Pet Care

Study from home and Learn about Dogs, Cats and other Pets.

A course for Pet Owners, People Working with Pets; or anyone with a passion for pets.

Learn what pets need and how to provide it. For good health and wellbeing hygiene is critical. Any pet, whatever the type needs such things as proper food and water (quantity and quality), regular cleaning out of waste products, and controlling pests and diseases.

Routine preventative measures for controlling pests and diseases are also vital.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Animal Care
   • Laws and licenses, Animal Charities and Societies (eg. RSPCA, WSPA, Blue Cross), Pet Care Needs (feeding, Watering, Shelter, Containment, Fencing, Caging, Protection), Maintaining Health, Hygiene
2. Cats
   • Breeds (Lang Haired, Semi Long Haired, Short Haired, Oriental etc), Selection, Allergies, Containment, Sexing, Desexing, Breeding, Newborn Kettens, Exercise, Behaviour, Hygeine, Feed and nutrition, Amount of food, Watering, Grooming, Travelling, Care for a sick cat (Signs of illness, Temperature, Common ailments, Skin disorders, Ticks), Cats and wildlife.
3. Dogs
   • Selection, Breeds (Pure and mixed), Varying size and temperament, Grooming, Skin care, Inherited traits (aggression, deafness), Containment, Breeding, Desexing, Exercise, Behaviour, Feeding, Canine Nutrition, Bones, Watering, Training, Travelling, Identifying sickness, etc.
4. Birds
   • Selection, Breeds (eg. Canaries, Finches, Budgerigars, Small Parrots etc), Sexing, Desexing, Containment (Aviaries, selection, design, size, management), Feed, Feeding, Watering, Grooming (Wing trim, Beak Trim, Nail Trim), Hygiene, Catching and Restraining, Travelling, Caring for the Sick Bird, Signs of illness, Temperature, Supportive therapy, Common Ailments (eg. Abscesses, Alopecia, Apoplexy, Aspergillosis, Breathlessness, Constipation, Parasites), Safety in the Home,
5. Fish
   • Selection, Inside or Outside, Warm or Cold water, Number of fish, Types of fish (Tropical, Marine, Cold Water), Costs, Size, Equipment, Tanks, Ponds, Pumps, Aquariums, Night lights, Water quality, Changing Water, Feed (Pelleted, live feed –Daphnia, Brine Shrimp), Illnesses (Fungal, Bacterial, Parasites, Environmental)
6. Rabbits
   • Breeds (Large, Small and Dwarf), Selection, Legality (Illegal in some areas), Containment (Hutch or Cage), Environment (temperature etc), Feeding, Nutrition, Watering, Feed quantities and routine, Grooming, Handling, Moulting, Transporting, Sexing, Breeding, Identifying illness (Coccidiosis, Snuffles, Myxomatosisis, Sore Hocks, Pasteurellosis, Ear Canker, Heat Stroke, Cannibalism, Calcivirus Disease), Care of sick rabbits, etc.
7. Reptiles and Amphibians
   • Types (eg. Salamander, Frogs, Venomous snakes, Non-venomous snakes, Shingle-backed lizard, Tortoises, Terrapins, Axolotls, etc), Selection, Legal Issues, Housing, Environmental requirements (Moisture, Humidity, Warmth, etc), Terrariums, Problems (eg. Dehydration, Stress, External and internal parasites, Blisters, Scale Rot, Mouth Rot or Canker, Colds/pneumonia, Constipation and diarrhea, Cannibalism,Incomplete sloughing of the skin -shedding of the skin); Feed and feeding, General Care,
8. Rodents, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Mice
   • Varieties, Selection, Containment, Sexing, Breeding, Grooming, Feeding, Watering, Illness (eg. Skin Problems, Abscesses, Mites, Ringworm, Fleas, Respiratory Infection, Vitamin C Deficiency, Otitis, Salmonella, Stripping 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

• 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 dog.
• Compare the characteristics of different dog breed.
• Describe routine care for birds as pet.
• Describe routine care for fish
• Describe routine care for rabbits as pet.
• Describe routine care for reptiles and amphibian.
• Describe routine care for rodent pets.

What You Will Do

• Develop timetables for husbandry tasks to be undertaken over a typical week when caring for a specific breeds of animals (several, your choice).
• Recognize signs that indicate a dog is sick
• Develop a checklist of things which should be done regularly to ensure the good health for pets
• Determine what a person should consider when trying to decide what type of pet to acquire.
• Compare the requirements and restrictions for keeping different types of animals as pets in your locality.
• Discuss the advantages/disadvantages of keeping different types of cats
• Explain 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 dog's sleeping requirements 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 to catch a small bird in its cage
• Explain what is indicatec by breathlessness in a bird
• Discuss factors common to 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 and breeds of rabbits.
• Discuss the environmental/caging needs of all reptiles
• Discuss the feeding requirements of reptiles
• Describe the correct handling of reptiles.
• Discuss the care of both sick and healthy amphibians and reptiles
• Explain how to determine the sex of a guinea pig, and at what age they reach sexual maturity
• Explain the temperature guinea pigs should be kept at, and what happens if the temperature drops
• Explain the feed and nutritional needs of rodents.
• Discuss what can happen if a female hamster with a litter is disturbed
• Explain how many litters a year a female mouse could produce if not prevented from doing so
• Explain health and disease problems associated with mice.

What Do Pets Need?

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.

Water

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.

Caging and fencing can serve a number of functions. These include:

• 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 protecting people from your animal/s (e.g. snakes, aggressive dogs).