How important is veterinary science?

Veterinary science is extremely important. Many important medical advances have been made by veterinarians and physicians working in tandem to tease out the causes of human diseases in animal models then applying the information back to human disease. Also, veterinarians are involved in protecting human health by monitoring the animal population for zoonotic diseases - diseases that can be passed from animals to humans - such as rabies, West Nile virus, E. coli O157:H7, etc.