Find a list of veterinarians, pet hospitals and animal clinics in Rensselaer County, New York. Get excellent care for your pet by finding a veterinarian with experience in Rensselaer NY. Find a vet that is up-to-date on the latest techniques and treatments for your pet. Select a good veterinarian that will treat your pet with respect, integrity, and compassion in a caring and professional setting in Rensselaer. Search Veterinarians in Rensselaer County, in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Before bringing your new puppy or kitten home, be sure to first talk to a veterinarian. Look for a veterinarian with whom you are comfortable and whom you trust. An experienced vet will be able to advise you on what you need for your pet and how to care for your new puppy or kitten.

Find a veterinary practice with skilled and experienced vets. One of your most important decisions as a pet owner is selecting a quality health care provider for your new pet.

To find a vet, ask a friend for a recommendation or check Veterinarians in Rensselaer. You can also reference the American Animal Hospital Association list of veterinarians. (AAHA). The AAHA evaluates veterinary practices on the quality of their facilities, staff, equipment and patient care. Your can search the organization’s website for a list of accredited vets in your area. Before making a final decision about the vet for your pet;

• Arrange to meet the veterinarian before you bring your dog or cat home.



• Visit the veterinarian's and check for cleanliness, organization, and consider if the vet appears to be up-to-date on the newest treatments and technology for treating your pet.



• How many vets are on staff? Be sure there is coverage if your vet is on vacation or away from the office.



• Be sure you are comfortable with the vet and his methods of treating an animal.

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Before you're meeting with the vet, learn about veterinary medicine and the role of a veterinarian in your pet's life.

What is Veterinary Medicine?
Doctors of Veterinary Medicine are medical professionals who play a significant role in the health care and welfare of animals, human public health, medical research, and public safety. They have a broad-based medical background and serve in many capacities.

Veterinarians diagnose and treat diseases and dysfunctions of animals. Vets care for the health of pets, livestock, and animals in zoos, racetracks, and laboratories. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening our knowledge of animals and medical science, and in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge.

Veterinarians give blood tests, x-rays, and other tests, looking for clues about an animal's illness. Then, vets decide what kind of treatment or medicine the animal needs.

Veterinarians prevent problems by giving vaccinations and check-ups and fixing teeth. They also teach owners how to feed and train their animals.

Veterinarians use special tools to perform surgery. They fix broken bones, take out tumors, replace knees and hips, and more. Vets also treat and cover wounds.

Most Veterinarians treat small pets such as dogs and cats. But a few focus on large animals, such as sheep, cows, and horses. Large-animal vets usually drive to ranches and stables where their patients live. They check for infections in the animals and give advice to the animals' owners. Often, they help when the animals give birth.

In addition to helping sick animals, Veterinarians can work as animal inspectors, checking to make sure that farm animals are healthy and that their living spaces are clean. Another option for vets is doing scientific research and discovering new medicines.

Where does a Veterinarian Work?
Veterinarians work in many different places. Vets who do research, work in clean, dry, laboratories. Most vets who take care of animals work in small clinics and hospitals. Some vets work in large hospitals with the most advanced equipment. Veterinarians who work with large animals often work outside in all kinds of weather and conditions.

Many Veterinarians supervise technicians and assistants in a Veterinarian Hospital; other vets may choose to own their own business.

Some Veterinarians work in zoos and aquariums. They may care for zebras, sharks, and other wild or endangered animals.

Because animals can get sick at anytime, vets often work long hours. Those in group practices may take turns working weekends or evenings and dealing with emergencies.

Requirements to Become a Veterinarian
All Veterinarians need to go to college. The first step for most vets is to get a bachelor's degree, which usually takes 4 years. They study biology, chemistry, physics, nutrition, and animal science. They also need to take math and English classes. Many people also get experience by working at animal hospitals or shelters.

The next step is to go to veterinary college for four more years. Getting into veterinary college is competitive. In veterinary college, students learn more science. They also learn how to work with animals, do surgery, and do laboratory tests with microscopes and other equipment.

Many people also decide to learn more about a specific kind of illness or animal. They work with experienced vets during a 2-year internship. They might focus on surgery, dentistry, or wild animals, for example.

After college, a Veterinarian student takes a test in order to obtain their license to practice. After finishing school, nearly all Veterinarians keep taking classes about new diseases and treatments in order to stay current and up-to-date in their field.

Veterinary Jobs and Future Opportunities
Employment of veterinarians is expected to increase as fast as the average for all occupations over the 2004–14 projection period. Despite this average growth, very good job opportunities are expected because the current 28 schools (as of 2004) of veterinary medicine, even at full capacity, result in a limited number of graduates each year. However, as mentioned earlier, there is keen competition for admission to veterinary school. As pets are increasingly viewed as a member of the family, pet owners will be more willing to spend on advanced veterinary medical care, creating further demand for veterinarians.

Pet owners are becoming more aware of the availability of advanced care and are more willing to pay for intensive veterinary care than in the past because many pet owners are more affluent and because they consider their pet part of the family. More pet owners even purchase pet insurance, increasing the likelihood that a considerable amount of money will be spent on veterinary care for their pets. Many pet owners also will take advantage of nontraditional veterinary services, such as preventive dental care.

Jobs taking care of small animals are expected to increase quickly, especially jobs taking care of cats. There will be more jobs for vets who can have advanced training and can give special kinds of care, such as dentistry.

The number of jobs for large-animal veterinarians is likely to grow more slowly than that for veterinarians in private practice who care for companion animals. Nevertheless, job prospects may be better for Veterinarians who specialize in farm animals than for companion-animal practitioners because of low earnings in the former specialty and because many veterinarians do not want to work in rural or isolated areas.

Continued support for public health and food safety, national disease control programs, and biomedical research on human health problems will contribute to the demand for veterinarians, although positions in these areas of interest are few in number. Homeland security also may provide opportunities for veterinarians involved in efforts to minimize animal diseases and prevent them from enteringthe country. Veterinarians with training in food safety, animal health and welfare, and public health and epidemiology should have the best opportunities for a career in the Federal Government.

Related Occupations
Veterinarians prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, disorders, and injuries in animals. Those who do similar work for humans include chiropractors, dentists, optometrists, physicians and surgeons, andpodiatrists. Veterinarians have extensive training in physical and life sciences, and some do scientific and medical research, similar to the work of biological scientists and medical scientists. Animal care and service workers and veterinary technologists and technicians work extensively with animals. Like veterinarians, they must have patience and feel comfortable with animals. However, the level of training required for these occupations is substantially less than that needed by veterinarians.

Sources include: U.S. Department of Labor

Rensselaer County Humane Society
The Rensselaer County Humane Society began as an animal cruelty task force created by the Rensselaer County Legislature under the auspices of the District Attorney’s office in 2007 to “provide the police with a list of individuals who could be called upon to assist with investigations.” The initial Resolution read as follows: “The Animal Protection Coalition will be comprised of individuals, including but not limited to veterinarians and members of law enforcement, who will not only be familiar with Anti-Cruelty Laws, but also possess knowledge regarding a variety of species of animals, including dogs, cats, farm and exotic animals.”