Veterinary Services are professional, specialized services provided to animals. They include veterinary medicine, clinical services, and preventive services.
A veterinary practitioner has the training and expertise to treat domestic animals, wildlife, zoo animals, and ornamental fish. They are responsible for preventing and controlling outbreaks of animal diseases, training veterinary personnel at all levels, and certifying drugs and quality standards for products. They also develop and use drugs to treat animal diseases.
Veterinarians work in a wide range of fields including veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, molecular biology, genetic engineering, pathology, toxicology, and laboratory animal medicine. They also help to protect human health through medical research, food safety, and monitoring zoonotic diseases.
Veterinary services are categorized into four types: preventive services, preventive vaccines, clinical services, and animal health monitoring. Each of these categories provides a range of products and services that increase the value of animals for owners.
These services are provided by the public and private sectors. The public sector employs veterinarians in public health, food safety, animal health, environmental protection, and agricultural research. The private sector employs veterinarians for drug development, safety testing, and clinical evaluation.
Veterinary services can be decentralized in order to improve their cost-effectiveness and efficiency. This can be achieved through deconcentration of some services or by contracting vaccination operations.
In developing countries, decentralization raises the question of whether private sector suppliers or associations of livestock owners should have a role in veterinary services.
In the United States, veterinary services are a part of the NAICS 541940 – Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry.