Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman
In modern training, a newly graduated veterinarian with a four-year degree can go straight into practice, while a newly graduated doctor needs years of further training. This has to imply that there are limits to the detail that veterinarians go into, compared to doctors, and loss of animal patients is certainly more acceptable than humans dying.
|
In some ways it's also that there's just less to learn because there's been far less study done than on humans. Not because it's
easier to treat a housecat, but that Veterinary is somewhat fragmentary in comparison simply due to lack of priority.
That said, I'm always impressed that e.g. a small animal orthopedic surgeon that specializes in dogs and cats is still pretty good with badgers, which are fairly closely related, or rabbits, which aren't even in the order Carnivora. Conversely I suspect a vet with large-animal training is
fine with humans... in the areas known by Veterinary science.
Conversely, I suspect a physician or surgeon working on an appropriately sized mammal would actually do OK. They'd want to brush up on e.g. dog cranial facial nerves before doing facial surgery on a dog, but surgeons are expected to review even
human anatomy before each procedure. And the facial nerves in mammals are actually pretty darn similar once you get over the different morphology.
But things get weirder from mammals to reptiles, and from mammals to fish is even weirder, and mammals to birds isn't great either. That's a bigger problem than simple familiarity IMO.
I'm pretty sure your average vet isn't really equipped to treat squid, or giant clams, but I'm not sure
anyone is really equipped to treat giant clams.