Improve Animals' Lives as a Veterinarian!
- Nela Friesen
- Jul 18, 2025
- 6 min read
Table of Contents
About Kyle Mitchell
Kyle was born and raised in Lethbridge. He attended post-secondary studies at the University of Lethbridge for his undergraduate studies and completed his veterinary studies at the University of Calgary. He currently works for Innovative Vet Services and primarily focuses on large animals, mostly cows and pigs. He occasionally works with small animals as well as horses on the side.
What is working as a veterinarian like?
An Average Day
An average day as a vet can vary with the seasons, especially because he works with cattle. There are seasons when cattle are put out to pasture and will be brought back in later in the year, and January to late April is calving season, which is a busy time. Each season comes with different tasks, whether it's helping with breeding or calving, but because he works out of his truck, his days will always include driving around to various locations. When he is working with pigs, he will go through one pig barn in one day, checking all the animals and making sure everything is going smoothly. Sometimes, he goes to a small animal clinic in Cardston, where he works with small animals and performs surgeries all day.
Pay
Many people think that veterinarians make a crazy amount of money. While their income is perhaps not crazy, they definitely make enough for a very comfortable lifestyle. Kyle told me that if you want to become a veterinarian, he doesn't think you should accept any salary under $100,000 per year; it should always be above that for sure.
Work Conditions
Since he works out of his truck, he spends a decent amount of time alone as he's driving to various locations, but when he arrives, it's entirely collaborative. He works with his clients (the animal owners) and patients (the animals) to keep everyone calm and deal with the issue at hand. He will occasionally have assistants with him on the job as well. At the company he works for, all the employees are open to chatting about cases and giving advice to help each other.
Hours can vary with the season. During calving season, which is a very busy time, his days can be up to 14 or 16 hours long, which include some late nights. He can get calls in the middle of the night if a rancher has an issue with a calving at that time. In the summer, it's more relaxed, with the standard 8-hour days being more common, sometimes even working only half a day. On average, it would be in the 40-hour range per week.
The job can get stressful because there is always a lot to do. Along with wanting to make sure the clients and patients are doing okay, there is also a lot of paperwork and documentation that needs to be done. There are also definitely hard times in this line of work. A way to deal with this is to not let the things that are out of your control get you down. You can't always control the outcome, fix every problem, or save every animal. However, if you try your hardest and constantly work on improving, then you should be able to sleep soundly.
Qualities Needed
In this industry, you have to be resilient. It can get tough, but you have to stay calm for the clients and the patients. For their well-being, sometimes you have to be the calm and clear voice that makes a situation more bearable for everyone.
Hardest and Easiest Parts of the Job
A hard part of being a veterinarian for Kyle is a feeling of impostor syndrome, the feeling that you haven't earned it or don't know enough. There is a lot of information to remember for the different diseases for each species and the treatments for all of them, and it can be discouraging if you don't remember something and have to look it up. It can get you down and make you feel like you're not good enough to be a veterinarian. But it's important to remember that you have the training you need and know that it's impossible to remember everything, so just try your best in all situations.
The easiest part of the job for Kyle is working with the animals. He has always loved animals, and it's fun to be able to be around them all the time, helping to improve their lives.
How is being a Veterinarian Rewarding?
It's a very rewarding job because you get to improve the lives of many animals. You're also helping the clients because for many of them, their animals are how they make a living. By helping them keep their animals happy and healthy, you can help them be successful in their fields. It is rewarding to see them succeed in their profession as well and be able to support themselves or their family.
Misconceptions
One misconception that many people have is that veterinarians make a lot of money. While they do earn a very good amount, it's often a bit less than people expect. On ALIS' website, the average salary listed is $112,000. Veterinarian services are becoming more expensive, so many people assume that veterinarians profit a lot from that, but the reality is that their services are expensive to provide. The materials and equipment they use are medical grade, with some being high enough quality to use even on humans, so it's very expensive.
A misconception often held by younger kids is that, as a veterinarian, it's all good times and you get to be with animals all the time and have fun. However, there will be hard times when you might have to put an animal down and have hard conversations with the client, which is always sad.
Post-Secondary
Kyle attended post-secondary studies for eight years. He went straight to the University of Lethbridge after graduating from high school. He did four years of undergraduate studies there in biological sciences. He finished his degree a little early and got into veterinary school at the University of Calgary, which was another four years of schooling, after which he was a licensed veterinarian. He told me that if you finish the mandatory classes as soon as possible after starting your post-secondary studies, you can apply to veterinary school as soon as two years into your undergraduate studies. This means you could potentially become a veterinarian in six years rather than eight if you get the classes done, keep your grades high, and do well in the interview process.
It is challenging to enter this industry because there are only four veterinary schools in Canada, so the spots are limited, and it's very competitive. Many well-qualified people apply, so to get in, you will need good grades and a lot of extracurricular activities. There is also the financial burden to consider. The many years of schooling and tuition will add up. Veterinary school is also a bit more expensive than other classes, such as his undergraduate classes at the University of Lethbridge, for example. The tuition for a veterinary student at the University of Calgary is around $14,000 for the first year, while a student in the Faculty of Science, for example, could expect a tuition closer to $8,000, according to the tuition calculator on their website, so veterinary school is a bit more expensive than other programs. However, if you work hard, there is no reason for you not to succeed.
What can High School Students do to prepare?
Extracurriculars are very important, so volunteering at places like the Humane Society or hospitals can be great in preparation for applying to veterinary school. Doing job shadows with veterinarians working in fields you are interested in, whether it's small animals or large animals, for example, can be a great way to see what being a veterinarian is actually like. And lastly, it's of course very important to work hard in school to get good grades. Your high school grades are important, but the grades you get during your undergraduate studies matter the most because those are looked at when applying to veterinary school. You must keep your grades high to get an interview to get into a veterinary school. Building good learning and studying habits in high school is a great way to set yourself up for success in post-secondary education.
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