Also called: Food Animal Vet, Large Animal Veterinarian
Treats farm animals like cattle, pigs, and goats along with local pets, often driving from farm to farm.
Drives a truck fitted with a vet box to a dairy farm at dawn to check pregnant cows, delivers a calf by C-section in a barn, then heads back to treat dogs and cats at the clinic. Rural areas face a serious shortage.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 8 years after high school. DVM degree; federal loan-repayment programs reward rural service.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Animal Science, Biology, Pre-Veterinary, Zoology.
Growing much faster than average (about 10% over 10 years). Shortages in rural 'vet deserts' keep demand high.
Low risk for 10 years. Herd-health software and AI help with records and diagnostics; calving, barn surgery and farm calls stay hands-on, with a rural shortage.
Classes: AP Biology, Chemistry, Agriscience (FFA), Vet-science CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1131.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.