The TiHo is the only veterinary medical training institution in Germany to have retained its independent status since it was founded in 1778. As a foundation under public law of the state of Lower Saxony, the TiHo unites six clinics, 19 institutes and three departments.

The clinics, institutes and departments of the TiHo are located at two sites in Hannover. In addition, the TiHo operates two branch offices in Bakum and in Büsum and the teaching and experimental farm in Ruthe. Research at the TiHo deals with all questions of veterinary medicine and animal health. All animal species kept and used by humans as well as some wild animal species are considered. As the only veterinary medical educational institution in the northwest of Germany, the TiHo in Hanover is extremely advantageously located, especially with regard to the agricultural reference, since the distances to the livestock farms of the livestock-dense regions of Lower Saxony are short and the immediate proximity to a large number of cooperation partners, decision-makers but also practical veterinarians working in the livestock sector is given.

The Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Ethology (ITTN) of the TiHo has been addressing issues in the field of animal and environmental hygiene, animal behavior and animal welfare in farm animals since 1975. It has been headed by Prof. Nicole Kemper since 2013. Around 50 employees work on a wide range of research projects, with the ITTN offering comprehensive expertise at the interface between veterinary medicine and agricultural sciences.