Veterinary Assistant

QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guide

Chris Pinney

• Publisher: QuickStudy Reference Guides
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781423216728
• eBook ISBN: 9781423237389
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Veterinary Medicine

Looking to begin a career in veterinary medicine as an assistant? We're here to help you in achieving this goal with our newest 6 page study guide, which provides the most comprehensive information on properly treating pets in a medical setting. Discussions of various veterinary terms and procedures, as well as useful guidelines and rules, are included within each page; additional information is broken down into full-color images, charts, and graphs for easy reference.

Preventive Health Care

Determining Age

• Determining age can be challenging if presented with a stray pet or a pet with an unknown history
• With puppies and kittens, it’s important to verify the age (even if the owner claims to know the age) for the purpose of preventive health-care schedules
• Determining age is not an exact science (unless, of course, you definitively know the date of birth)
• For both puppies and kittens, determine if the animal is still nursing; if not, consider it at least 4 weeks of age
• Ask the owner how long he/she has had the puppy/ kitten in his/her possession, and add 4 weeks to this figure; this gives you a baseline from which to work
• Puppies: Examine the teeth
  • If deciduous incisors and canines have not yet erupted, then the puppy is less than 6 weeks of age
  • If deciduous incisors and canines are in place yet no permanent teeth are showing, the puppy is 6−11 weeks of age
  • Permanent incisors erupt at 12−16 weeks of age
  • Permanent canines erupt at 16−20 weeks of age
  • A puppy with a full complement of permanent teeth can be considered at least 6 months of age
• Kittens: Examine the teeth or determine body weight:
  • Using teeth
    • If the deciduous incisors and canines have not yet erupted, then the kitten is 5 weeks of age or less
    • If deciduous incisors and canines are in place yet no permanent teeth are showing, the kitten is 6−12 weeks of age
    • Permanent front incisors erupt at 12−16 weeks of age
    • Permanent canine teeth erupt at 16−20 weeks of age
    • A kitten with a full complement of permanent teeth can be considered at least 6 months of age
      NOTE: For both puppies and kittens, these are approximate eruption timelines; variations can occur
  • Using body weight
    • As a general rule, 1 pound of body weight should equal approx. 1 month of age (EX: a 3-pound kitten is 3 months of age)
    • This correlation remains valid up to around 5 months of age
    • Keep in mind that parasitism or malnourishment can cause a kitten to weigh less than it should for its true age

Vaccinations

• Dog and cat vaccines are classified as either “core” or “noncore”
• Core vaccines should be given to every pet
• Noncore vaccines are considered optional, and the decision whether to use them should take into account a pet’s breed, geographic location, age, lifestyle, and risk of exposure to the disease agent
• Bacterins (EX: leptospirosis, Lyme) and adjuvanted, killed viral vaccines (EX: rabies, FeLV) pose the greatest risk for vaccine reactions

Dog Vaccines

• Core
  • Rabies
  • Distemper
  • Adenovirus type 2
  • Parvovirus
• Noncore
  • Leptospirosis
  • Bordetella
  • Lyme
  • Parainfluenza
  • Other

Cat Vaccines

• Core
  • Rabies
  • Viral rhinotracheitis
  • Panleukopenia
  • Calicivirus
• Noncore
  • FeLV/FIV
  • Chlamydophila (Chlamydia)
  • Other

	Sample Puppy/Kitten Vaccination Series*			Sample Adult Dog/Cat Vaccination Schedule* * May vary between veterinary practices
Vaccine Type	6−8 wks	10−12 wks	13−16 wks	15−16 mos	Annually	Every 3 Years
Core
Distemper/ Viral rhinotracheitis	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	—	Yes
Adenovirus type 2/ Panleukopenia	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	—	Yes
Parvovirus/ Calicivirus	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	—	Yes
Rabies (dogs and cats)	—	—	1st	2nd	If 1-year licensed vaccine is used	If 3-year licensed vaccine is used
Noncore
Leptospirosis (4-way)	—	1st (12 wks)	2nd	3rd	Yes	—
Bordetella and parainfluenza (intranasal)	—	1st (12 wks)	2nd	3rd	Annually or semiannually	—
FeLV	—	1st (12 wks)	2nd (16 wks)	3rd	Up to 2 years of age	—

Preventive Deworming

Puppies & Kittens

• All puppies and kittens should be dewormed every month starting at 2−4 weeks of age and finishing at about 16 weeks of age
• A fecal exam should be performed prior to 12 weeks of age to check for coccidia infestation
• Heartworm prevention can be started as early as 8 weeks of age Adult Dogs & Cats
• A negative fecal examination does not necessarily mean a pet is free of intestinal parasites
• Adult dogs should be given heartworm-preventive medication year-round to assist in nematode control
• Adult cats that are allowed to roam and hunt should be dewo...

Table of contents

• Patient Restraint
• Taking a Thorough Medical History
• Performing a Physical Exam
• Robert Jones Bandage
• Recording an EKG (Lead II)
• Drawing Blood & Administering IV Injections (Cephalic Vein)
• Preventive Health Care
• Oncology
• Nutrition
• Dental Care
• Occupational Safety
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Parasitology
• Laboratory
• IV Fluid Rate Calculations
• Pharmacology
• Anesthesia
• Surgery
• CODE BLUE – Emergencies