Zoo and Wildlife Med Resources

Keeping Up with the Latest Advances in Medicine

People often ask how we know what to do for our wild animal patients, given the many differences among animals and the variety of potential medical problems. We rarely treat the same thing twice in the course of a year. The answer is continuing education. Like all medical professionals, vets regularly attend scientific conferences, medical rounds, and training workshops. We also read.

The health of all living things is connected. Shrinking habitat, pollution, global warming, and the rise in infectious diseases threaten the health of wild and domestic animals as well as humans. Zoological medicine vets play an increasingly critical role in the ongoing effort to maintain or restore healthy ecosystems. By keeping up with the latest advances in medicine, we do our best for our patients—and the planet.

Through reading scientific journals, books, and online publications, we pick up new ideas and bits of information that may be useful in the future. Because more is known about medical care for dogs, cats, horses, cows, poultry (and of course humans) than about caring for wild animals, zoological medicine vets read widely. We focus on advances in our own field, including case reports and new research findings. But we also look for interesting cases in general veterinary and human medicine that describe the first-time application of new medical technology for diagnosis or treatment.