A brother of mine spent over $140,000 getting his veterinary medicine degree at the "U". He came out as a Dairy specialist, and went to work back in SW MN. He ended up leaving within a few years, moving out East and taking up work in a middle-sized town doing small animal pet medicine.

He got out of farm medicine for a number of reasons. First of all, he got hurt, a lot. When you've got your arm all the way up a 1000 lb. cow and the cow moves, your shoulder is dislocated.

But the main reason he got out was that he was bankrupt. The large corporate farms just refused to pay what they owed him, and they had enough pull in the local area that he could not collect what was due. Plus, since he was from the area, the locals all knew him. When he would tell them how to prevent problems, they'd sneer at him and accuse him of thinking he was better than they were because now he's a "college boy," and they wouldn't pay their bills. Then their herds would get sick again, and they'd blame him.

There's a nasty undertone to the rural culture out in SW MN. If you're not from the "right" family you have to leave and never go back in order to succeed. My brother is far better off out of there; personally, professionally, and financially.

He's been in practice for about 14 years now, and he's actually making a dent in his student loan debt now. Oh, and he worked full-time all the way through, and shared an apartment with me and other working adults the whole time; it wasn't money spent partying. The cost of all college and grad school, and especially medical or veterinary school, is outrageous and part of the reason our medical finance system is collapsing.

Graduated from the U of M Veterinary School 45 years ago. Planned on becoming a large animal veterinarian, but my mind was changed while in school. The large animal professors spent all their time boasting about their long hours and difficult hours. Why would any sane person want to live that way. Instead "went east". Spent my entire life doing small animal surgery and made a lot of money to retire on. I feel sorry for those in vet school today from a farm background. they won't be able to return home and practice the way they want, unless daddy owns the farm. Regarding the cost of a veterinary education today..... ridiculous. I graduated with zero debt. And I paid it myself by working while in school. Can't be done today. Greedy Schools just keep uping the tuition. My most expensive year in Veterinary School cost me $1,000. That was for tuition room and food for one full academic year.

"charles3": Yes, your story of what you learned about the farm vet life reminds me of what my brother heard from his profs at the "U", and also what he experienced personally.

Tiny anecdote. My brother bought a mobile vet truck. I'm no vet so I don't know what all he had, but it was a full-size (1-ton) Dodge pickup with a full-sized box, and a custom tool setup in the box with a fridge, a freezer, an autoclave, all manner of instruments, medicines, tools, a generator, lights; everything he'd need in order to do surgery in the middle of a field if he had to.

He put 175,000 miles on that thing in a little over 2 years.

This story just proves all that is being said right now and that is that the universities just don't care about cost to students As long as the folks at the universities just get more pay and have move adminstration costs, it will not change and deep down inside, we all know that is the problem and just have not done anything about that cost to your childern, very sad. Shame on those companies that do not pay their bills and soon they will not vet help and our food chain safety will suffer do to the greed of these companies. They really don't care about us, just profits and there are plenty of those out there. If our food is at an all time high in cosr we should have the safest food out there, but we do not!

Another reason for the loss of large animal veterinarians...... in the late 60's, every veterinary class had a couple of women in them. For the past 25 years that number is more like 70% of every class, in every veterinary school in the country. Not that the woman graduates don't work hard, but small animal practice is much more likely than a country practice. The veterinarian that began large animal practice in the 50's/60's/ and 70's are now at an age to retire. They have gone through life assuming that the sale of their practice will provide retirement income. How can a new graduate with $150,000 in debt buy a practice?? The end result is that more and more regions will be going without veterinary care that is even within 50 miles. Just a fact. Maybe community co-ops should consider providing some level of base support for a veterinarian in their community.

First get your stratification right. Not rural or non-rural. It is "large animal" practice. Horses are a special case, and so is "exotics" as in Zoo animal care. But the large animal practice requires house calls. Mobile vet, expensive equipped trucks, and personal physical strength. Small animal practice is mostly pets and they come to the clinic/hospital. If farms could take their animals, food or not, into a central care center, rather than have the vet travel-- it would improve the situation. But on the other hand may not be practical..

Take a look at costs of vet care vs. animal profit. Many times, it's easier to let a sick animal expire rather than carry that animal in your operation. Simple economics is also pricing this career path out of existence.

I am a "farm" girl who went to veterinary college at the U of M. If I had to do it over again, I would not have gone to veterinary college due to the enormous debt burden vs. the payout in salary. Average salary of a veterinarian in rural Minnesota is about 60,000-70,000. When you have a debt load of $100,000 or more its unsustainable. I was one of those who did not party in school, worked while in school and lived frugally. I went to work as a large animal veterinarian and have the back injury to prove it. Small animal medicine is much kinder on the body and the pocketbook.

My equine vet carries debt for clients who have horses but cannot afford to take care of them. Despite their inability to take care of the horses they have, they will accept another one that someone needs to unload. Medications, gas, and time all have a value but too many large animal vets don't get paid because people cannot afford to pay them. If you can't pay to take care of something, you shouldn't have it.