In many respects, a veterinarian is like a pediatrician. Animals cannot talk like babies and children, and hence clinical history is obtained from the owner or client as a pediatrician would get from a child's parents. Achieving this requires excellent people skills and communication skills.
What They cannot get from the clinical history is then acquired with the fingers, eyes, and smell. The ability to listen with a stethoscope and palpate with the fingers and hands will reveal much of the physical findings. The sense of smell is also essential in detecting the fruity odor of the ketotic cow's breath, or the urea from the breath of a cat in renal failure.
What cannot be revealed by the history and exam is further supported by diagnostic tests like blood work, urinalysis, and fecal exams; Veterinarians are well trained in laboratory medicine and parasitology.
The general practice veterinarian spends one-third to one-half of his or her time in surgery. Animal neutering operations are done in most veterinarians' offices. Many veterinarians also perform orthopedic procedures, bone setting, dentistry, and trauma surgery. Surgery requires good hand and eye coordination, and fine motor skills. A veterinarian's job is like that of a human doctor.
When health problems arise, veterinarians diagnose the problem and treat the animal. Accurate diagnosis frequently requires laboratory tests, radiography, and specialized equipment. Treatments may involve several different procedures including emergency lifesaving techniques, prescribing medication, setting fractures, birthing, performing surgery, or advising an owner on feeding and care of the animal.
To prevent the introduction of foreign diseases, veterinarians employed by government agencies quarantine and inspect animals brought into the country from other countries. They supervise shipments of animals, test for diseases and manage campaigns to prevent and eradicate many diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, and rabies, which threaten animal and human health.
A veterinarian in research looks for better ways to prevent and solve animal and human health problems. Many problems, such as cancer and heart disease, are studied through the use of laboratory animals, which are carefully bred, raised, and maintained under the supervision of veterinarians.
There are many veterinarians that are professors, teaching at schools and universities of veterinary medicine. Besides teaching, veterinary school faculty members conduct basic and clinical research, contribute to scientific publications, and develop continuing education programs to help graduate veterinarians gain new knowledge and skills.
Veterinarians diagnose and control animal diseases and treat sick and injured animals.
Veterinarians also work in public health. They help to prevent and control animal and human diseases and promote good health. As epidemiologists, they investigate animal and human disease outbreaks such as food-borne illness, influenza, plague, rabies, AIDS, and encephalitis. They evaluate the safety of food processing plants, restaurants, and water supplies. Veterinarians in environmental health programs study and evaluate the effects of various pesticides, industrial pollutants, and other contaminants on people and on animals.
As opposed to human medicine, general practice veterinarians greatly out-number veterinary specialists. Most veterinary specialists work at a veterinary school, or at a referral centre in large cities. As opposed to human medicine, where each organ system has its own medical and surgical specialties, veterinarians often combine both the surgical and medical aspect of an organ system into one field. The specialties in veterinary medicine often encompass several medical and surgical specialties that are found in human medicine. Within each veterinary specialty, one will often find a separation of large animal medicine from small animal medicine. Some veterinary specialties are evolving, some are limited only in the teaching of universities, and some are practiced only in the field.
List of Veterinary doctors:
1). Dr. Augustina Ezekwesili _ drezekwesili@yahoo.com
2). Dr. Mansur D. Salisu _ ddallaocci@gmail.com
3). Dr. Abdulsalam M. Saleh _ abdulsalammalamsaleh230@gmail.com
4). Dr. Chike Oguejiofor_ +234 803 899 3103
5). Prof. Garba H. Sharubutu_ President, Veterinary Council Of Nigeria since 2013.
6). OlatundeB Akanbi_ Head of Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Ibadan.
7). Prof. James Olopade_ Professor in Veterinary Anatomy and Neuroscience
8). Reuben Arowolo_ Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Abeokuta, Nigeria.
9). Benjamin O. Fagbemi_ Professor and Chairman, Research and Development University of Ibadan.
10). Grace Kia_ Predemics. Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria