Study Animal Health at Home
- Learn what can go wrong with an animal's health
- Learn about different illnesses -diseases, parasites, etc
- Learn about prevention and treatment
- Know how to better care for your own animals on a farm, at home or elsewhere
- Work with animals, or lay a foundation for further studies and a career
COURSE STRUCTURE
There are ten lessons as follows:
1. Introduction to Animal Health -
Learn to describe common diseases affecting farm animals and the circumstances under which animals contract these diseases - the healthy animal, causes of ill health, preventing ill health
2. Signs & Symptoms of Diseases -
The physical symptoms of diseases in farm animals - common methods of handling animals during health assessments, recognising ill health, restraining a horse, sheep handling facilities
3. Disease Classification -
Methods used in classifying animal diseases –
viral diseases, bacterial diseases, parasitic diseases, protozoal diseases, disease types in beef cattle, diseases in sheep
4. Causes and Diagnosis of Disease -
The causes of disease and the relevant methods of diagnosis - examining cattle, examining a horse, ticks, tick-borne diseases, diagnosis of diseases
5. Treatment of Disease -
Methods used in the treatment of diseases in farm animals - vaccination, the animal first aid kit, tetanus antiserum, animal nursing, quarantine, slaughter, post mortem, disease prevention in cattle, disease prevention in sheep, treatment of parasites in sheep
6. Inflammation -
Outline the nature and causes of inflammation in farm animals - the inflammatory response, causes of inflammation, types of inflammation, symptoms of inflammation, inflammatory exudate, treatment of inflammation
7. Fever and Immunity -
The biological mechanisms underlying fever and the immune system in farm animals - the fever mechanism, other temperature related disorders, effect of temperature on enzymes, immunity
8. Tissue Repair -
The biological mechanisms underlying tissue repair in farm animals - healing of a clean incised wound, healing of an open wound, common horse ailments to recognise
9. Wounds -
The biological mechanisms of wounds in farm animals and address different treatment methods for repair of common ailments - types of wounds, first aid treatments, bandaging horses, emergencies
10. Cell changes -
The causes and biological mechanisms of cell change in farm animals - neoplasms, tumours and cancers, the course of an infectious disease, death, cancers etc.
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.
AIMS
- Explain common health problems affecting animals, including the circumstances under which animals contract health problems, and methods used to prevent the development of ill health
- Analyse physical indicator symptoms of ill health in animals.
- Determine the taxonomic class of animal pests and diseases.
- Explain the diagnostic characteristics of the main types of animal pathogenic microorganisms.
- Explain the methods used in the treatment of pests and diseases in farm animals.
- Explain the role of inflammation, including it's symptoms and causes, in animals.
- Explain the biological processes which affect and control the immune system in animals.
- Explain the biological processes which affect and control tissue repair in animals.
- Determine procedures for the management of wounds to animals, on a farm.
- Explain the processes involved in cellular change in animals.
- Diagnose simple health problems in farm animals.
WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
- List criteria used to assess the health status, including ill-health, of animals.
- Describe the different causes of ill-health in animals.
- Explain the methods used to prevent ill-health in animals.
- Write a standard procedure for a routine health examination of a chosen farm animal.
- Describe the symptoms of ill-health in animals.
- Compare the causes of two symptomatically similar health problems for a specified farm animal.
- Diagnose a health problem from a given set of symptoms.
- Distinguish between different taxonomic classes of animal pest and disease organisms.
- Describe identifying characteristics of disease carrying agents of specified animals.
- Classify commonly occuring pests and diseases of three different animals, into their taxonomic classes.
- Describe the characteristics of viruses
- Describe the characteristics of bacteria.
- Describe the characteristics of protozoa.
- Describe the characteristics of parasites.
- Describe the characteristics of nutritional disorders.
- Analyse the relevance of factors, for determining the health of a chosen species.
- Describe the veterinary treatments available over the counter.
- Explain the vaccination programs.
- Describe the applications and techniques used for dips, to control external parasites.
- List the essential items for a First Aid Kit for an animal.
- Write guidelines for general procedures to follow when nursing sick animals.
- List the procedures employed in quarantine, using a chosen animal as an example.
- Describe the procedures for slaughtering a diseased ruminant in order to conduct a post-mortem examination.
- Prepare an illustrated, one page report on the post-mortem procedures of a ruminant.
- Compare different methods used to control a specified disease in animals.
- Identify a suitable method of control for ten different, specified pests and diseases.
- Differentiate between factors which cause inflammation in animals.
- Develop a checklist for analysing inflammation.
- Explain the inflammatory response.
- Compare the different methods used to control inflammation in animals.
- Describe the function of the immune system in animals.
- List the agents which can cause fevers in animals.
- Explain the biology of fevers in a specified case study of an animal species.
- Explain the methods used in treating fevers in animals.
- Explain at least five factors which influence immune response in animals.
- Explain the characteristics of the immune system in a chosen animal species.
- Describe the composition of tissues at different body sites, in terms of susceptibility to different types of internal and external damage.
- Compare the characteristics of different types of tissue damage.
- List factors, in terms of both rate of, and quality of repair; which influence tissue repair.
- Explain the biological processes, which occur as damaged tissue heals in animals.
- Compare the different effects of wounding, including psychological, physiological and anatomical, to different parts of a specified animals body.
- Explain the different biological processes which occur following wounding, including: tissue repair and infection.
- Develop a checklist for the treatment of wounds in animals.
- List an appropriate treatment for different types of wounds to different species of animals.
- Describe post care treatment of the wounds as discussed above.
- Determine the potential causes of wounding of animals.
- Develop guidelines for prevention of wounds to animals, based on the potential causes identified above.
- Describe the different causes of cellular change in animals.
- Explain the general processes associated with cancer at a cellular level, in animals.
- Explain the cellular processes associated with death of animal tissue.
- List factors which influence the rate and extent of cellular change in diseased animals.
- Monitor the health condition of an animal over a four month period.
- Observe, and prepare a report, on the veterinarians diagnostic process/ health assessment methodology, when inspecting different animals.
- Diagnose the cause of different health problems, detected in three different genera of animals.
- Develop a checklist of the diagnostic indicators of common health problems, which occur in different animal species.
Common Questions Answered
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option. Equine tutors include people with university degrees and decades of experience with horses.
Can I see Sample Course Notes?
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it. Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
What other Options Exist?
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not talk to a tutor? We provide a FREE advisory service -just click here
Recognition and Accreditation For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education? If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
More Quesioned Answered -click here
Animal Health Distance Learning Course.
A great introduction to animal health management
- Improve your understanding of animal health issues.
- Learn to assess and describe animal diseases and consider treatments.
- Taught and written by highly experienced professionals in the field.
- Study in your own time at your own pace.
You will learn to assess and describe common diseases in animals, and how to identify appropriate treatments for these diseases, conditions or injuries. Specific topics include Signs and Symptoms of Diseases Disease Classification, Causes of Disease, Inflammation, Fever and Immunity, Tissue Repair, Wounds and Cell changes (death, cancers etc).
