Academic Catalog

V T 75B: ANIMAL CARE SKILLS II

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 75A.
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in APAV 75B (completed prior to the 2020-21 catalog year).
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: CSU
Grade Type: Letter Grade Only
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Perform thorough physical examinations on all program animals.
  • Use correct medical terminology and applied anatomy and physiology terms in working with program animals.
  • Demonstrate entry level competency in performing common diagnostic skills (ophthalmic and dermatologic) in a small animal hospital.

Description

Second in a series of animal care skills topics. Practical application of animal care skills and principles of animal care and management using techniques and knowledge learned in the veterinary technology courses. Application of knowledge in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology to animal care duties. Includes nutrition and preventive health care plans for program animals; pain assessments in domestic animals. 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. Perform physical assessment of teaching animals during animal care shifts
  2. Implement the Problem Oriented Veterinary Medical Record keeping system
  3. Discuss the role of pain in companion animal health and disease
  4. Explain a preventive health plan for the dog and the cat, through all life stages
  5. Demonstrate skill in creating nutritional plans for dogs and cats at different stages of their lives

Course Content

  1. Physical assessment
    1. Normal values for TPR
      1. Dogs
      2. Cats
    2. Nursing assessments
      1. DVM versus RVT assessment
      2. Examples
      3. Priority pyramid
  2. Medical record keeping
    1. Reading medical records
    2. Entering data into medical records
    3. SOAP system
    4. Rounds and "rounding"
  3. Pain
    1. Role of veterinary technician in advocating for patient pain control
    2. Pain pathways
      1. Deleterious effects of pain
      2. Physiology of pain
      3. Types of pain
      4. Windup
    3. Multimodal approach to pain control
    4. Pain score
    5. Technician interventions in pain control
  4. Preventive health care
    1. Principles of vaccination
      1. Physiology of vaccination
      2. Core and non-core vaccines
      3. Vaccines for dogs
      4. Vaccines for cats
      5. Talking to clients about vaccination
    2. Deworming
      1. Common nematodes
      2. Tapeworms
    3. External parasite control
    4. Heartworm prevention
    5. Medical communication
      1. Doctor's orders
      2. Explaining preventive care to clients
  5. Nutritional plans for dogs and cats
    1. Principles of nutrition
      1. Six nutrients
      2. Calculating feeding requirements for life stages
    2. Food labels
    3. Nutrition in health and disease
    4. Talking to clients about nutrition
    5. Role of veterinary technician in advocating for patient

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Live companion and laboratory animal species and livestock.
2. Housing and restraint 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:

Instructor observation, peer evaluations for care of program animals
Assessments
Nutrition project or assignment
Pain project or assignment

Method(s) of Instruction

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

Lectures
Workshops
Discussions
Demonstrations
Field 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. Completing physical assessments on program animals, and interpreting findings
  4. Nutrition project
  5. Pain project
  6. Animal care is a key part of this course, and students are expected to work independently and cooperatively with other students
  7. Perform rounds with senior students

Discipline(s)

Registered Veterinary Technician