And this ladies and gents is why we never put needles in our mouths.i've done this!! once when I was a rookie - I was pulling up sq fluids in an insulin syringe and held the cap of the needle in my mouth. went to recap the needle with the cap still in my mouth. poked right on through the cap and straight into my lip.
and once when i should've known better. after vaccinating a stray cat. was talking emphatically with my hands. hadn't recapped the needle. stabbed myself in my bad knee 🙃 ah life.
eh lol i'm deeply skeptical of my own chances, but i just loved that wildlife hospital when i visited and had to try and apply there again. i have a lowish cGPA and Tufts seems to skew a little higher, but sometimes you've just gotta try
Tufts c/o 2025
- Thread starter Lucolly
- Start date
You can also start practicing as an exotics vet immediately after school. I have some classmates who are applying for exotics-heavy GP jobs. You do definitely need multiple years of post-doc training for zoo med, but zoo med ≠ companion exotics. And those ≠ wildlife.
Small animal GP does not require internship & residency, although many people do internships and some pursue board certification in canine or feline practice, which is equivalent to a residency. Equine GP jobs pretty much require an internship year. All small animal specialties (surgery, oncology, cardio, etc etc) require at least a rotating internship year, usually a specialty internship year, and then 3-4 years of residency.
Also, some zoo vets actually pursue a large animal track since many of the ungulates, etc, have more overlap with cattle & horses than cats & dogs.
And aquatics is its own separate thing entirely
Getting board certified as an exotic vet requires internship and residency. Sure you can see a guinea pig but you won't be an exotic vet.. you'll be a regular vet. There's a difference.You can also start practicing as an exotics vet immediately after school. I have some classmates who are applying for exotics-heavy GP jobs. You do definitely need multiple years of post-doc training for zoo med, but zoo med ≠ companion exotics. And those ≠ wildlife.
Small animal GP does not require internship & residency, although many people do internships and some pursue board certification in canine or feline practice, which is equivalent to a residency. Equine GP jobs pretty much require an internship year. All small animal specialties (surgery, oncology, cardio, etc etc) require at least a rotating internship year, usually a specialty internship year, and then 3-4 years of residency.
Also, some zoo vets actually pursue a large animal track since many of the ungulates, etc, have more overlap with cattle & horses than cats & dogs.
And aquatics is its own separate thing entirely
Yes you get a veterinary license , but a veterinary license doesn't make you specialized in anything, it just makes you a general veterinarian. Like your regular doctor. But I wouldnt go to my regular doctor for specific things like heart issues , so I wouldnt recommend someone with an exotic pet to go to a regular vet.
You can practice what you want but you won't be an exotic vet without finishing a residency and certification .
In most cases it takes an additional 8 years to become an exotic vet post dvm. Which is why most people don't do it.
I highly doubt that your classmates trying to do anything with exotics have worked or encountered the vast amount of exotic pets people have , enough to call yourself an exotic vet without the additional required internships (and most are btw done at zoos). That's why the post graduate work is needed. I only take my hedgehog to one vet. The only exclusivelt practicing exotic vet in massachusetts. I would never take him to a regular dog / cat vet. I did that with my birds many years ago before , they didn't know a thing about birds. Worst idea ever.
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Anyways this isnt exactly what this forum is for... I highly doubt anyone else cares about this discussion lol
I'm sorry, but this is false. You can see exotics patients with only a DVM. In theory, you are qualified to treat exotics once you are licensed as a vet. Period.
Vet med is not human med.
You also do not need an internship and a residency to obtain board certification in exotics med. The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners is the governing body for board certification in exotics companion animal medicine, and you can qualify to sit for the board exam after 6 years of clinical practice. There are also residency programs available but they are not a prerequisite for boards.
Recognized Veterinary Specialties | American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
Recognized Veterinary Specialties Veterinarians who certify in a Recognized Veterinary Specialty become a Diplomate of that RVS. All veterinarians interested in attaining Diplomate status with the ABVP are encouraged to first download and thoroughly read the Applicant Handbook. The Handbook...
abvp.com
Now, as someone who is not super into exotics, would I recommend someone go see a board certified specialist if they could? Sure, of course, in a heartbeat!
But there aren't very many of them out there, and so if a snake or a bunny comes to my door & referral is not an option, I'm going to do my very best to help them, and I theoretically have the knowledge and core skills to do a good job.
Did you look at the link I posted?
Ok well, I recommend you contact Tufts to ask about this, because it sounds like you're not convinced the curriculum will be able to deliver the education you're looking for. It may also be beneficial to ask to speak to some recent graduates in the field you're interested in.
The same advice goes for any of the other career paths -- make sure the schools you're applying to can meet your expectations, and try to get in touch with many people in the sub-fields you're interested in pursuing after school to ask them about their experiences.
Yup, my school started tracking in spring of third year.
Not true. When I graduate in May I will absolutely be allowed to go out and practice medicine on exotics. And no, you're not wildly incompetent if you do so. Veterinarians are capable of seeing and treating a wide variety of species and in many settings are required to do so by nature of their jobs.
Also, it's fine to not be interested in small animal medicine, but you need to understand it. Not just out of basic respect for (what you hope will be) your future colleagues who go on to practice SA medicine but also because learning about those animals is going to be about 90% of your vet school experience. There's no way around it.
Also, some schools do have exotics tracks. I believe NCSU has at least one exotics track, although I think they actually have two.
I have literally talked to veterinarians and worked for exotic veterinarians and theye xplained all of this and how certification is required to be a true exotic vet. Like I said you can practice it but no you won't be an exotic vet. I am not really going to continue this argument. I have even had an interview with tufts in the past about this. They prepare you but not for everything. It is your responsibility to go and get the experience you need. I just had an interview with another school as well and just went over this. They asked if I was aware of the process to become a full exotic vet. If you read the website you sent they explain how to be a board certified exotic vet you must complete atleast 6 years of full time exotic experience. Those 6 years are your internship /residency, because many exotic hospitals will not hire you as a full time exotic vet without previous experience there fore you work as a resident. But what do I know right? Its not like this is something I've been working for forever ?I'm sorry, but this is false. You can see exotics patients with only a DVM. In theory, you are qualified to treat exotics once you are licensed as a vet. Period.
Vet med is not human med.
You also do not need an internship and a residency to obtain board certification in exotics med. The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners is the governing body for board certification in exotics companion animal medicine, and you can qualify to sit for the board exam after 6 years of clinical practice. There are also residency programs available but they are not a prerequisite for boards.
Recognized Veterinary Specialties | American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
Recognized Veterinary Specialties Veterinarians who certify in a Recognized Veterinary Specialty become a Diplomate of that RVS. All veterinarians interested in attaining Diplomate status with the ABVP are encouraged to first download and thoroughly read the Applicant Handbook. The Handbook...
Now, as someone who is not super into exotics, would I recommend someone go see a board certified specialist if they could? Sure, of course, in a heartbeat!
But there aren't very many of them out there, and so if a snake or a bunny comes to my door & referral is not an option, I'm going to do my very best to help them, and I theoretically have the knowledge and core skills to do a good job.
Here you go this explains it
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I never said I dont understand small animal medicine ? I said its not my main interest and I dont plan to practice it. Ontop of that again as I said you can practice all your ant but you won't be an exotic vet. Period. You can see any animal you want but that doesn't make you certified. You can not call yourself an exotic vet.
As for this. I do know tufts has courses that focus on exotics. I know they have professors who specialize it. But what I know more so is that I can keep working and learning from the only exclusive exotic vet in the area. Like I said. When I was in undergrad I had an interview with tufts and talked it all out. Its been a few years but I highly doubt they stopped teaching exotics. That being said those are electives and not courses that everyone focuses on. Im sure everyone gets a general idea and class on common exotics. But I highly doubt you learned about most of them. And that's expected. Hedgehogs for example are not common or sold in stores so why should you focus on that?
I'm kind of done with this whole discussion. You both sidetracked this whole forum. Its not a place for you to try to belittle someone else because you're a current student who btw apparently doesn't even go to this school? I didnt come here to have someone try to lecture me on how insensitive I am to other vets who take care of dogs and cats because I'm not interested in them? And I definetly didn't come here for someone to try to teach me about anything. I came to talk to fellow members who are in the application process. Obviously neither of you are focused on exotics so let me be please.
Out of curiosity would you consider Dr. Mertz an exotic vet? He founded the odd pet vet but he doesn’t have the board certification as far as I recall.
Or is Dr. Trout an exotic vet? Greg is allergic to guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, and chinchillas so Lisa did all of those while she worked there (about 5 years) while Greg does the reptiles, rodents, and arachnids primarily. She graduated from Iowa in 2013 and is also going for her aquatics certification but doesn’t currently have any certification for exotic animals. And she now is an associate vet in topsfield where she does cats, dogs, small mammal, reptile, and avian.
Dr. Corcoran at Bulger in Lawrence has all of his exotics titles (DVM, DABVP, CERTAQV) but he isn’t at an exotic only clinic. He’s the exotic vet at that clinic. And other vets have some exotic patients too.
Semi-related. Do you have a hedgehog? I would laugh out loud if it was you and your spikey friend that bit through my pinkie finger while I was shadowing at NEWC one day. 😂
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I sometimes go through different school applicant threads to see what's up. I'm friends with people from just about every vet school across the country and figure since some of y'all will be my future colleagues it's nice to pop in every so often.
You're not insensitive because you're not interested in SA medicine... but the kind of attitude that makes you feel entitled to tell people they don't know anything, you're not interested in learning, and then condescendingly tell them that their input is irrelevant is the kind of behavior I'm talking about.
I actually do have a significant amount of exotics experience and background but that's not that germane to this discussion. The point is that you are conflating being exotics boarded with practicing exotics medicine. Those aren't the same thing.
Anyway, as you've already said you aren't interested in learning anything here so I wish you luck with that pursuit.
Best of luck with your applications
I worked at the New England Wildlife Center for a time...racoons are so damn cute until they're about 4 months old and then the attitude kicks in lol
I once had a vet vaccinate the back of my arm...rabies and then fvrcp.....she didn't last long at the clinic lol
That's one of the things I like best about it--I've realized I like a lot of things and maybe I have a hidden talent that will make me shine in one place in particular. One of the vets who wrote my letter of rec said my "delight in thinking outside the box, on the fly" might suit me well to zoo med, where a lot is still unknown and problem solve as you go...and in his words "But for me, I would want none of that." I'm excited to try it all and see what I'm right for!
Sounds like you're all set for school! 🤣
(The first year rabies vaccination process + subsequent titers is kind of a pain)
What if you’re already vaccinated and did the first titer? Assuming you just skip that?
I actually had to get the rabies vaccine for the wild life center internship I did..I wonder if I'm still good...lol
Kinda late to the game but I’m so here for all this wildlife love!! My internship at a wildlife refuge was literally my favorite thing I’ve ever done- the raccoons are my favorite (even though they are tiny little demon children😂)
I would definitely recommend double checking with admin about the specifics, but we have to submit titers every 2 years so you might just have to have a titer done before first year! I had never gotten a rabies vaccine before coming to school so I did the rabies vaccine clinic here. Again, I'd double check with admin
Oh for sure!! Being in a room full of hungry babies has definitely cost me a good amount of my hearing from all the screeching😂my favorite is when I have to go clean the outdoor raccoon enclosures with the older babies, they like to untie my shoelaces and smear their poo hands all over me🙃
Red tailed hawks were always my poo nemesis. They have fantastic aim from across a room. 😂
Sat in an airplane terminal one time too at the end of an internship wondering, what is that smell. Looked at the bottom of my boots and discovered mountain lion poo. Had to scrape it out with a comb in the bathroom! 😬
All good things.
It would be nice to just do a blood draw instead. I’m gonna cross my fingers on that one.
I would definitely recommend double checking with admin about the specifics, but we have to submit titers every 2 years so you might just have to have a titer done before first year! I had never gotten a rabies vaccine before coming to school so I did the rabies vaccine clinic here. Again, I'd double check with admin
Hey guys, OOS 1st time applicant here. Just wanted to say that I had the interview letter from the Dean on the portal last night which disappeared and now it's back with an interview time and date
edit- aaand literally 2 seconds later I get the email
edit- aaand literally 2 seconds later I get the email
Me too! Seems like it's real because of the time and date this time 🤷♀️
Edit- got the email!
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whoa. oos interview on feb 2nd! was not expecting that, but excited 2nd time applicant at tufts.
also i did *not* have that on my page yesterday!
2nd time applicant at tufts.also i did *not* have that on my page yesterday!
congrats to everyone who got an interview!!!!! i absolutely loved my interview back in december and i know yall will have a positive experience too! as much as i love this school, i will be declining my seat so i hope that opens up a spot for one of you guys!
Congrats to everyone who got an interview!! I have not heard back yet, so I'm assuming I should make an alternate plan for this year
OOS interview invite for 2/2!! Looks like I'm going to have back-to-back interviews on that date, so that's fun lol
