Pet Care (Different Types Of Pets)

ONLINE COURSE PET CARE

LEARN HOW TO CARE FOR ANIMALS

ACS Student Comment: Undertaking research reinforces learning, and it makes me learn more than I would on the course notes alone. The tutor’s comments are very useful. He also provides links to interesting materials relative to my course. Lana Hurley, Australia, Pet Care course.

" Mr Douglas is a fantastic tutor, I have learnt so much from him. He gave comments that aided in understanding and was always positive and encouraging....makes me feel not so distant. His tutoring made me strive harder."
- Lisa

This is a great course for pet owners or anyone working with pets. This course provides a sound introduction to caring for a wide variety of different pets including dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and amphibians. Examined within the course are aspects of pet care such as ideal diets & food, care of coats, feathers, hair etc, enclosures such as tanks etc, care of litters and young animals and more. Pet Care is designed as an introductory course for those seeking to work with animals in positions such as vet nurses, animal welfare and animal rescue.

This course is designes as a first step toward working with pets or other animals, whether as a career  or volunteer (eg. (eg. Vet nursing or animal assistant, animal rescue or welfare services)

 

 

 

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Animal Care
2. Cats
3. Dogs
4. Birds
5. Fish
6. Rabbits
7. Reptiles & Amphibians
8. Guinea Pigs, Hamsters & Mice.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

What You Will Do

• 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.

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.

Why Choose This Course

• Courses are revised annually so our students learn up-to-date theory
• We work to help you understand and remember information – not just pass exams!
• Our courses are designed to enable your new skills to be applied in the real world
• You will develop networks and contacts with like-minded individuals in your field
• Start any time, study at your own pace, study from anywhere
• Don’t waste time and money travelling to and from classes
• More choices in your assignments giving you options to focus on parts of the subject which interest you most
• Tutors are accessible; your tutor will interact with you one-to-one.
• Support means if you find a task you can’t do, we will help you through it or give you another option.
• Additional guidance after graduation, advice on getting work, starting a business, putting a CV together. We promote students and their businesses through our extensive profile on the internet.

How You Study

• When you enrol, we send you an email that explains it all.
• Watch our short online orientation media clip, as the Principal introduces you to how the course works, and how you can access support services
• You are either given access to your course online, CD-rom or course materials through the mail (by courier).
• You work through lessons one by one. Each lesson has at least four parts:
  • An aim -which tells you what you should be achieving in the lesson
  • Reading -notes written and regularly revised by our academic staff
  • Set Task(s) -These are practical, research or other experiential learning tasks that strengthen and add to what you have been reading
  • Assignment -By answering questions, submitting them to a tutor, then getting feedback from the tutor, you confirm that you are on the right track, but more than that, you are guided to consider what you have been studying in different ways, broadening your perspective and reinforcing what you are learning about
  • Other - Your work in a course rarely stops at just the above four parts. Different courses and different students will need further learning experiences. Your set task or assignment may lead to other things, interacting with tutors or people in industry, reviewing additional reference materials or something else. We treat every student as an individual and supplement their learning needs as the occasion requires.
• You are given access to and encouraged to use a range of supplementary services including an online student room, including online library; student bookshop, newsletters, social media etc.
• You are provided with a "student manual" which you can refer to if and when needed. It provides a quick solution to most problems that might occur (some people never need to use this; but if you are studying late at night & have a problem, the manual provides a first port of call that can often get you moving again).

Recognition & Credibility

• ACS is known and highly respected internationally by employers and academics alike
• Recognised by International Accreditation and Recognition Council
• ACS has been training people around the world since 1979
• Over 100,000 have now studied ACS courses, across more than 150 countries
• Formal affiliations with colleges in five countries
• A faculty of over 40 internationally renowned academics –books written by our staff used by universities and colleges around the world.
• Caring For Dogs Ebook
  Are you interested in finding out more about Caring for Dogs. Have a look at our useful and interesting e-book on Caring for Dogs.
  Find out more by clicking here.