Academic Catalog

V T 75A: ANIMAL CARE SKILLS I

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2025
Units: 2
Hours: 2 lecture per week (24 total per quarter)
Prerequisite: V T 51.
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in APAV 75A.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: CSU
Grade Type: Letter Grade Only
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Conscientiously and safely perform assigned routine husbandry duties for veterinary technology teaching animals.
  • Work with senior student to make accurate entries into the animals' medical records and demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively and communicate effectively with other members of the animal care team and faculty.
  • Discuss the human-animal bond and describe how it influences human behavior in various settings
  • Compare stress free handling of domestic species to dominance theory
  • Perform objective measurements in the physical examination of dogs and cats

Description

Practical application of animal care skills and principles of animal care and management. Opportunity to participate in the health care team involved in the care, management, and husbandry of program animals. Students will work in teams to provide appropriate nursing care for all program animals. Emphasis on the basic principles and application of clinical facility management, care of resident teaching animals, and routine maintenance duties. Includes dog and cat behavior, low stress handling, medical records, professionalism, and euthanasia. Intended for students in the Veterinary Technology Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate standard operating procedures for animal care, approved by the Foothill College Veterinary Technology Program IACUC.
  2. Demonstrate standard operating procedures for veterinary technology laboratory and facilities care.
  3. Demonstrate professionalism in providing for the needs of program animals.
  4. Describe basic principles of dog and cat behavior.
  5. Discuss low stress handling techniques for dogs and cats.
  6. Demonstrate the principles of Problem Oriented Veterinary Medical Record keeping to writing records and reading case studies at Foothill College.
  7. Discuss the role of the technician in humane euthanasia.

Course Content

  1. Animal care: standard operating procedures
    1. Orientation to lab, animal care facility
    2. Routine animal care and husbandry requirements
      1. Foothill College IACUC
        1. Rules and responsibilities
        2. Animal Welfare Act
      2. Dogs
      3. Cats
      4. Ruminants
  2. Facility maintenance and care
    1. Routine cleaning and sanitation
    2. Maintenance of supplies
    3. Record keeping
    4. USDA regulations
    5. Care and safe use of cleaning equipment
  3. Daily veterinary care of the teaching animal colony
    1. Animal care according to standard practices
    2. Medical record keeping
    3. Medical communication with peers and supervisors
      1. Doctor's orders
      2. Giving "report" to supervisors
    4. Teamwork
      1. Scheduling
    5. Professionalism
      1. Definition
      2. Review of the PLEASE CARE model for patient care
      3. Working with other veterinary technology students
  4. Basic principles of dog and cat behavior
    1. Role of veterinary technician in animal behavior
    2. Canine behavior and development
      1. Canine sensory perception
      2. Canine communication
    3. Canine social structure
    4. Canine behavior at different stages of development
      1. Sensitive periods of development
    5. Problem prevention
    6. Common behavior problems in the dog
    7. Feline behavior and development
      1. Feline sensory perception
      2. Feline communication
    8. Feline social structure
    9. Feline behavior at different stages of development
      1. Sensitive periods of development
    10. Problem prevention
    11. Common feline behavior problems
  5. Low stress handling techniques for dogs and cats
    1. Human animal bond
    2. Learning and behavior modification
    3. Handling techniques in the veterinary clinic
  6. Medical record keeping
    1. History taking in small animal medicine
    2. Priority pyramid
    3. Subjective findings
    4. Objective findings
    5. Technician assessment
    6. Veterinary diagnosis
    7. Plan
      1. Diagnostic
      2. Therapeutic
      3. Client education
  7. Euthanasia
    1. Stages of grief
    2. Modes of euthanasia
    3. Role of veterinary technician

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Live companion animal species and livestock.
2. Housing facilities.
3. Laboratory equipped with examination tables and diagnostic and therapeutic equipment and supplies as needed.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Evaluation of care of program animals
Written assignments and essays
Assessments
Collaborative projects
Case studies

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Discussions
Field work
Demonstrations
Collaborative work

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Bassert, Joanna M., and Dennis M. McCurnin. Clinical Textbook For Veterinary Technicians, 10th ed.. 2023.

Rockett, Lattanzio, and Christensen. The Veterinary Technician's Guide to Writing SOAPS. 2013.

Although the Rockett, et al. text is older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, it remains a seminal text in this area of study.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Weekly reading assignments
  2. Medical record keeping for program teaching animals
  3. Animal care

Discipline(s)

Registered Veterinary Technician