1. CHAPTER 27 VETERINARY CAREERS

2. Interesting Facts Kittens are born deaf/blind
Dogs/cats are born right/left handed
Rabbits take 18 naps per day
Common housefly will live for 2 weeks
Bats always turn left when exiting a cave
Its against the law to catch a fish with your bare hands in Texas

3. Careers in Veterinary Care
The purpose of animal health care is to prevent illness and provide care for sick an injured animals
Veterinary health care offers a variety of settings to work in such as private practice, public health, research, zoos, circuses, and racetracks

4. Veterinarian Education Degrees – College or university degree
– 4-year accredited veterinary college
– Written and oral examination necessary for licensure
Degrees
– Doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM)
– Veterinarian medical degree (VMD)
(if work in research, may have an additional doctoral degree in pathology, toxicology, or animal medicine)

5. Veterinarian (continued)
16 Recognized specialties in veterinarian medicine including:
– Anesthesiology
– Dermatology
– Internal medicine
– Neurology
– Pathology
– Surgery
– Zoo medicine
Veterinarians must work well with people and with animals. Must have good hearing, vision, and manual dexterity. May work long hours and in rural areas, a great deal of travel is required. May be at risk for injury or exposure to disease.
¾ work in private practice. They diagnose, perform surgery, and provide treatments and medications to sick or injured animals. Also immunize animals.
Veterinarians may also specialize in wildlife treating animals affected by oil spills and natural disasters. Economic veterinarians may travel throughout the world to help set policies and procedures to deal with international food and agriculture. Veterinarians who specialize in toxicology and pathology protect humans from diseases transmitted by animals. They also work to control and eliminate diseases in livestock. Veterinarians may also specialize in reproduction (theriogenology)

6. Veterinary Technician (VT)
Education
– Minimum of 2 years of college-level vocational training
– Most states require certification (CVT), registration (RVT), or licensure (LVT)
Functions
– Works in research settings, private clinics, food inspection, and laboratories
– Performs research under the supervision of a veterinarian, scientist, or senior technologist
– Administers medication, prepares lab samples, and assists the veterinarian (e.g., dressing to a wound)
Technicians may be trained to perform: extended duties such as teeth cleaning, removal of sutures, and administration of intravenous fluids
Animal technologists work in a more expanded role and must complete a 4-year baccalaureate degree program.

8. Veterinary Assistant Education Functions
– On-the-job training or vocational program
Functions
– Maintains clean environment for animals
– Prepares animals for treatment
– Bathes and grooms animals
– Maintains daily records

10. Animal Caretaker Education Examples of animal caretakers
– On-the-job training or home study program
Examples of animal caretakers
– Kennel assistants (complete home study program)
– Stable assistants
– Shelter assistants
– Pet shop assistants
– Wildlife assistants
– Grooming attendants

12. Animal Breeder Education Functions – On-the-job training
– 4-year college or university degree in animal science
Functions
– Raises animals using selective breeding to maintain or improve the traits of existing breeds as well as develop new breeds
– Provides all care for animals until buyer takes them
e.g., breed cows to produce better milk

14. Marine Biologist Education Function
– 4-year college or university degree in botany or zoology (may be employed as a marine biology technician)
– Plus master’s or doctorate degree from a university
Function
– Studies plant and animal life in saltwater environments

15. Signs of Healthy Animals
Alert and Responsive
Eating and elimination pattern is consistent and regular
Full, glossy coat
Moist and cool nose
Eyes and ears are clear and clean in appearance
Indications that an animal is sick include abnormal behavior, abnormal discharge from any body opening, lumps, limping, or difficulty moving.
Loss of appetite, large weight gain or loss, and excessive water consumption are also indications of illness.
Difficult, abnormal, or uncontrolled waste elimination are other signs.
Redness, swelling, or discharge from the eyes or ears, abnormal stance, foul odor, hair loss, twitching, or scratching may also indicate a problem.

17. Assessment Techniques
Vital signs
Collection of Blood Samples – jugular, cephalic, saphenous, sublingual, anterior vena cava, and the ear – p. 419
Fecal Specimens – help id. parasites
Urine samples – bacterial or fungal cultures
May need to be restrained – pp. 418
Release and reward animal after exam
Some methods of restraint include the use of a muzzle, chute, twitch, bag, and snare

19. Miscellaneous Facts There are no poisonous snakes in Maine
Porcupines float in water
The giraffe neck has the same # of vertebrae as humans
Zebras are white with black stripes
Moths have no stomachs
Lobsters have blue blood
Mosquito’s have 47 teeth

20. Common Canine Diseases
Rabies- virus, spread by saliva, vaccination
Distemper-virus, secretions, vaccination
Parvovirus- fecal waste, vaccine, fatal
Kennel cough- infectious tracheobronchitis, antibiotics
Heartworm- worms, mosquito, strangle heart, preventative treatment
Parasites are most common and deadly

22. Feline Diseases
Feline Panleukopenia- virus, direct contact with blood, urine, feces, fleas, vaccine, death
FVR- feline viral rhino tracheitis, virus, death, *
Feline leukemia- cause unknown, death
Feline urologic syndrome- cause unknown, antibiotics, surgery

23. Other diseases Mastitis Colic Diabetes Glaucoma Arthritis
Kidney Failure

25. Trivia What is the fastest animal? Cheetah What is the smallest bird?
Hummingbird
What is the most dangerous animal in the world?
Housefly
What is the fastest swimming mammal?
Dolphin

27. Animals in health care Pet therapy Entertainment Companionship Food
Clothing
Protection
Police Dogs
Seeing eye dogs

28. More facts Ants do not sleep A camel’s spine is straight
Sharks are immune to cancer
Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, 2 rats could have over 1 million descendents
In 1984, a baboon heart was transplanted into a newborn baby

29. Review Vocabulary Careers Signs of healthy/unhealthy animals
Euthanasia