Vet Nurse Day – October 9, 2026

History of Vet Nurse Day

This history of veterinary medicine goes all the way back to Mesopotamia in 3000 B.C., where an individual named Urlugaledinna was hailed as an “expert in treating animals.” Since then, history has been rife with mentions of veterinary practices across the world. One of the first written mentions came in 1900 B.C., enshrined within sacred Hindu texts. The formal start of veterinary medicine, however, came much later in Lyon, France, in 1761, when Claude Bourgelat founded the first veterinary school. Formal British veterinary practices can be owed to the Odiham Agricultural Society, from which the London Veterinary College was born in 1791.

The American Veterinary Medical Association was established in 1863 to advance veterinary medicine and its propounders. The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) further established the Veterinary Medical Branch in 1965 to supervise veterinary pharmaceuticals — this later developed into the Center for Veterinary Medicine (C.V.M.).

Veterinary medicine has undergone many changes over the centuries. Initially, its focus was the treatment of livestock, but it has since expanded to include domesticated animals as well as wild animals. Today, vets and para veterinary workers such as vet nurses and technicians diagnose, treat, and help a variety of animals keep safe and healthy. They are, most often, obliged to look after animal welfare. They also help maintain the food chain and prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases — diseases that transfer from animals to humans.