What animals can a veterinarian treat?

In the United States, a licensed veterinarian can treat any animal, from a spider to an elephant. However, most veterinarians specialize in one to a few species. Small animal practitioners usually see primarily cats and dogs, although some will also treat pocket pets (hamsters, gerbils, rats, etc.), birds or exotic reptiles (turtles, snakes, iguanas, etc.). Large animal practitioners usually see farm or production animals such as cattle (beef or dairy), pigs, goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas; sometimes these veterinarians will also treat chickens, turkeys and other domestic poultry although in commercial operations a board certified avian veterinarian will be on staff. Horses are generally treated by equine practitioners, zoos have veterinarians with extensive cross-training in multiple exotic species as well as emergency medicine and both large and small animal medicine backgrounds. Marine animals are treated by veterinarians who have specialized in aquatic animals. Lab animals are treated by board certified lab animal medicine veterinarians.