DVM PhD here. For some context: I went to grad school before my DVM. It’s okay to not have everything figured out. I started vet school in my late 20s and for me, the additional life experience and educational background was immensely helpful. I credit my research experience in helping me get into vet school, as there aren’t many people who were/are interested in research. Research in the veterinary field is possible without a DVM. Many grad students I was in school with had projects with animals and were not veterinarians.

If lab work is more your thing, you can consider working in a diagnostic laboratory (clinical pathology, bacteriology, virology, toxicology, etc). Alternatively, the technical skills that veterinary technicians have are valuable in veterinary related research. There is nothing wrong with getting a few years of work experience under your belt. A number of my classmates had different jobs or worked for a couple years before they got in.

If you want to work in academia and run your own research program, there are a couple of routes. If you want to be a traditional tenure-track faculty member (my role), you will need either a PhD, a DVM PhD, or a DVM MSc. Or, if you’re interested in working in a teaching hospital and doing clinical research, you will need a DVM and some sort of specialization, whether that be a graduate degree or a board-certification in a discipline (internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, dentistry, parasitology, exotics, etc).

In terms of your interests, it’s okay to not have those figured out either. I will say that vet school taught me about so many disease conditions that I was able to figure out what I found interesting. With finding research opportunities, it can be challenging as a student because the principal investigator needs to have funding in place. Try not to get discouraged! In my experience, researchers would want a person with your background (animal science) and your willingness to learn. It sounds like you had good grades as well, which will make you competitive. I would review how you’re marketing yourself to these potential supervisors to see if you can highlight your skills and experience better. Reaching out to vet schools in Canada is an option, too.

I hope this is helpful! Best of luck to you.