There are 3 significant fields under veterinary studies. 1. Clinical, where you learn to treat animals. 2. Para-clinical, where you learn how to diagnose a condition the animal may be suffering from. 3. Animal sciences, where you learn how to help make animal lives better, make human lives easier. E.g. how to make more milk from a cow, how to make chickens grow faster, etc.

I worked at a couple of veterinary clinics to get experience and then pursued my masters in the same field. On a typical day, I would spend around 5 hours in the ward where I attend to outpatient cases. In 5 hours, there would be about 120 cases! There is a protocol which we need to follow that helps me diagnose the exact problem the animal is facing. For those who didn't know, a dog can suffer from the same kind of illnesses/ diseases we face starting from cough or fever to cancer. For example, if a dog has a fever, it might be because of the environment, blood parasites, closed room etc. If a dog coughs, it can be because the dog might be choking on a piece of bone or due to a tablet etc.

In most cases, I start by collecting blood samples, then perform various tests. During these tests, I check for specific parameters like specific gravity, pH, glucose and I check what types of cells are present in the sample (RBC, WBC). Sometimes if I am not able to find the root cause I check for growth of bacteria or fungi with another test.

When I was young, I used to like animals a lot, and I played with stray dogs too. My uncle, who was a Veterinarian was a great inspiration, and he used to share stories about his work and experiences, which inspired me a lot.

After completing school, I wanted to become a veterinarian and chose veterinary science. I wrote both the nation-wide and regional exams. It is a 5-year course which has 4.5 years of course work and 6 months of internship. During the internship, we went to different Government hospitals (each Government hospital is called an animal dispensary). At these hospitals, people bring dog, cat or cow, and I need to diagnose their ailments. There is always help from experienced people, which provides you with an excellent opportunity to learn - the very purpose of internships!

At college, I learnt about anatomy (bone structure, different muscles, position of organs), physiology (how the body works), parasitology (learn about various insects or parasites that can affect animals), public health (which infection can spread to humans, how to prevent them), medicine, surgery and gynaecology. Poultry is a field in veterinary studies where I learnt how to manage farms with chickens and livestock products (which includes dairy products).

Passion is the key - lack of interest in the subject can make life very difficult for you in this profession. A lot of students in college haven't been exposed to animals before joining college. Some develop a passion once they start interacting with animals. Over the years, you will learn how to interact with animals. Unfortunately, you can't ask an animal how it feels like you would to a human. However, eventually, you will figure it all out and understand how the animal feels without you having to talk to it!