Certificate in Animal Care Course Guide

This course will provide an introduction to basic terminology and occupations associated with companion animals, including but not limited to the key aspects of animal care occupations, the five freedoms of animal welfare and relevant animal control laws.

This course will provide an introduction to basic biological concepts of animals, focusing on the structure and function of the mammalian body. It will include but not be limited to key anatomical and physiological terms, the structure and function of a variety of organ systems and anatomical similarities and differences between species.

This course will provide an overview of the care requirements of a pet dog including but not limited to an appropriate diet for a dog, appropriate exercise and environmental management plans, grooming requirements and how to design a preventative health care plan for a pet dog.

This course will provide an overview of the care requirements of a variety of common pets, including but not limited to the housing and enrichment requirements of pets, hygiene and grooming requirements of a variety of species, appropriate diets and how to create preventative health care plans for different pets.

This course will provide an overview of a variety of diseases common to pet dogs and will include but not be limited to the main groups of micro-organisms which cause infectious diseases, signs of illness in a dog and key aspects of a range of common canine diseases.

This course will provide an overview of diseases common to a variety of pet animals, including but not limited to the signs of illness in a variety of species, key aspects of a range of common animal diseases and the most likely diagnosis for various diseases when given a set of symptoms.

This course will provide an introduction to animal first-aid situations and responses and will include but not be limited to how to prevent animal accidents and emergencies from occurring and how to identify signs of an emergency situation in a pet animal.

This course will provide an introduction to handling techniques of companion animals and dog safety, including but not limited to how to safely handle a variety of companion animals in different contexts and how to avoid and deal with cat and dog attacks.

This course will provide an introduction to the basic procedures carried out by animal healthcare professionals and will include but not be limited by how to take vital signs, how and why a veterinarian will take a history and do a physical exam and how pets are prepared, monitored and cared for before, during and after surgeries.

This course will provide an introduction to the behaviour and basic training principles of cats, dogs and other pets, including but not limited to the body language of dogs and cats, the importance of socialisation in pets and how basic training principles can be used to train an animal.