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Veterinarians are formally trained and educated professionals who provide medical care for animals. They know how to diagnose, treat and prevent common illnesses and injuries in animals. Some veterinarians, however, specialize in certain types of animals. There are avian veterinarians, for instance, who specialize in providing medical carefor birds. If you’re passionate about birds and want to make a positive difference in their lives, you might be wondering if this is the right career for you.

What Is an Avian Veterinarian?

An avian veterinarian is a professional veterinarian who specializes in the treatment of birds. They are considered veterinary specialists because they undergo additional education — in a specific field — after earning their Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). Avian veterinarians focus on providing medical care for birds. They know how to identify and treat ailments in other animals as well, but their specialty lies in birds.

The Rise of Avian Veterinarians

There’s strong demand for avian veterinarians. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), over 3.5 million households in the United States own a pet bird. Most of these households don’t own just one pet bird, either. The AVMA states that the average bird-owning household has two bird pets. Owners, of course, often view their pet birds as family members. When their pet bird becomes sick or injured, they’ll seek the services of an avian veterinarian to help their feather-covered companion recover.

In addition to pet birds, avian veterinarians provide medical care for birds owned by farmers. Many farmers raise chickens to harvest their eggs. If just one chicken falls ill to an infectious disease, they may spread to the disease to the entire flock. Most farmers don’t know how to identify and treat infectious diseases in birds. Therefore, they’ll reach out to an avian veterinarian when they discover that one of their chickens is sick.

What Do Avian Veterinarians Do?

Avian veterinarians provide medical care for all types of birds. Birds, of course, have a different anatomy than that of other common pets like dogs and cats. While most veterinarians are familiar with the bodies of dogs and cats, they typically aren’t familiar with the anatomy of birds. Avian veterinarians, however, are formally trained and educated to care for birds. They know which diseases and ailments are common in birds, and they know how to identify and treat them.

Some of the most diseases and ailments from which birds suffer include the following:

• Trichomoniasis
• Avian influenza
• Avian pox
• Giardia
• Psittacosis
• Hepatic lipidosis
• Mice
• Lice
• Lyme disease
• Feather cysts
• Proventricular dilation syndrome

Many traditional veterinarian clinics have avian veterinarians on their payroll. When a client visits a veterinary clinic with a sick bird, an avian veterinarian will typically provide the necessary service. As previously mentioned, some avian veterinarians provide medical care for farm-raised birds as well. These avian veterinarians may or may not work at a traditional veterinarian clinic. Some of them work remotely by visiting farmers and poultry companies to provide medical care for their sick or injured birds.

Benefits of Working as an Avian Veterinarian

Working as an avian veterinarian allows you to care for sick and injured birds. Like all animals, birds can’t treat their own injuries and illnesses. They rely on their human counterparts for medical care. As an avian veterinarian, you’ll provide medical care for sick and injured birds so that they can make a full recovery.

Avian veterinarians are also paid well. All veterinarians, in fact, have a higher-than-median income. When you specialize in a particular field, though, you’ll typically earn more money. Avian veterinarians are no exception. They usually earn more money than traditional veterinarians who don’t specialize in a particular field.

How to Become an Avian Veterinarian

Although it’s a rewarding career, becoming an avian veterinarian isn’t easy. It’s a specialized field of veterinary medicine that, like all specialties, requires additional education. You must first earn your DVM from an accredited school. Depending on which school you choose, this may require a bachelor’s degree, followed by the DVM program itself. Both the bachelor’s degree and DVM program are four years long each, so you can expect about eight years of schooling to earn your DVM.

Once you’ve earned your DVM, you must then take a specialized course that focuses on avian veterinary medicine. Many of the same schools that offer DVM programs also offer avian veterinary programs. You’ll need to complete one of these avian veterinary programs, followed by doing an internship. After completing all the necessary requirements, you can obtain your license to practice as an avian veterinarian in your state.

In Conclusion

Avian veterinarians are veterinarians who provide medical care for sick and injured birds. Some of them work in veterinary clinics, whereas others work remotely. It’s a rewarding and enjoyable career, but it requires extensive education beyond that of a DVM.