Pet Care

A broad foundation course for pet shop staff, breeders or animal lovers to understand the options and match the best pet for the situation, then effectively care for that animal.

Course Code: AAG100
Fee Code: S1
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment
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All creatures great and small...

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

Like our human family members, pets don't come with an instruction book. Completing this course will give you a sound introduction to caring for a wide variety of different pets, whether they have legs or wings, scales or fins.

The ACS pet care course provides an outstanding opportunity for you to learn about your pets and how to meet their many and various needs. A sound foundation for the care of a wide variety of different pets is provided, giving you the tools to give your pets the best care possible.
 
This course is a must for any animal lover, particularly those wishing to work with domestic animals or in the pet care industry.

This course has been developed by highly qualified and experienced professionals including Veterinary Surgeons, a former wildlife park manager, and university lecturers, who are available to support your learning and discuss any queries you may have.

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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)
    • Cat Selection
    • Allergies
    • Containment
    • Sexing
    • Desexing
    • Breeding
    • Newborn Kittens
    • Exercise
    • Behaviour
    • Hygiene
    • 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
    • Dog 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
  4. Birds
    • Bird Selection
    • Breeds (eg. Canaries, Finches, Budgerigars, Small Parrots etc)
    • Sexing
    • Desexing
    • Containment (Aviaries –selection, design, size, management)
    • Feed and 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
    • 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
    • Rabbit 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, Myxomatosis, Sore Hocks, Pasteurellosis, Ear Canker, Heat Stroke, Cannibalism, Calicivirus Disease)
    • Care of sick rabbits
  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 diarrhoea, Cannibalism, Incomplete sloughing of the skin -shedding of the skin)
    • Feed and feeding
    • General Care
  8. Guinea Pigs, Hamsters and 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 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 Do Pets Need?

No matter what type of pets you are looking after there are some general needs that must be fulfilled. Learn to cater to a wide variety of needs, including:

Food

Water

Exercise

Shelter/Containment/Protection

Hygiene

Controlling Pests and Diseases
 

Keep Your Pets Healthy

Healthy pets live longer, and cost less to keep. Not all animals are the same to begin with either. Some breeds of dog for instance, may be more susceptible to health problems than others. Some pets may be more suited to your environment than others, and some are easier to care for than others.

Good hygiene is critical. with all types of pets. Maintaining hygiene involves 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.  


After You Finish Study

When you complete this course you should have a much better foundation for understanding how to care for a whole range of different pets.
For some people, this will help you look after your own animals better; but for others, it may be the starting point for a business or career working with companion animals.
 
Some opportunities for people completing our course
 
This course may provide an advantage to those wishing to work in a pet shop, pet sitting or in a home care capacity for companion animals. 
This is a good opportunity for people who like working with animals, but who also have good people skills.  The work would not only involve educating customers on how to look after their pets. You may also influence their choice of purchase but  may be even advising a customer with regard to the pet which is most suited to their situation. It would be important that you are competent handling a whole range of species from small rodents to cage birds, snakes and other reptiles as demand for these pets increases.
 

Want to provide pets with the best care possible?

 
A good starting point is to get some advice from a professional who knows the industry. We have a free course counselling service which will put you in touch with just such a person; to help you understand your choices, your options and the industry; and to help make a choice about what your next step should be. Contact us today to take advantage of this free service.
 


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.

 

 

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Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

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There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

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Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

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Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

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Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

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More information is here

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Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Alison Pearce

University Lecturer, Quality Assurance Manager, Writer and Research Technician. Alison originally graduated with an honors degree in science from university and beyond that has completed post graduate qualifications in education and eco-tourism. She has managed veterinary operating theatre, responsible for animal anesthesia, instrument preparation, and assistance with surgical techniques and procedures.

Dr Robert Browne

Zoologist, Environmental Scientist and Sustainability, science based consultancy with biotechnology corporations. Work focused on conservation and sustainability.
Robert has published work in the fields of nutrition, pathology, larval growth and development, husbandry, thermo-biology, reproduction technologies, and facility design.Robert has B.Sc., Ph, D.

Dr. Gareth Pearce

Veterinary scientist and surgeon with expertise in agriculture and environmental science, with over 25 years of experience in teaching and research in agriculture, veterinary medicine, wildlife ecology and conservation in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Post-graduate qualifications in Education, Wildlife Conservation Medicine, Aquatic Veterinary Studies and Wildlife Biology & Conservation.
Gareth has a B.Sc.(Hons), B.V.Sc., M.A., M.Vet.S,. PhD, Grad. Cert. Ed.(HE), Post-Grad.Cert. Aq.Vet.Sc., Post-Grad. Cert. WLBio&Cons., Dipl. ECPHM, MRCVS.

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