According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery. | 94% |
| Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper. | 94% |
| Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries. | 93% |
| Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis. | 91% |
| Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images. | 90% |
| Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans. | 89% |
| Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets. | 88% |
| Specialize in a particular type of treatment, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine. | 88% |
| Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms. | 87% |
| Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options. | 85% |
| Euthanize animals. | 85% |
| Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses. | 85% |
| Inspect and test horses, sheep, poultry, or other animals to detect the presence of communicable diseases. | 83% |
| Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals. | 81% |
| Establish or conduct quarantine or testing procedures that prevent the spread of diseases to other animals or to humans and that comply with applicable government regulations. | 78% |
| Research diseases to which animals could be susceptible. | 77% |
| Provide care to a wide range of animals or specialize in a particular species, such as horses or exotic birds. | 75% |
| Determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals. | 74% |
| Perform administrative or business management tasks, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, budgeting, or maintaining business records. | 72% |
| Inspect animal housing facilities to determine their cleanliness and adequacy. | 70% |
| Plan or execute animal nutrition or reproduction programs. | 70% |
| Drive mobile clinic vans to farms so that health problems can be treated or prevented. | 69% |
| Conduct postmortem studies and analyses to determine the causes of animals' deaths. | 64% |
