ABVP Veterinary Practice study guide
ABVP Veterinary Practice · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP®) is an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization™ that certifies veterinarians in species-focused practice rather than in a single organ system or discipline. Founded in 1978, ABVP® currently certifies veterinarians in twelve separate specialties, and a veterinarian who certifies in one of these Recognized Veterinary Specialties (RVS) earns the Diplomate title (DABVP) in that specialty. The ABVP Veterinary Practice study guide has 12 sections and about 3,344 words.
01Avian Practice
Avian medicine rewards a candidate who thinks in species groups: psittacines, passerines, raptors, waterfowl, and poultry differ in anatomy, restraint, and drug tolerance. Master the unique anatomy - the avian lung is rigid with air sacs providing unidirectional airflow, so inhaled drugs and gases behave differently than in mammals; the kidney has renal portal valves, so inject caudally administered drugs with care; and birds lack a diaphragm, making coelomic palpation and respiratory assessment distinct.
325 words, about 2 min02Beef Cattle Practice
Beef practice is herd medicine. The candidate must be fluent in production metrics: calving distribution, weaning weight, average daily gain, feed conversion, and carcass merit.
287 words, about 1 min03Canine & Feline Practice
This is the broadest domain: general medicine, surgery, dentistry, dermatology, and preventive care for dogs and cats. Build a problem-oriented approach - history, physical exam, problem list, differentials, diagnostics, plan.
267 words, about 1 min04Dairy Practice
Dairy practice blends individual cow medicine with herd-level production and quality. Understand the lactation cycle, transition period physiology, and the diseases clustered around calving: hypocalcemia (milk fever), ketosis, displaced abomasum, metritis, and retained fetal membranes.
281 words, about 1 min05Equine Practice
Equine medicine demands knowledge of a unique gastrointestinal tract and a high-stakes colic presentation. Understand the anatomy that creates strangulation risk (the long mesentery of the small intestine, the narrow pelvic flexure, the cecum), and the distinction between medical and surgical colic.
278 words, about 1 min06Exotic Companion Mammal Practice
Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, mice, ferrets, and chinchillas are the core species. Each has anatomy and physiology that break mammalian assumptions.
290 words, about 1 min07Feline Practice
Feline practice emphasizes subtle presentation and species-specific disease. Cats hide illness; weight, hydration, and behavior changes are the earliest signals.
259 words, about 1 min08Fish Practice
Fish medicine is dominated by husbandry and water quality. The candidate must understand the nitrogen cycle: ammonia and nitrite are toxic, and biofiltration converts them to less toxic nitrate.
281 words, about 1 min09Food Animal Practice
Food animal practice spans cattle, sheep, goats, and swine with an emphasis on population health, food safety, and regulatory awareness. Understand the veterinarian-client-patient relationship as the legal foundation for drug use, and know the rules around extra-label drug use, withdrawal times, and residue avoidance.
273 words, about 1 min10Reptile & Amphibian Practice
Reptiles and amphibians are ectotherms, so environmental temperature determines metabolism, digestion, and immune function. Husbandry is medicine here: temperature gradient, humidity, lighting (UVB for many diurnal reptiles), and enclosure size drive health.
264 words, about 1 min11Shelter Medicine Practice
Shelter medicine is population medicine for companion animals. The core framework is the disease transmission equation: infectious pressure, host susceptibility, and exposure.
275 words, about 1 min12Swine Health Management
Swine practice is production-driven herd health. Understand the production flow - breeding, gestation, farrowing, nursery, grow-finish - because disease patterns and management differ at each stage.
264 words, about 1 min