Sneak Peek

Animal Health and Welfare Short Course

Caring for animals properly starts with knowledge and awareness of the animal’s needs, and things that can threaten the animal’s well-being. This course can provide a very solid introduction to understanding animal health and welfare for any situation.

COURSE LESSONS

This course covers the following lessons:

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION

• Considering Animal Ethics
• Animal Rights
• Animal Welfare
• Health And Welfare
• Providing Animal Health Care
• Routine Health Treatments 
  

LESSON 2 PREVENTING DISEASE AND INJURY

• Health Checks And Observations
• The Importance Of Good Nutrition
• Watering
• Exercise And Stimulation
• Appropriate And Safe Environment
• Controlling Pests And Diseases
• Veterinary Prevention

LESSON 3 UNDERSTANDING & INSPECTING HEALTH ISSUES

• Pathogens
• Inspecting The Health Of Animals
• Signs Of Ill Health
• Differential Diagnosis

LESSON 4: ANIMAL FIRST AID

• Types Of Wounds
• Treating Wounds
• Fly Control
• Bone & Joint Problems
• Poisoning
• First Aid For Wildlife 

LESSON 5: SOME COMMON ILLNESSES IN ANIMALS A-F

• African Swine Fever
• Allergies
• Anaplasmosis
• Anthrax
• Aspergillosis
• Arthritis
• Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
• Bacterial Infections
• Bile Duct Obstruction
• Bladder Stones
• Blastomycosis
• Bloat
• Blue Tongue
• Botulism
• Bordetella (Respiratory Infection)
• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Bse)
• Brucellosis
• BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhoea)
• Camel Pox
• Cancer
• Cancer Eye
• Candida
• Canine Distemper
• Cataracts
• Chlamydiosis
• Cholera
• Chronic Murine Pneumonia (Murine Mycoplasmosis)
• Coccidiosis
• Colitis
• Congestive Heart Failure
• Conjunctivitis
• Cryptococcosis
• Cryptosporidiosis
• Cystitis
• Dermatitis
• Diabetes Insipidus
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Dermatophilosis
• Dropsy (Fish)
• E-Coli 0157
• Ear Mites
• Eczema
• Egg Binding
• Encephalitis
• Enteritis
• Epilepsy
• Equine Encephalomyelitis
• Equine Herpesvirus (Ehv)
• Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (Eia)
• Equine Influenza
• Erysipelas (Swine)
• External Parasites
• Feline Asthma
• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
• Feline Infectious Peritonitis
• Feline Leukaemia Virus (Felv)
• Fibrosis
• Fish Fungus
• Flea Anemia
• Foot And Mouth Disease
• Foot Rot

LESSON 6: SOME COMMON ILLNESSES IN ANIMALS G-N

• Gastroenteritis
• Giardia
• Glaucoma
• Grass Tetany
• Heartworm
• Heat Stress
• Hip Dysplasia
• Hookworm
• Hendra Virus (Equine Morbillivirus Pneumonia)
• Hydatid Disease
• Hymenolepiasis
• Hypertension
• Hypothyroidism
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Ibd)
• Internal Parasites
• Intestinal Impaction (Snakes)
• Kennel Cough
• Laryngitis
• Legionellosis (Pneumonia Or Mild Respiratory Illness)
• Leptospirosis
• Leukaemia
• Liver fluke (Fasciola Hepatica)
• Listeriosis
• Lumpy Jaw
• Lyme Disease
• Lymphocystis
• Lymphoma
• Malaria
• Mange
• Mastitis
• Melioidosis
• Metabolic Bone Disease (Reptiles)
• Mouth Canker (Stomatitis)
• Mrsa Infection
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Mycotic Infection (Reptiles)
• Myiasis
• Necrotic Dermatitis (Scale Rot)
• Newcastle Disease
• Nipah Virus
• Nitrate Poisoning
• Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism 

LESSON 7: SOME COMMON ILLNESSES IN ANIMALS O-Z

• Obesity
• Overgrown Teeth
• Ovine Johne’s Disease (Ojd)
• Pancreatic Disorders
• Parvovirus
• Pediculosis (Lice)
• Peritonitis
• Pneumonia
• Poisoning
• Polyomavirus
• Pox Virus
• Proventricular Dilation Disease (Pdd)
• Psittacosis
• Q Fever
• Rabbit Calicivirus Disease
• Rabies
• Rhinitis
• Rift Valley Fever (Rvf)
• Ringworm
• Scabies (Sarcoptic Mange)
• Salmonellosis
• Scours
• Sendai Virus
• Screw-Worm Fly
• Streptococcal Infection
• Surra
• Swine Influenza (Hog Cholera)
• Taeniasis
• Tail And Fin Rot
• Tetanus
• Ticks
• Toxic Plants
• Toxoplasmosis
• Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (Tse)
• Tuberculosis
• Varroa Mite
• Vesicular Stomatitis
• Visceral Larval Migrans
• West Nile Virus (Wnv)
• White Spot (Ichthyophthirius Multifiliis)
• Woody Tongue

FINAL ASSESSMENT

HOW ANIMAL HEALTH CARE IS PROVIDED

There are a number of services which are dedicated to providing animal health care, and within these services there are a variety of roles which all contribute to saving and treating animals. Within these rescue organisations there are a number of roles including; Rescue Officers, Ambulance Drivers, Inspectors, Veterinary Surgeons, Veterinary Nurses, Rehabilitation Staff, Behaviourists, General Assistants, Office Staff and of course the team who deal with any emergency phone calls. This is only one type of organisation, so we will now discuss more services which provide animal health care.

Veterinary services, or animal hospitals, provide a number of opportunities within animal health care starting with the most obvious, veterinary surgeon.

It takes a number of years to train as a veterinary surgeon and working in a general practice they will be the ones to check over the animals, diagnose and advise treatment. Specialised vets will be able to take general appointments but may have set up practice to work within a specialised area, such as orthopaedics or may be species specialised, for example reptiles or zoo animals. Veterinary nurses will generally assist the veterinary surgeon in any procedures such as surgery, preparing the animal and tools. A nurse will take blood, faecal or urine samples if required, complete x-rays and keep administration records up to date. They will also look after the animal during its time in the practice, completing duties such as cleaning, feeding and administration of medicines. Animal assistants may also be present in some practices. Assistants are not quite as qualified as a nurse and will complete husbandry duties, answer phone calls and administration duties.

Veterinary Pathology Laboratory is another service which contributes to the world of animal health care. Veterinary pathologists are highly trained doctors within veterinary medicine who diagnose conditions or disease through analysis of bodily tissues and fluids, such as blood or urine. Working alongside the pathologist there will the presence of a number of assistants and also office staff.

Veterinary Pharmaceutical services are available to provide the animal health care industry with medicines, offering new medicines on the market and equipment. Generally, they should require some type of qualification within animal health or medicine, but they will also have a team for sales and advice.

Government control services must be in place and these regulations do vary from country to country. In terms of health, these departments place control over movement of animals globally, allowing quarantine animal services to take the animal until the required time is up. This reduces risk factor of disease which otherwise could have detrimental effects on other animal and humans within that country. These government departments will also control agricultural practices and movement, minimising the risk of disease. They will also place limits on journey times and rules of transporting live animals.
 
Animal Shelters, both government and charitable organisations, will tend to the health and welfare needs of the animals in their care. Animal shelters will provide veterinary care to animals which require treatment, many providing microchipping and neutering before the animal is rehomed. Full health checks are completed on any new arrival, treated if necessary and observed throughout their stay.

Other services such as groomers, behaviourists, zookeepers or anyone working within the animal care industry, all play a vital role in the health of animals. They will advise if they feel, in their professional opinion, that there may be a health problem with the animal. Groomers are focused on the actual coat of an animal, therefore able to check over the external body in the case of any skin sensitivities, lumps, bumps or parasites. Behaviourists are focused on the mental and physical behaviour of the animal so not only providing behavioural treatment to create a calmer animal, but may also spot behaviours which may be linked to health issues. An animals mood changes when they are in pain or feel unwell, just as a humans would, so it is important to be observant of any sudden aggression, or groans, when touched on the painful area. For example, a dog may be suffering a painful ear infection, unknown to the owner who may rub the dogs head. Instead of reacting with a yelp the dog may snap or bark aggressively due to the excessive pain.

Course Features:

• Enrol any time of day or night.
• Start studying immediately or later (as you wish).
• Configure your study sessions at any length and frequency you wish.
• Work through at your own pace.
• Help desk - contact via email any time.
• Automated self assessment tests pop up at the end of each lesson. You can attempt these as many times as you wish; and each time, upon completion, you can see your results. You will need internet access to complete the self assessment tests.
• At the end of the whole course, you are presented with a major automated examination which can be attempted online, anywhere, any time.
• If you achieve a 60% pass in the exam; you immediately receive a downloadable Certificate of Completion with your name on it.

WHO IS THIS COURSE DESIGNED FOR?

• Pet owners, it will empower you to make better decisions about caring for your pets
• Anyone working on a farm or in a zoo, it will broaden and deepen your understanding of what is required in day to day work
• Anyone working with wildlife it will change the way you see the animals you encounter
• Anyone aspiring to work with animals will improve their knowledge, expand their awareness of employment opportunities, and put themselves in a better position to seek employment working with animals.