Pet Care
| Course Code | AAG100 |
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| Fee Code | S1 |
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| Number of Assignments | 8 |
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| Duration (approx) | 100 hours |
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COURSE STRUCTURE
There are 8 lessons as follows:
- Introduction to Animal Care
- Cats
- Dogs
- Birds
- Fish
- Rabbits
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Guinea Pigs, Hamsters & Mice.
COURSE AIMS
- Discuss the general principles of pet care, as they relate to a wide range of different types of pets.
- Describe routine care for cats.
- Compare the characteristics of different cat breeds.
- Describe routine care for dogs.
- Compare the characteristics of different dog breeds.
- Describe routine care for birds as pets.
- Describe routine care for fish
- Describe routine care for rabbits as pets.
- Describe routine care for reptiles and amphibians.
- Describe routine care for rodent pets.
WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
- Develop timetables for husbandry tasks to be undertaken over a typical week, caring for a specific breeds of animals (several, but your choice).
- Recognize things that indicate a dog is sick –diet and temperament
- Develop a checklist of things which should be done regularly to ensure the good health for pets
- Determine things a person should consider when trying to decide what type of pet to acquire.
- Compare the requirements & restrictions for keeping different types of animals as pets in your locality.
- Discuss the advantages/disadvantages of keeping different types of cats
- Understand why is it particularly important to have cats desexed; and when should desexing be carried out?
- Discuss the nutritional requirements of a cat, and identify the cause of N.S.H., and its early signs.
- Describe problems associated with long haired dogs
- Discuss a dogs sleeping requirements if it lives in a temperate climate
- Explain problems can arise through over feeding a dog
- Identify ideal diet for a dog
- Explain why puppies under 6 months should be allowed to exercise themselves
- Determine common signs of a general disease condition in a dog
- Explain why birds moult.
- Discuss the characteristics of large, open aviaries, and all their requirements
- Discuss how should a small bird be caught in its cage
- Explain what breathlessness indicates in a bird
- Discuss factors are common in the care of all fish
- Explain why it is important to maintain the correct level of oxygen in water for fish
- Discuss the differences in requirements for caring for salt water fish compared with freshwater fish
- Explain the handling, caging, feeding and other aspects of rabbit care.
- Discuss different colours & breeds of rabbits.
- Discuss the environmental/caging needs of all reptiles
- Discuss the feeding requirements of reptiles
- Explain the handling of reptiles.
- Discuss the care of both sick & healthy amphibians and reptiles.
- Explain how you determine the sex of a guinea pig, and at what age do they reach sexual maturity
- Explain the temperature guinea pigs should be kept at, and what happens if the temperature drops
- Explain the feed & nutritional needs of rodents.
- Discuss what can happen if a female hamster with a litter is disturbed
- Explain how many litters a year could a female mouse produce if not prevented from doing so
- Explain health & disease problems associated with mice.
Extract from Course Notes:
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR KEEPING PETS
No matter what type of pets you are looking after there are some general needs that must be fulfilled. These include:
Food
All animals will require sufficient food, of the right type/s, and at the right intervals. This will obviously vary considerably from animal to animal, for example dogs usually have diets with a high meat component, some birds will have diets high in seeds, some birds may require such things as insects or meal worms, rabbits and guinea pigs may be fed on grasses and vegetable scraps, while reptiles may be fed with live food (e.g. mice, frogs).
Understanding what types of food your animals require is very important, it is also important that you understand differing food requirements at different stages of their life (e.g. young versus mature animals, when pregnant or feeding young). To ensure the best health of your animals, only use good quality food that has been properly stored (e.g. not perished, or mouldy, or infested with pests). Discuss with your vet to ensure your animals are receiving adequate nutrition from their diet, and to determine ways in which you might need to modify it to improve their all round nutrient intake.
Although it can seem nice to treat pets to human foods and sweets, or to leave food constantly available to your pet, it can be very detrimental to their health. Certain foods that are fit for human consumption can in fact be toxic to pets. Allowing your pet to eat constantly, or providing them with a poorly balanced diet can lead to obesity. This is an increasing problem and has serious complications for animals, they are unable to move as freely and become sedentary, and they can develop joint problems such as arthritis, as well as injuries related to the stress on their spines from the additional weight. Heart disease is also more likely along with complications such as obesity related diabetes.
Watering
Nearly all animals will require regular watering, some having high water requirements. Water should be of high quality, and plenty provided. The types of water containers provided should be suitable to the types of animals you are watering, for example deep, steep-sided containers may pose a drowning risk to small animals, including birds, while containers or troughs used by multiple numbers of a particular pet should provide sufficient room (access) so that there is not any great degree of competition between the animals for the water - this is particularly important on days of high water need (i.e. very hot days), or with more aggressive animals.
Water containers/sources should also be placed in suitable position where they are stable (not easily dislodged or knocked over), where they will not be contaminated by debris or animal droppings falling into them, and easily accessed by both your pets to drink, and you to fill them. For some animals the containers may need to be placed in a position that provides some degree of shelter and/or protection from other animals. Placing water in a position sheltered from the sun will also reduce evaporation rates. Ideally at least two, and depending on the space available and animals you are watering, possibly more separate containers should be available, in case one becomes fouled, or is knocked over. Animals can quickly suffer or die if sufficient water is not available on a hot day. Containers should be regularly inspected for damage, and regularly and thoroughly cleaned to minimise pest and diseases problems. Any automatic watering systems should be regularly maintained, and regularly checked to ensure they are operating properly.
Shelter/Containment/Protection
Caging and fencing can serve a number of functions. This includes:
• Containment - ensuring you pet/s don't escape.
• Shelter - providing protection against the elements.
• Protection - both against other animals (predators), and to protect other animals and people from your animal/s (e.g. snakes, aggressive dogs). Any caging or fenced area should have the following features:
• Size - sufficient to cater for the animal’s needs
• Strength – sufficient to contain the animal, to keep other animals out and to withstand the local weather conditions
• Safe - no sharp edges, or protruding parts, ensure materials aren’t toxic to the animal (treated timbers, rusted metals, asbestos sheeting etc).
• Position – providing shelter for the animal and being securely fixed into place
• Access - for cleaning, providing food and water. Access should be secured to prevent escape.
It is crucial that any containment area is regularly checked over and maintained properly.
Maintaining Health
Good hygiene is critical. This includes such things as maintaining food and water quality, cleaning out wastes regularly, and controlling pests and diseases. Regular preventative measures for controlling pests and diseases are vital. Examples include spraying cages/shelters, regular worming treatments, vaccinations, flea and tick treatments, regular inspections for signs of problems in the animals yard as well as on the animal itself, regular grooming and dental care, and quarantining animals that are suspected or known to have pest or disease problems can significantly reduce the likelihood of problems occurring, and minimise their spread when they do occur. Regular veterinary check ups are important, to detect any conditions that may otherwise go unnoticed.
It is important that animals receive adequate opportunity for exercise to avoid them becoming overweight and unhealthy. Many smaller pets thrive on human contact and it is necessary to spend time interacting with them, playing, wrestling or during grooming.
- A sound introduction to caring for a wide variety of different
pets.
- Covers dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and amphibians.
This course was developed and tutored by highly qualified and experienced professionals (Veterinary Surgeon, former wildlife park manager, university lecturers etc). This course provides an outstanding opportunity to extend your knowledge, perspective and capacity to care for all types of pets.