Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

Alexandria · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Hi, i'm alexandria, 18. about to graduate frm a private sec. school in kota kinabalu, sabah. i've jz sat for my UEC exams about 3 weeks ago n i'm having SPM about a week later.
i'm very interested in being a vet but i've totally no idea where to study.. is UK or australia better? or Malaysia, UPM? wat are the qualifications for getting into UPM?
my sis opted i study foundation at Uni. of Queensland, Australia on June nxt year.
is the road to becoming a vet diffficult? i heard that those studying to become doctors have no free time n ppl see them as aliens.
my question is where shud i study?? can any1 give suggestions? plz n thx =)

Dr HanMRCVS · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 566 Location: Johor Bahru

Hi there alex, the UK and Australia (or New Zealand) are all excellent places to get your vet degree from. Currently, the UK is strong in their companion animal (dogs, cats horses...) whereas in Australia and New Zealand, as they are still quite agriculturally dependent, their production animal (cattle, sheep, pig) are more solid and you get loads of hands on.

If it really depends what is your interest (companion vs production). While studying in UK will cost a huge amount of money, as compared to that you study locally. To get in UPM, you may have to sit for STPM and apply for a place after the exams.

Alexandria · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

thx a lot Dr Han =)

another question is, i've read some of the other topics in the forum n some of u guys talk about small animals, big animals? like, we have to choose wat kind of animals we wanna deal with? small animals is the most popular one rite? is it bcuz it's easy to study or wat? when do we have to choose? so do i juz go to some place i can study vet 1st n worry bout that later?

btw, can u explain a bit more bout the companion and production animals? thx^^

Dr HanMRCVS · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 566 Location: Johor Bahru

Actually, we learn all domesticated animals during our undergraduate years. that means we learn everything. nowadays, exotic animals (rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, snakes etc) are quite commonly kept as pets. So there are times when we have to do our own reading outside the prescribed syllabus for additional knowledge.

In regards of the small and large animal vs companion and production animal, they are just classification of the animals we study. Small animal are like dogs and cat, while large animal would be like your cattle and horse.

Another way to look at it would be companion or production animals. Companion animals would be like dogs, cats and horses, while production animals would be like cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry (grown on production basis for meat, eggs, milk etc).

It is only when have studied every species in our university and we graduate, then do we choose a field to work in. And i can assure you, you do not want to choose veterinary medicine if you are not ready to study really hard. We are expected to be the animals' dentist, GP, surgeon, 'reproduction' specialist, eye doctor, and even animal shrink.

like i said in my previous post, where to study depends on your budget. if your parents can support your interest, places like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa would be a very nice place to study. If however, you wish to study locally, UPM is the nearest and most cost efficient, since they are a public university, and are government subsidised.

Alexandria · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

i see.. that means besides the budget problem, it doesn't really matter where i study cuz i hafta study everything right?
well, if i graduated overseas, can i work as a vet in malaysia? are other countries' vet license recognized here? if not, what would be done to get an overseas graduate to be recognized as a vet in malaysia? and how long does it take?
thx a lot!! =)

Dr Chong · Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 666 Location: KL

If you're getting degree from the above mentioned, there won't be problem in practising here, may be just to take some more time to fresh up the tropical diseases. Another in studying in Australia is that you may get more exposure on wildlife and exotic animals.

Dr HanMRCVS · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 566 Location: Johor Bahru

if you are studying in australia, new zealand or in the uk you are entitled to join the Royal College of Vet Surgeon (MRCVS) and with that membership you can practice in all commonwealth countries.

sad to say, malaysian graduates are not entitled for the membership and have to sit for an external examination (that is what i did). so its really up to you alex!

Alexandria · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

more exposure is cool... ^^
i see.. so how long does it take to sit for the exam?? do u need to study any extra syllabus for that? say, the tropical diseases stuff? wat's that?
besides budget problem, is it worth studying overseas n coming back for the exam??
what's the most gross thing to study for a vet? i mean, besides those operation stuff, anything that makes one lose appetite for a few days?
thx for the advices, docs!! =)