Covers the principles of maintaining animal health by preventing and managing disease via husbandry, immunization, and diagnostic testing. Focus is on domestic species; primarily dogs, cats, horses and cows. Topics include parasitology, microbiology, immunology, and clinical, gross and histopathology. Laboratory activities include fecal flotation, urinalysis, complete blood count and blood chemistry, bacterial culture and sensitivity testing, gram staining, serology, laboratory safety, and principles of sample collection and quality control. VTEC and AAS majors only.

Essential skills and knowledge for the care of small animals, focusing on companion animal species. Wellness protocols an basic nursing skills (medication administration, nail trimming, ear cleaning, anal gland expression, wound care, injections, phlebotomy, electrocardiogram, blood pressure measurement) will be discussed and practiced. VTEC majors only.

Provides students supervised introductory hands-on experience in a veterinary medical facility. Students apply skills learned in animal handling and nursing, laboratory methods, client communication and practice management courses. Students are responsible for obtaining a position in an approved veterinary facility and need to complete a minimum of 80 hours of work to fulfill course requirements. Must have rabies vaccine series completed prior to the start of the semester. Open to veterinary technology students only. Prereq: AAS 449.

This course provides the theoretical knowledge and practical experience necessary to provide safe and effective anesthesia and analgesia to veterinary patients; including providing nursing care and assistance in all aspects of veterinary surgery and anesthesia. This course must be taken along with or after the completion of VTEC 565. VTEC majors only. Prereq: VTEC 449, AAS 428.