Veterinary

One veterinary degree, studied the way it is examined worldwide: from NEET-UG and ICAR entrance in India to NAVLE, the RCVS SME and the AVBC AVE abroad.

The curriculum

Pre-clinical and foundation

The body in health, the animals themselves, and how they are fed, bred, housed and handled. MSVE 2016 semesters I to IV.

Para-clinical

The agents of disease, how they damage the body, the drugs used against them, and the food, public-health, extension and economics side of the profession. MSVE 2016 semesters III to VI.

Clinical

Diagnosis, medicine, surgery and reproduction across farm, companion, equine, exotic, laboratory and wild animals. MSVE 2016 semesters VII to IX, plus internationally examined clinical subjects.

Public health, regulation and professional practice

The veterinarian as a public official, prescriber, professional and researcher, and the internship that closes the degree. Mostly international additions, with MSVE's internship and 'Veterinarian in Society' course.

Exams worldwide

Every row names the official page it was checked on, or says plainly when the source is secondary or the format is unverified. The catalog covers veterinary entrance, licensing, postgraduate, PhD, specialist and civil-service exams found for 2016-2026, including registration routes that have no exam (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Argentina). Not listed yet, because no source page could be confirmed: Thailand, Indonesia, Ethiopia (exit exam), Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Bangladesh's agricultural cluster admission test. Standards documents such as the EAEVE ESEVT SOP 2023, RCVS Day One Competences and WOAH Day 1 Competencies shape the curriculum but are not exams, so they are not listed here. The high-yield list comes from published blueprints and topics repeated across official syllabi, not from counting past papers. Laisha's practice questions are original and are not past papers.

Argentina

Provincial matrícula (registration, no exam) Colegio de Veterinarios in each province · licensing

No exam. Requires the degree and provincial registration (Buenos Aires Province Decreto-Ley 9686/81).

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Australia / New Zealand

Australasian Veterinary Examination (AVE), formerly the National Veterinary Examination (NVE) Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) · licensing

Step 2, preliminary MCQ exam: computer-adaptive, Rasch-scored, cut-score 500. Paper 1 (base knowledge) 80 Q in 120 min; Paper 2 (clinical reasoning) 80 Q in 150 min. Held once a year in April (next: 16 Apr 2027). Step 3, clinical exam: 5 days at the University of Queensland, usually November.

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Bangladesh

BVC registration (no exam) Bangladesh Veterinary Council (BVC Act 2019) · licensing	Document-based; no exam.	source
MCVS (Membership of the College of Veterinary Surgeons) Bangladesh College of Veterinary Surgeons (BCVS, founded 2019) · specialist	100 MCQs, 2 h 30 min, computer-based at Prometric Dhaka. Pass mark 65.	source
BCS (Livestock) cadre, post code 270: Veterinary Surgeon / Upazila Livestock Officer Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) · civil-service	Preliminary: 200-mark MCQ, 2 hours. Written (technical cadre): 900 marks, 50% to pass. Viva: 100 marks (200 before Dec 2024).	source

Brazil

CFMV / CRMV registration (no exam) Conselho Federal de Medicina Veterinária and the regional CRMVs · licensing	Document-based, no exam (Res. CFMV 1475/2022). Foreign diplomas must be revalidated.	source
Proposed Exame de Proficiência em Medicina Veterinária (PL 4.262/2023) CFMV would regulate it · licensing	Not yet defined. The bill is still in Congress.	source
ENADE: Medicina Veterinária INEP · licensing	40 questions, 4 hours. General section 25% of the score; veterinary-specific 75%. 2023 specific section: 29 MCQs and 1 essay.	source
ENARE multiprofessional residency: Veterinary Medicine EBSERH / FGV · pg	100 MCQs with 5 options, 5 hours.	source

Canada

NEB Certificate of Qualification CVMA National Examining Board · licensing

Document evaluation, then language, BCSE, NAVLE and CPE. Candidates enrolled after 1 Jan 2015 must also have one ovariohysterectomy as primary surgeon plus 5 procedures in the past 5 years.

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China

National Practising Veterinarian Qualification Examination (全国执业兽医资格考试) Examination committee under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) · licensing

Computer-based: 4 subjects of 100 MCQs each, 1 hour each, 1 mark per question. Two categories: general veterinary and aquatic animals. Qualifies practising veterinarians and assistant veterinarians.

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Europe

EBVS European College diplomas (e.g. DipECVS, DipECVIM-CA) European Board of Veterinary Specialisation and the individual colleges · specialist

College-specific: residency and exam.

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India

NEET-UG, then VCI 15% All-India Quota counselling for BVSc & AH NTA conducts NEET-UG; the Veterinary Council of India runs counselling under MSVE 2016 Reg. 7(8) · entrance	NEET-UG. VCI admits purely on NEET rank, with no other merit or weightage. 858 All-India Quota seats in 2026-27.	source
CUET (ICAR-UG), formerly ICAR AIEEA-UG: not for BVSc ICAR / NTA · entrance	AIEEA-UG ran until 2022-23. CUET (ICAR-UG) has been used from 2023-24. 2019 AIEEA-UG: 150 minutes (150 MCQs, 50 per subject, per a secondary source).	source
ICAR AIEEA (PG): Master's entrance, Veterinary Science and Animal Sciences NTA for ICAR · pg	Computer-based, 120 MCQs in 120 minutes, +4 for correct and -1 for wrong, maximum 480. English only.	source
ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) NTA for ICAR · phd	Computer-based, 2 hours, 120 questions: Part A 20 (general agriculture, animal husbandry, current events), Part B 50 (core group), Part C 50 (specialised subject). +4 / -1, maximum 480.	source
ASRB NET and ARS / SMS / STO (Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board) secondary Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board · civil-service	NET: 150 MCQs, 150 marks, 2 hours, -1/3 per wrong answer. ARS: preliminary 150, then descriptive mains 300, then interview 45.	source
VCI / State Veterinary Council registration (no licensing exam) Veterinary Council of India and State Veterinary Councils (IVC Act 1984) · licensing	No licensing exam. Provisional registration (valid 12-16 months) during the internship, then full registration.	source
RPSC Veterinary Officer (Rajasthan) Rajasthan Public Service Commission · civil-service	150 questions, 150 marks, 2.5 hours, negative marking (the fraction is not stated; RPSC's usual 1/3 is unverified).	source
TNPSC Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science (Degree Standard), Code 396 Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission · civil-service	200 questions. Duration and marking are unverified.	source
UPPSC Veterinary Officer (Advt D-6/E-1/2025) unverified Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission · civil-service	Screening exam on 03-10-2026. Pattern unverified.	source
PPSC Veterinary Officer Group-A (Punjab) unverified Punjab Public Service Commission · civil-service	Written exam and interview. Pattern unverified.	source
MPPSC Assistant Director / Veterinary Assistant Surgeon / VEO 2026 (Adv 04/2026) unverified Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission · civil-service	OMR exam with negative marking. Other details unverified.	source
OPSC Veterinary Assistant Surgeon (Advt 04 of 2026-27) unverified Odisha Public Service Commission · civil-service	Unverified.	source
JKPSC Veterinary Assistant Surgeon (Sheep Husbandry) unverified Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission · civil-service	Unverified.	source
NDDB veterinary and executive posts unverified National Dairy Development Board · professional	Unverified. There were no open veterinary posts when checked.	source
Remount Veterinary Corps (Indian Army), Short Service Commission unverified Indian Army · civil-service	Unverified (joinindianarmy.nic.in could not be read).	source

Iran

Konkur (DVM entry) secondary Sanjesh Organisation · entrance

4.5-hour MCQ exam, now held twice a year.

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Ireland

Veterinary Council of Ireland registration exam unverified Veterinary Council of Ireland · licensing

Unverified (not published).

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Japan

National Veterinary Examination (獣医師国家試験) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), with the Veterinary Affairs Council · licensing

330 questions over 2 days in February: essential 50, A 80, B 80, C 60, D 60. Pass requires at least 70% on essential questions AND at least 60% of A+B+C+D.

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Kenya

Kenya Veterinary Board pre-registration exam Kenya Veterinary Board (VSVP Act 2011) · licensing

Written MCQs and short-answer questions, 3 hours per paper over 2 days. Pass 50%. Maximum 3 attempts. Sittings in February and September.

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Mexico

EGEL Plus MVZ CENEVAL · licensing	200 items (140 disciplinary, 60 language), 3-option MCQ, 15% pilot items, two 4-hour sessions. Outcome bands: Sobresaliente / Satisfactorio / Aún no satisfactorio.	source
CONCERVET certification unverified Consejo Nacional de Certificación en Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia · professional	Unverified.	source

Nepal

National Licensure Examination for Veterinarians (NLEV) Nepal Veterinary Council (NVC Act 2055 BS) · licensing	100 MCQs with 4 options, 100 marks, negative marking of -0.25, pass at 40% aggregate. Three sittings a year. 90 minutes (third-party source).	source
Nepal PSC / provincial PSC Veterinary Officer (levels 6-8) unverified Lok Sewa Aayog (Public Service Commission) · civil-service	Unverified.	source

Nigeria

VCN registration / Board of Examiners unverified Veterinary Council of Nigeria (Veterinary Surgeons Act Cap V3) · licensing

The Act says the Board of Examiners 'may examine ... in any manner'. The current format is unverified.

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Pakistan

PVMC registration (no licensing exam) Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC Act 1996) · licensing	No licensing exam.	source
DVM admission, UVAS Lahore University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore · entrance	No entry test at UVAS. Merit = 30% Matric + 70% FSc Part-1 (2026).	source

Philippines

Veterinarian Licensure Examination PRC Board of Veterinary Medicine (RA 9268) · licensing

3 days, 2 hours per subject. Computer-based from October 2025. Pass requires a weighted average of at least 75% with no subject below 60%.

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Russia

State final attestation, specialist degree 36.05.01 'Veterinaria' Ministry of Science & Higher Education (federal standard) and universities · licensing

5-year specialist degree, 300 credits. The final attestation must include a thesis defence; a state exam is optional, at the university's choice.

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Saudi Arabia

Veterinary practice licensing unverified Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) · licensing

Services run through naama.sa. Any licensing exam is unverified.

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South Africa

SAVC Registration Examination South African Veterinary Council · licensing

(1) Computer-based exam: 4 papers of 90 marks, 1.5 hours each, at least 50% in each. (2) Practical: 3 panels, average at least 50% and at least 45% per panel. (3) Spay: bitch ovariohysterectomy scored by direct observation (DOPS), at least 50%. Fee R44,961.

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South Korea

Veterinarian National Examination (수의사 국가시험) MAFRA exam committee; notice posted by QIA/APQA · licensing

350 MCQs with 5 options, 1 point each, one day (09:00-16:30, January). Pass requires at least 60% overall AND at least 40% in each subject.

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Sri Lanka

Veterinary Council of Sri Lanka registration exam (foreign graduates) Veterinary Council of Sri Lanka (Act 46 of 1956) · licensing	Held in January and July. Written, clinical/practical and viva in each subject. Pass at 50% average.	source
DAPH Veterinary Surgeon Grade III Department of Animal Production and Health / Public Service Commission · civil-service	No written exam: selection by university merit list and interview. Efficiency-bar exams come later in the career.	source

Turkey

KPSS (public-sector selection exam) secondary ÖSYM · civil-service

KPSS-B every 2 years: General Culture and General Ability.

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UAE

Licence to practise the veterinary profession (federal) unverified Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) · licensing

The e-service exists, including a temporary licence. Requirements and any exam are unverified.

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UK

RCVS Statutory Membership Examination (SME) Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons · licensing	Written (online, remotely proctored, March): 367 single-best-answer vignettes with 5 options, about 2 hours per domain paper, no negative marking, no compensation between domains. Plus an open-book Code of Professional Conduct paper: 60 MCQs, 2 h 15 min. OSCE (September, in person, 5-7 days): 15-20 minute stations with two examiners each.	source
RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP) RCVS, with modules through accredited universities · professional	Modular postgraduate certificate: 1 A module, 1 B module and 4 C modules. Designated certificates carry a synoptic oral exam.	source

USA

ECFVG certification (Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates) secondary American Veterinary Medical Association · licensing	Four steps: enrolment and proof of graduation; English proficiency; BCSE; Clinical Proficiency Examination (CPE), a 3-day, 7-section hands-on exam. Anaesthesia and Surgery are pass/fail; other sections need at least 60.	source
PAVE (Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence) and its QSE American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) · licensing	Four steps: application and English; Qualifying Science Examination (QSE); Evaluated Clinical Experience at an accredited school; certificate. QSE: 220 minutes seat time, run by PSI at a centre or remotely; windows in January, May and September.	source
US state veterinary jurisprudence exams unverified State veterinary boards · licensing	Varies by state. Texas: at least 85%, valid 1 year (search snippet). California VLE: open-book, 32 questions (third-party source).	source
AVMA ABVS-recognised specialty boards secondary AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties; each college runs its own exams · specialist	Varies by college: residency, credentials and written and practical exams.	source

USA / Canada

NAVLE (North American Veterinary Licensing Examination) International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA); scored by NBME, delivered by Prometric · licensing	360 single-best-answer MCQs, all clinical vignettes, about 15-20% with images. From the October-November 2026 window: 12 blocks of 30 items, 33 minutes per block, about 7.5 hours in total. Scaled score 200-800, pass 425, criterion-referenced. No negative marking is stated (unverified). Fee US$825, plus $395 outside the US and Canada.	source
BCSE (Basic & Clinical Sciences Examination) ICVA; administered through CVMA-NEB and AVMA-ECFVG · licensing	225 items (200 scored, 25 pretest), 220 minutes, computer-based at Prometric. MCQ plus matching, drag-and-drop and hot-spot items. Pass 580 scaled. No penalty for wrong answers.	source

What comes up year after year

• Notifiable and transboundary diseases (FMD, PPR, HPAI, Newcastle disease, ASF/CSF, bluetongue, LSD, glanders, anthrax, rabies, brucellosis, TB; rinderpest as the eradication case study) — Appears in the ICAR PhD Medicine syllabus (including the role of WOAH), WOAH Day 1 competences, SAVC Paper 4 and the South African Animal Diseases Act, EAEVE Day One competences and NAVLE veterinary public health.
• Zoonoses and food safety (milk- and meat-borne zoonoses, HACCP, ante- and post-mortem inspection) — Examined in ICAR AIEEA-PG Unit IV, the ICAR PhD VPH syllabus, RPSC (One Health, HACCP, BIS), EGEL Plus (food safety and quality 26 items), SAVC (VPH 30, zoonoses 25), WOAH Day 1 food hygiene and the RCVS SME production-animal domain.
• Antimicrobial chemotherapy, AMR, residues and withdrawal periods — In ICAR AIEEA-PG Unit IV (drug resistance), ICAR PhD pharmacology, the proposed MSVE revision (AMR awareness), EAEVE Day One prescribing competences, WOAH Day 1 veterinary products, and the UK cascade minimum withdrawal periods that RCVS graduates must know.
• Toxicology (cyanogenic, nitrate and oxalate plants; metals; organophosphates and carbamates; aflatoxin; snake bite; urea / NPN) — In ICAR PhD Medicine and Pharmacology units, ICAR AIEEA-PG Unit IV (poisonous plants, agro-chemicals), SAVC (plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses), AVE Paper 1 (toxicology at least 3) and BCSE (with pharmacology and physiology).
• Metabolic and production diseases of dairy animals (milk fever, ketosis, hypomagnesaemia, downer cow, post-parturient haemoglobinuria, fatty liver) — A named unit of the ICAR PhD Medicine syllabus and MSVE VMD-421, and part of China's comprehensive cattle paper.
• Reproduction numbers (oestrous cycle and gestation lengths, synchronisation protocols, pregnancy diagnosis, dystocia, infertility) — In ICAR AIEEA-PG Unit III, the ICAR PhD ARGO syllabus, Nepal NLEV Theriogenology (8 items), EGEL Plus reproduction and RPSC (ETT, IVF, cloning).
• Breeds and home tracts, livestock census and national schemes (Operation Flood, Key Village, ICDP, gosadan/goshala) — India-specific and very high-yield for state PSC exams: RPSC Part A and its LPM and Extension units, and ICAR AIEEA-PG Code 14 Unit IV.
• Nutrition calculations (energy partition, protein quality, ration formulation, feeding standards) — In ICAR AIEEA-PG Code 14 Unit II and the ICAR PhD Nutrition syllabus. Coaching sources (secondary) stress numerical practice for ASRB NET.
• Genetics calculations (Hardy-Weinberg, heritability, selection response, inbreeding coefficient) — In the ICAR PhD AGB syllabus and ICAR AIEEA-PG Code 14 Unit I; coaching sources (secondary) report numerical questions in ASRB NET.
• Epidemiological measures (incidence vs prevalence; morbidity, mortality and case-fatality rates; sporadic, enzootic, epizootic, panzootic and exotic) — Listed almost word for word in ICAR PhD Medicine Unit 1, in the VPH syllabus, and in SAVC epidemiology (15 marks).
• Veterinary jurisprudence (expert evidence, vetero-legal post-mortem, frauds, insurance, the IVC Act) — In ICAR PhD Medicine Unit 12, RPSC (IVC Act 1984), Nepal NLEV ethics (4 items), SAVC law and ethics (15) and the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct paper.
• Anaesthesia and surgical fundamentals (nerve blocks, ovariohysterectomy, wound management) — Every practical licensing exam tests them (ECFVG/NEB CPE, AVE clinical exam, SAVC practical, RCVS OSCE), and ovariohysterectomy is required by the NEB, SAVC and AVE.
• Poultry disease complex (Newcastle disease, IBD, Marek's disease, avian influenza, coccidiosis, mycotoxicosis, hydropericardium syndrome) — In ICAR PhD Medicine Unit 11 and Pathology Unit 11, China's comprehensive poultry section (20) and SAVC poultry (15).
• Vaccines and immunisation principles (cold chain, colostral immunity, vaccine types) — In ICAR AIEEA-PG Unit II (viral vaccines), ICAR PhD Microbiology Unit 7 and NAVLE health maintenance and prevention (35%).
• Animal welfare and ethics — Weighted in NAVLE (6%), SAVC (15), BCSE (6-7 items), and the EAEVE, WOAH and RCVS Day One competences.

The career, stage by stage

The same degree asks different things of you as your career moves on. A student needs to pass exams and survive the internship. A 5-year practitioner needs answers in the field or at the consulting table. A 25-year veterinarian runs campaigns, herds or products. A PhD with 25 years teaches, advises and sets policy. For each stage, this page lists the work, the decisions, the reference material that work depends on, and what gets in the way. It also says honestly what Laisha offers today and what is still coming. The stages are product analysis, not a sourced survey. Every legal point in them rests on the statute or regulator named.

BVSc & AH / DVM student

An undergraduate in India's 5½-year BVSc & AH under MSVE 2016, or in a DVM, BVSc or BVMS programme elsewhere, from the first semester to the end of the internship.

What the day holds

• Keep up with MSVE 2016's 177 credits (101 theory, 76 practical) across nine semesters, or your own school's equivalent
• Maintain practical records: dissection, histology slides and farm-practice logs (LFP-211, LFP-221)
• Take clinical rotations in the Veterinary Clinical Complex: history taking, restraint, examination and records
• Complete the rotating internship logbook: postings in the VCC, another state's VCC and institutional postings, each scored out of 20
• Prepare for ICAR AIEEA-PG (120 MCQs, +4/-1) or AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) if staying in India
• Prepare for NAVLE (via BCSE and CPE, or PAVE), the RCVS SME or the AVBC AVE if planning to work abroad
• Prepare for state PSC Veterinary Officer exams (e.g. RPSC, TNPSC), including state breeds, home tracts and schemes
• Get ready for viva voce and practical exams in every professional subject

Decisions that are theirs

• Which PG subject to target: AIEEA-PG has a separate merit list for each major subject, so the choice changes your rank
• Which optional internship postings to choose (zoo, abattoir, milk plant, poultry farm, vaccine institute, RVC, pharma or feed industry)
• Whether to aim abroad, and which route: NAVLE via ECFVG, NEB or PAVE; RCVS SME; AVBC AVE
• Government service (state VO exam) or private practice or industry after registration
• Whether to register with VCI or with a State Veterinary Council
• How to divide revision time between high-weight blocks (e.g. companion animal in NAVLE and SME) and weak subjects

What they look up

• Semester-mapped study notes for every subject
• Labelled anatomy atlases and species comparison tables
• Parasite life cycles, disease tables and drug-class summaries
• Normal physiological values by species
• Breed and home-tract lists
• Each target exam's official blueprint and marking scheme (NTA/ICAR bulletins, ICVA NAVLE handbook, RCVS SME guidance, AVBC AVE handbook)
• MSVE 2016 regulations on internship postings and evaluation

Where it hurts

• Notes are scattered across seniors, photocopies and slides
• Printed previous-year question books are expensive
• There is no India-specific clinical case bank
• The same disease is taught separately in microbiology, pathology, medicine and VPH, and nobody joins it up
• Negative marking (-1 in ICAR, -0.25 in NLEV) punishes guessing, yet most practice sets ignore it
• Routes abroad (NAVLE, SME, AVE) are poorly explained and costly to get wrong

Practitioner, 5 years: rural large-animal and urban small-animal

A registered veterinarian about five years into practice. Either a rural large-animal vet (a government Veterinary Officer or private field vet in India or Africa, working with cattle, buffalo, small ruminants and poultry) or an urban small-animal vet running or working in a dog and cat clinic.

What the day holds

• Rural: attend field cases of dystocia, retained placenta, repeat breeding, mastitis, bloat, HS/BQ outbreaks, tick fevers and poisoning
• Rural: perform artificial insemination and pregnancy diagnosis
• Rural: run mass vaccination drives, for example FMD every 6 months and brucellosis in female calves at 4-8 months under NADCP
• Rural: carry out post-mortems and write insurance and health certificates
• Rural: complete government-scheme paperwork and report suspected scheduled diseases under PCICDA Act 2009 s.4
• Urban: run vaccination and deworming programmes following WSAVA core and non-core guidance
• Urban: manage dermatology, gastrointestinal, renal and endocrine cases
• Urban: perform routine surgery (spays, lump removals) and anaesthesia
• Urban: handle emergencies, including poisoning by chocolate, xylitol and rodenticides
• Both: write prescriptions and give owners clear milk, meat and egg withdrawal advice for food animals

Decisions that are theirs

• Rural: a diagnosis in the field without a laboratory
• Rural: drug and dose by body weight when no scale is available (weight estimated from heart girth)
• Rural: how long milk and meat must be withheld, and the date the animal or its milk may be sold
• Rural: when to refer, and whether a disease outbreak must be reported
• Urban: which anaesthesia protocol, and what fluid or CRI rate
• Urban: which antimicrobial, and whether it is needed at all
• Urban: whether a human drug may be used off-label (lawful under the UK cascade or US AMDUCA within a VCPR; India has no formal cascade framework that we could find)
• Urban: how to read blood work against species reference intervals

What they look up

• Doses by species, with withdrawal periods and residue limits (label, FSSAI, Codex, EU, US)
• Lists of drugs prohibited in food animals: US 21 CFR 530.41, EU Reg 37/2010 Table 2, FSSAI 2024 residue regulations, and India's colistin ban (2019)
• Poisoning antidotes and toxic-dose thresholds
• Notifiable-disease lists and reporting routes (India PCICDA Act 2009 schedule; APHIS NLRAD; UK APHA list)
• Vaccination calendars (NADCP for FMD and brucellosis; WSAVA 2024 for dogs and cats)
• Oestrous and gestation tables by species
• Species reference intervals for haematology and biochemistry
• Breed predispositions for dogs and cats

Where it hurts

• Rural: no internet connection in the field
• Rural: counterfeit and irrational fixed-dose combination drugs
• Rural: paravets and quacks practising beyond the 'minor veterinary services under supervision' that IVC Act s.30 allows
• Rural: farmers who cannot or will not pay
• Urban: formularies are expensive and centred on the US and UK
• Urban: no mapping between Indian brands and generic drugs
• Both: little time, and withdrawal and legal rules that differ by country

Senior veterinarian, 25 years: district officer, herd consultant or industry lead

A veterinarian with about 25 years of work: a district or state Animal Husbandry officer, a dairy, pig or poultry herd-health consultant, a senior clinician, or a technical lead in the pharmaceutical, vaccine or feed industry.

What the day holds

• District officer: plan and run vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance
• District officer: report to the state and to WAHIS-type international systems
• District officer: manage outbreak response: ring vaccination, culling, movement control and compensation
• District officer: administer schemes and supervise field veterinarians and paravets
• Herd consultant: track herd KPIs such as calving interval, somatic cell count and fertility
• Herd consultant: audit rations and write biosecurity plans
• Industry: register products and keep them compliant with residue and MRL rules in each market
• Industry: train field staff and veterinarians on products and their legal use

Decisions that are theirs

• How to allocate vaccine, staff and budget across a district
• When to declare an infected zone and what movement controls to impose
• Ration and feed-additive strategy for a herd or an integration
• How to position products under AMR rules, such as EU Reg 2019/6 limits on prophylaxis and the EU list of antimicrobials reserved for humans (Impl. Reg 2022/1255)
• Which products may be sold in which country, given different prohibited lists and MRLs
• When a herd problem needs a laboratory workup rather than empirical treatment

What they look up

• Notifiable-disease lists and the Acts behind them (PCICDA Act 2009 schedule of 115 diseases in India)
• WOAH Terrestrial and Aquatic Code chapters (cite only)
• MRL tables for India (FSSAI 2024), Codex, the EU (Reg 37/2010) and the US (21 CFR 556)
• Withdrawal rules for off-label use: UK cascade and EU Reg 2019/6 Art 115 minimums
• Nutrient-requirement standards (ICAR 2013, NASEM)
• Livestock census data
• NADCP vaccination schedules

Where it hurts

• Reporting is still largely on paper
• Regulations change fast and differ between countries
• Keeping products compliant in several markets at once
• Farmer training material rarely exists in local languages
• Data from different programmes and herds cannot be compared
• The vaccine cold chain is hard to monitor across a district

PhD with 25 years: professor, researcher or policy adviser

A veterinarian with a PhD and about 25 years of work: a professor in a veterinary college, a research scientist (for example in ICAR), or an adviser to government, WOAH or FAO.

What the day holds

• Teach MSVE-aligned undergraduate courses and postgraduate courses
• Supervise MVSc and PhD students
• Write grants and research papers, and peer-review others' work
• Conduct systematic reviews
• Write policy briefs on AMR, One Health and transboundary disease control
• Take part in WOAH PVS or FAO missions
• Contribute to curriculum reform: the proposed MSVE revision and the WOAH Day 1 revision expected around 2027
• Prepare evidence for accreditation visits (VCI inspection, EAEVE visitation, AVMA COE site visit)

Decisions that are theirs

• Which research questions to prioritise and fund
• How to design a curriculum that meets MSVE, EAEVE, RCVS, AVMA COE and WOAH Day 1 expectations at once
• What policy to recommend on AMR, residues or disease control
• Which integrative or traditional practices have enough evidence to teach, and how to teach them critically
• How to assess students fairly, including item quality in question banks
• Which sources may be reused in course material and which may only be cited (government data such as US CFR, EU law and UK OGL content is reusable; WOAH, Merck, Plumb's and WikiVet are not)

What they look up

• Open-access literature (PubMed Central open-access subset)
• WOAH manuals, Codes, Day 1 Competencies and the Veterinary Education Core Curriculum
• FAO statistics and publications
• Surveillance data (WAHIS, subject to its licence terms)
• Curriculum standards: MSVE 2016, EAEVE ESEVT SOP 2023, RCVS Day One Competences, AVMA COE
• ICAR AIEEA-PG and AICE-JRF/SRF syllabi, for aligning postgraduate teaching with entrance exams

Where it hurts

• Standards are fragmented across countries and bodies
• Writing and updating course material takes a great deal of time
• Access to good surveillance data is poor
• Curriculum revisions (MSVE, WOAH Day 1) are slow and hard to track
• Proprietary references (Merck, Plumb's, WikiVet) cannot be reused in teaching material
• No exam board publishes topic frequencies for its past papers, so advice on what is 'most asked' rests on judgement

Practise it, and prove it