph and St. Hye, as already mentioned and two others - one in Saskatoon, Sask that serves the western provinces and one in Charlottetown, PEI.

Admission to any of these vet schools typically requires at least 2-3 years of basic university with a major in Agriculture or Biological Sciences and marks in the top 20% of your class. Practical experience working or volunteering in veterinary practices is helpful in getting accepted.

The veterinary degree requires 4 years, and while there is some potential for specialization within the veterinary school, if you wanted to specialize in herps or exotics that is generally another 1-2 years for an internship or residency after graduating from vet school.

Veterinary salaries in Canada start at about $40-50,000 a year in companion animal practices and can go up from there if you own your own practice - how much you make depends on how good a business person you are.

Hope that helps,

mary v.

[Matt]

just as a side note, you dont need to do zoology or health sciences or anything to get into vet school (it helps with admission, at least at Guelph) and it also helps when writing the MCAT, but it isnt necessary, they would take someone from geography is your grades are high enough and you did well on the MCAT.

...needless to say, once you get in, you wont do as well as if you had a couple years of animal science behind you.

Plus, make sure you like MEDICINE just as much (if not more) than the ANIMAL aspect of it....because that a huge factor.

[hudson]

To Burmese Python, yes the vet that I'm talking about is in Thorold but not at the Richmon Vet Clinic. Why? are they taking herps now, as of a couple of months ago when I was looking for one they weren't.

[Mike177]

you will probly man good money, just because you specalize in reptiles dosent mean you can treat domestics right?