Veterinary Medicine education in Brazil had its pioneering school in the current Undergraduate Course at the Veterinary Institute of UFRRJ. The starting point was the creation of the Higher School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine - ESAMV, through Decree 8.319 of 10/20/1910. Initially subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture, ESAMV had its first headquarters at the Duque de Saxe Palace on General Canabarro Street, with its practical area in Deodoro, currently Rio de Janeiro, RJ. In 1914, it was transferred to Pinheiral, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where its first class graduated in 1917. It moved to Niterói, RJ, in 1918 and returned to the then capital Rio de Janeiro in 1927, in the Praia Vermelha neighborhood. Later, in 1934, the courses at ESAMV were separated into the National School of Agronomy - ENA and the National School of Veterinary Medicine - ENV. Later, in 1948, ENV was transferred to the National Agricultural Research Center - CNEPA, in the municipality of Itaguaí, RJ. With the restructuring of CNEPA in 1965, the Rural University (UR) was created, incorporating ENA and ENV.

The National School of Veterinary Medicine was successively named and integrated into the Rural University - UR, Rural University of Rio de Janeiro - URRJ, Rural University of Brazil - URB, until it became UFRRJ in 1965, under the authority of the Ministry of Education (MEC). UFRRJ, starting in 1968, had its structure reorganized, giving it characteristics of a special regime autonomous institution, with didactic, scientific, administrative, and disciplinary autonomy. The bylaws include the academic units of teaching, research, and extension, among which is the Veterinary Institute. Currently, the Veterinary Institute is structured into four departments: Veterinary Medicine and Surgery - DMCV, Epidemiology and Public Health - DESP, Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology - DMIV, and Animal Parasitology - DPA. Additionally, it has a Veterinary Hospital (Small and Large Animals), Directorate, and Administrative Secretariat. The Institute offers an undergraduate program in Veterinary Medicine, as well as Postgraduate Programs in Veterinary Medicine (PGMV - master's and doctoral) and Veterinary Sciences (PPGCV - master's and doctoral).