Discuss medical terminology used by those working in the veterinary phase of the small animal care industry Objective 3.02

Medical Terminology Components of medical terminology Prefix- word part at the beginning of the word indicating number, location, time or status – a-, an-  without, lack of (anemia-without blood) – anti-  against, opposing (antiseptic-against infection) – pre-  before (preoperative- before operation)

Components of Medical Terminology Root words- word part that gives the fundamental meaning of the word – cardi-  heart (cardiology- study of the heart – gastr-  stomach (gastrostomy- surgical opening of the stomach) – phleb-, ven-  vein (phlebotomist- person who obtains blood from veins)

Components of Medical Terminology Suffixes- word part at the end of the word indicating procedure, condition, disease, or disorder – -algia  pain (arthralgia- painful joints) – centesis  surgical puncture to remove fluid (cystocentesis- removing fluid from the bladder) – -itis  inflammation (bronchitis- inflammation of the bronchial tubes – -rrhea  flow or discharge (diarrhea- watery flow or discharge)

Positional Terminology Ventral- underside of the body Cranial- head Anterior- front of the body Dorsal- back Caudal- tail Dorsal (frontal) plane- plane that divides the body into dorsal (back) and ventral (belly) parts Transverse (horizontal or cross-sectional) plane- plane that divides the body into cranial and caudal parts

General Terminology Antisepsis- process of applying a preparation to the surface of living tissue to prevent infections and inhibit growth of microorganisms. Biopsy- removal of a tissue sample for microscopic diagnosis and examination Catheterization- insertion of a sterile plastic tube into the urethra to remove urine Contact transmission- disease transmission that includes direct contact, indirect contact and droplet contact

General Terminology Incubation- period of time between the animal contact with an infection and the appearance of disease symptoms Infectious disease- diseases capable of being spread from one animal to another Pocket pets- term used to describe small pets once only thought of as laboratory animals such as gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice and rats Preventative health care programs- designed by the veterinarian to help prevent disease and health problems in individual animals or herds of animals

General Terminology Quarantine- isolation of an animal or animals suspected to have been exposed to an infectious disease for the duration of the potential disease’s incubation period Spaying- removal of female reproductive organs Zoonoses- disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans