Veterinary medicine is a science that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both domesticated and wild, with a wide range of conditions that can affect different species.
Veterinary medicine is widely practiced, both with and without professional supervision. Professional care is most often led by a veterinary officer(also known as a veterinarian, veterinary surgeon, or "vet"), but also by para veterinary functionaries such as veterinary nurses, veterinary technicians, and veterinary assistants. This can be augmented by other paraprofessionals with specific specialties, such as animal physiotherapy or dentistry, and species-relevant roles such as farriers.
Veterinary science helps monitoring and control of zoonotic disease (infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans), food safety, and through human applications via medical research. They also help to maintain food supply through livestock health monitoring and treatment, and by keeping pets healthy and long-living. Veterinary scientists often collaborate with epidemiologists and other health or natural scientists, depending on type of work. Ethically, veterinarians are usually obliged to look after animal welfare only. Veterinarians only diagnose, treat, and help keep animals safe and healthy and they are not allowed to treat human beings under any circumstances as they are not taught human physiology. They can use Dr title before their name.