Learn to care for the health of any type of animal and understand the scope of services offered by animal care services, including in veterinary practices. This course is appropriate for anyone interested in working with animals including on a farm, a wildlife park or a veterinary practice. It is a sound foundation course and  has been designed to help you understand animal health care and basic veterinarian practices.

Scope of Animal Health Work

People have domesticated animals for various reasons, in particular, as pets (to keep them company), and as farm animals (to either work or to provide a product such as meat, wool or dairy produce).

Whatever the reason animals are being kept, it is now well accepted that the owners of any animal have a responsibility toward the animal they keep. That responsibility is both a matter of ethics, and increasingly is also a matter of law.

There are 12 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Animal Health Care
2. Common Health Problems in farm animals and pets
3. Animal Behaviour
4. Signs of Ill Health
5. Veterinary Facilities
6. Safety Procedures
7. Administration of Animal Health
8. Animal First Aid
9. Preventative Health Care
10. Routine Health Treatments
11. Health Problems in Domestic Pets
12. Rehabilitation Care

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• To be able to describe the scope of services offered by animal care services, including veterinary practices.
• Describe common health problems in various animals, including injuries & diseases
  • causes of ill health problems in family pets
• Explain the natural behaviour of different types of domestic animals in different situations.
  • natural behaviour of animals
  • problems in wild animals
  • behaviour in domestic animals
• Identify common signs of ill health in different animals.
  • vital signs
  • the healthy animal
  • signs & symptoms of disease
  • diagnosis & control of diseases
• Describe the purposes of different facilities used in veterinary practice.
  • the first aid kit
  • enclosures for animals
• Determine safety procedures for a veterinary practice.
  • workplace safety
  • health & safety for veterinary practices
• Describe different administration procedures in a veterinary practice.
  • animal insurance
  • legal considerations
  • managing a veterinary office

• Contact several bodies/organisations that are concerned with animal welfare, and obtain any literature or other information which you can, regarding issues such as:
  • Restrictions placed by local councils upon the keeping of pets.
  • Legal requirements on animal owners, with respect to animal welfare
• Find two different types of domestic animals which you can observe (ie. different species).
  • Observe each on two different occasions, for at least 15 minutes each time.
  • Make notes of their behaviour.
• Note any similarities between behaviour on the different occasions, and between the different types of animals.
• Describe methods used for controlling/restraining animals during an examination
• List as many things as you can that might cause a dogs temperature to go to 40oC.
• Contact a state government veterinary/agriculture department, and find out anything you can about health risks to humans from domestic & farm animal diseases in your country.