The veterinarian is the doctor of animals, that is, the professional who is responsible for preventing, diagnosing and curing their diseases.

Thousands of years ago, in ancient civilizations such as Babylon, the Egypt of the Pharaohs or Ancient Greece, there were people in charge of studying the health of animals and treating those who fell ill with medicinal herbs. The interest focused above all on horses because in those days they were essential for the transport of people, for the transport of goods, and for their use by soldiers in displacements, individual combats and battles.

Veterinary studies became university studies for the first time in 1761, when the National Veterinary School of Lyon (France) was founded. Later, they were established in the rest of Europe.

Today, veterinarians are highly trained professionals who can specialize in certain types of animals (cats, exotic birds, fish…) or in a specific area of ​​veterinary medicine (ophthalmology, orthopaedics, digestive system, infectious diseases, surgery…).

In addition, veterinarians have the possibility of directing their profession to other very interesting areas. They can, for example, be in charge of inspecting food of animal origin that we humans consume (sausages, sausages, dairy products…), control breeding and production in livestock, farms or fish farms, carry out educational work as teachers, work in laboratories, or turn to scientific research.

Let’s not forget that veterinarians are also essential in zoos and nature reserves. The latter are areas that governments or certain institutions decide to protect in order to conserve their ecosystem, that is, keep it safe from human activity and avoid the extinction of its fauna and flora.