Skill should either not exist an bandaging pets should scale off anatomy or it should be a secondary.
Agreed. Either do it that way or buff it massively. Veterinary is trash out-of-combat heals (Because taking the time to do it in-combat would be insane) for animals. That is not deserving of a primary.
Most my builds do in-combat heals right on the back of my horse's head for extra healing, and they're not trash. Takes more points and decent int. But why make people invest primaries into something they are objectively terrible at?
And to add further clarification to my perspective. My builds aren't going to lose magic if veterinary is made free. I'm actually in favor of buffing fighters on this particular point. Vet is so bad you're better off saving the points and letting allied mages/hybrids do it for you. It's a quality of life skill for solo play. Quality of life skills for solo play shouldn't be primaries.
If it stays a primary, it somehow needs to be made as good for healing pets as bandaging is for players. A player can bandage on the run, no mana, in heavy armor. Makes sense as a 100 point investment. It's a lot slower healing process than magic heals but it's good. Totally different than having to stop and aim at a pet for similarly crap heals.