Pets are extremely popular in the United States. There are 43 million US households that own dogs, 37 million that own cats, and 4.5 million that own birds.1 With these numbers, it is easy to understand why most of us think of the small animal practitioner when we think of a veterinarian. The small animal practitioner is the veterinary doctor who treats our pets. It is also the most common type of veterinarian. Recent American Veterinary Medical Association market research surveys show that approximately 77% of veterinarians are small animal practitioners.2 For most future veterinarians, their first and possibly only experience with a veterinarian is the visit to the local veterinary practitioner for their pet’s annual health exam. 

I started my career as small animal practitioner and, like my colleagues, I practiced in neighborhood locations and saw primarily dogs and cats. I did occasionally see birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other pocket pets, but these visits were limited. Although my experience is normal, a doctor can influence the “patient mix” of his or her practice. Some small animal practitioners develop a strong interest in a certain type of companion animal and, as they practice, they see more of these patients. A good example of this is a practitioner I first worked with in Denver. She enjoyed working with snakes and avian (bird) patients and through her years of practice, developed a good reputation with clients in the area. When I was at the hospital, most of her patients were snakes, birds, and other types of exotic pets.

Although some small animal practitioners have mobile units and provide house calls, most of us practice in a veterinary hospital. There are thousands of different companion animal veterinary hospitals across the United States, but they all have similar layouts. Small animal clinics typically consist of a reception area, waiting room, exam rooms, treatment area, surgical suite, laboratory/pharmacy, and wards (kennels) where patients staying in the hospital are kept. As a small animal practitioner, you will spend your day moving through these rooms based on the tasks you are performing.

A typical day for a small animal practitioner starts in the treatment room preparing patients for surgery and then moves to the surgical suite. These surgeries are primarily elective and include spays, neuters, and de-claws but can include other types of soft tissue or orthopedic surgery depending on the day’s caseload. To prepare patients for surgery and induce anesthesia, you must be good with animals (many pets aren’t that happy to be undergoing surgery) and possess strong math skills (to calculate doses). You will also need good observational skills. Anesthesia requires constant monitoring of the patient. Once the animal is safely sedated, it moves into surgery.

As a veterinary surgeon you need to be well trained in anatomy and have good hand-eye coordination. However, there are other qualities that are equally important. You must be adaptable, responsive, and quick thinking. No two surgeries are the same and there are many pets whose bodies vary from the anatomy textbook. A good surgeon needs to interpret and adapt to these situations and develop a plan that provides for the health of the patient. The surgeon also needs to lead the paraprofessional team of veterinary technicians to ensure that patients have proper monitoring and post-surgical care.

Late morning and afternoon often takes small animal veterinarians into the exam room, where they provide outpatient care. Patients (and their owners) come in for annual physicals, vaccinations, illness, and injuries. It is in this room that the veterinarian becomes a medical detective. As the client describes the pet’s situation and the examination begins, veterinarians use their listening and observational skills to search for clues or “clinical signs.” What is making this pet sick? After observing the pet, the doctor develops a “rule-out list,” or a list of what the most likely cause of the illness is. Sometimes more tests are needed; sometimes the patient can be treated right away. All of this is based on the judgment of the veterinarian.

To be good with medical cases, a small animal veterinarian should be a good listener, a strong observer, have a very logical mind, and leverage their scientific training. Most importantly, they need to have very good people skills! The doctor needs to establish a connection with pet owners by demonstrating an interest in their concerns, seeking their input, and valuing their perspective. A veterinarian must establish trust by listening to the client and showing empathy to the situation. When the diagnosis has been made, the small animal practitioner must often communicate complex medical situations in a simple and concise way to the client. The veterinarian must clearly explain the situation while also reassuring the client. These people skills are often the skills that determine the overall success of a small animal doctor.

If this practice environment sounds calm and organized, it isn’t always. The excitement of practicing small animal veterinary medicine comes from the spontaneous situations that arise. In a busy practice, you will have the occasional emergency case, concerned clients calling in to check on their hospitalized pet, surgical patients needing to be discharged, IV tubes coming out, monitoring and treating of hospitalized pets, etc., etc., etc. In a small animal practice, calm can quickly turn to chaos and a good small animal practitioner manages this well. She is flexible and adjusts to the new situation by reprioritizing and redirecting her schedule and her staff to the new demands of the day.

As you can see, to be a small animal practitioner you need many skills. Future veterinarians should build their scientific knowledge, work with pets, and develop people skills by working in service jobs. If you or someone you love is interested in becoming a small animal practitioner, you should read the article posted on this site, “Do You Want to Be a Great Veterinary Practitioner? Work as a Waiter or Waitress One Summer.” This article gives the future veterinarian some unique insights on the veterinary practice.

Dr. Chris Carpenter

1. “Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population”, US Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook, 2007, American Veterinary Medical Association.
2. US Veterinarian Positions, American Veterinary Medical Association, www.avma.org, market research statistics, www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/usvets.asp.