2 answers
madi
Student
Frankfort, Kentucky
1
Question
Updated
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Advice about wanting to become a large animal vet?
What should I major in college? What are the pros and cons? Is this a good career to go into being in Kentucky? I am currently taking murray duel credits for animal science. I am also in the Junior cattlemen's association and their cattle working team
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2 answers
Johnson Tran
Tutor
101
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Johnson’s Answer
Becoming a large animal vet is a smart choice, especially in Kentucky. You're already ahead with your dual-credit animal science classes and hands-on cattle experience.
Here's a quick overview:
1. What to major in:
You're on the right track with animal science credits from Murray. Most people in this field major in Animal Science, but Biology or Pre-Vet are good too. Animal Science is best because it covers your prerequisites and focuses on livestock.
Get involved with the Junior Cattlemen’s Association and cattle working team. Vet schools value practical experience with animals more than just high grades.
2. Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- High demand in rural areas, especially in Kentucky.
- You help farmers and the community.
- It's an active, outdoor job.
- Every day is different, from births to emergencies.
Cons:
- It's physically demanding and can be dangerous.
- The hours can be tough, with late-night calls and bad weather.
- Lots of driving between farms.
- Vet school is costly and competitive.
3. Is it a good career in Kentucky?
Yes, definitely. Kentucky is ideal with its cattle and horse industries. Many rural areas need livestock vets, so you'll have plenty of work if you stay in the state.
4. You're on the right track:
Your current work with dual credits and cattle is perfect. Keep building those hands-on skills. Good grades matter, but real experience with animals will make your application stand out.
Here's a quick overview:
1. What to major in:
You're on the right track with animal science credits from Murray. Most people in this field major in Animal Science, but Biology or Pre-Vet are good too. Animal Science is best because it covers your prerequisites and focuses on livestock.
Get involved with the Junior Cattlemen’s Association and cattle working team. Vet schools value practical experience with animals more than just high grades.
2. Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- High demand in rural areas, especially in Kentucky.
- You help farmers and the community.
- It's an active, outdoor job.
- Every day is different, from births to emergencies.
Cons:
- It's physically demanding and can be dangerous.
- The hours can be tough, with late-night calls and bad weather.
- Lots of driving between farms.
- Vet school is costly and competitive.
3. Is it a good career in Kentucky?
Yes, definitely. Kentucky is ideal with its cattle and horse industries. Many rural areas need livestock vets, so you'll have plenty of work if you stay in the state.
4. You're on the right track:
Your current work with dual credits and cattle is perfect. Keep building those hands-on skills. Good grades matter, but real experience with animals will make your application stand out.
Thank you so much!
madi
Hiram Chu
High School College Counselor
11
Answers
Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Updated
Hiram’s Answer
Hi Madi, given your Murray State animal science dual credit and cattle working team background, you're well on the path to achieving your large animal vet goal. I'll detail a few things that I hope can help you better understand the choices you'll need to make in your future.
Firstly, for your major, no vet school requires a specific major. Instead, they have prerequisite coursework (general biology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and usually statistics) plus documented animal/veterinary experience hours. Regardless, it seems that an undergraduate Animal Science degree is the natural choice for you since it covers most prerequisites while building the hands-on livestock competency vet schools specifically want to see from food-animal-track applicants. This also lets you keep building on your Murray State experiences. A undergraduate Biology degree is another common route (stronger on pure theory, less on animal handling). Either degree works, but Animal Science maps more directly onto what you're already doing now.
Pros of the large-animal/food-animal track:
-Food animal veterinarians now make up only about 5% of all U.S. veterinarians, down from roughly 40% four decades ago, so this means strong job security and negotiating power.
-The federal USDA loan repayment program will repay up to $40,000/year of student loan debt for a 3-year commitment in a designated shortage area, and Kentucky's own program offers $87,500 in loan relief for a 5-year rural commitment.
-Murray State just won state approval to open Kentucky's first-ever veterinary school, explicitly to address the livestock shortage; pre-vet students move into the new building in fall 2028, with the first DVM cohort targeted for fall 2029, pending accreditation.
Cons of the large-animal/food-animal track:
-Mean salary for large animal vets runs around $100,000 vs. $133,000 for companion-animal vets, which means lower pay vs. other vets.
-About half of new graduates who enter large animal vet practice leave it within a few years, usually moving into companion-animal medicine, because of the burn out risks (long on-call hours, physically difficult work, rural driving).
-Competitive applications as shown in 2023, when 160 Kentucky residents applied to DVM programs and only 67 were admitted.
Practical next steps are: keep your Murray dual credit and cattle team documentation going (highly valuable for vet school applications) and start looking into shadowing hours specifically with a large-animal or mixed-practice DVM (not just animal handling), since admissions committees weight veterinary experience separately from animal experience.
Hope this helps!
Firstly, for your major, no vet school requires a specific major. Instead, they have prerequisite coursework (general biology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and usually statistics) plus documented animal/veterinary experience hours. Regardless, it seems that an undergraduate Animal Science degree is the natural choice for you since it covers most prerequisites while building the hands-on livestock competency vet schools specifically want to see from food-animal-track applicants. This also lets you keep building on your Murray State experiences. A undergraduate Biology degree is another common route (stronger on pure theory, less on animal handling). Either degree works, but Animal Science maps more directly onto what you're already doing now.
Pros of the large-animal/food-animal track:
-Food animal veterinarians now make up only about 5% of all U.S. veterinarians, down from roughly 40% four decades ago, so this means strong job security and negotiating power.
-The federal USDA loan repayment program will repay up to $40,000/year of student loan debt for a 3-year commitment in a designated shortage area, and Kentucky's own program offers $87,500 in loan relief for a 5-year rural commitment.
-Murray State just won state approval to open Kentucky's first-ever veterinary school, explicitly to address the livestock shortage; pre-vet students move into the new building in fall 2028, with the first DVM cohort targeted for fall 2029, pending accreditation.
Cons of the large-animal/food-animal track:
-Mean salary for large animal vets runs around $100,000 vs. $133,000 for companion-animal vets, which means lower pay vs. other vets.
-About half of new graduates who enter large animal vet practice leave it within a few years, usually moving into companion-animal medicine, because of the burn out risks (long on-call hours, physically difficult work, rural driving).
-Competitive applications as shown in 2023, when 160 Kentucky residents applied to DVM programs and only 67 were admitted.
Practical next steps are: keep your Murray dual credit and cattle team documentation going (highly valuable for vet school applications) and start looking into shadowing hours specifically with a large-animal or mixed-practice DVM (not just animal handling), since admissions committees weight veterinary experience separately from animal experience.
Hope this helps!