For a start, in order to become a veterinarian, you need great grades in high school. It takes years of study and lots of memorizing facts so generally, to qualify you will need to be pretty brainy to get a head start. Naturally a love for animals helps - after all, you will be looking after them all your life. There are other things that selectors will look at eg previous experience with animals, background situations but there usually is a requirement for good grades in subjects like biology and science.
If you live in America, then to become a veterinarian, you will need to do 4 years of college, and then another 4 years in veterinary school and then pass a veterinary medical board examination before you qualify. There are also requirements for you to take state board examinations if you are planning to practice in another state aside from the one you took your board examination in.
There has been talk in the veterinary field in Australia to make it a post graduate course which means that it will start following the 4 years of a science-based pre-veterinary course and then followed by another 4 years of proper veterinary medical training. As yet, most veterinary schools in Australia still follow the 5 years veterinary medicine course in order to become a qualified veterinarian.
Yes it does, but because most of what you study in the veterinary course covers domestic species eg dogs, cats, pocket pets, cows, sheep, horses, birds/poultry, if your heart is set on more exotic animals like dolphins, seals and lions, then generally what happens is that you would go on further to take a diploma course in zoo medicine or marine biology. These places are few and far between as they often require you to be 'attached' to a particular zoo or ocean park to qualify.
The simple answer is no. You will need to continually keep up with the new techniques and medical treatments available and drug therapies available. These change quite often and you will need to go on 'continuing education' courses. Generally what happens is that you decide which areas within the veterinary field you are most interested in and focus on those eg you may have an interest in pocket pets like hamsters or rabbits, so you would keep up to date on the various treatments and diseases discovered in that area and attend conferences that focus on this. If you decide that you want to become a veterinary specialist eg dermatology (skin), cardiology (heart) then you will have to take further examinations which if you pass will then qualify you as a specialist in that area.
That would most definitely be the fact that their jobs are working with animals that I love. Looking after them and seeing the happy faces of owners and pets alike is the most rewarding thing about being a veterinarian.
That would be the times when they have to put animals down either because there are no loving homes for them or because they are so ill that it is the kindest thing to do for them. Either way, it's always hard to say goodbye.
P.S remember Each tratment differs between different animals and breeds (type of animals).
The link is http://www.ask-the-vet.com/become-a-veterinarian.htm
