Introduction to Veterinary Medicine
Submitted by Callie Parr and used in cooperation with the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
The materials that appear in this document may be freely reproduced for educational/training activities. There is no requirement to obtain special permission for such uses. We do, however, ask that the following statement appear on all reproductions:
INTRODUCTION TO VETERINARY MEDICINE, by CALLIE PARR
Materials produced for classroom use in conjunction with permission from the
University of Illinois Agricultural Education Program.
This permission statement is limited to the reproduction of material for educational/training events. Systematic or large-scale reproduction or distribution
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Contact the University of Illinois Agricultural Education Program to obtain special permission.
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 Veterinary Medicine is the medical treatment of animals.
 Must know many different species.
 Must know many areas such as internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, surgery, etc.
 Can’t talk to the patient
 Pets, livestock, lab animals, zoo animals, wildlife

 Veterinary Medicine developed alongside human medical advancements.
 Recorded references as early as 9000 bc in the
Middle Eastern sheparding cultures.
 Hieroglyphs in Egypt refer to placing stones in a female camel’s uterus to prevent pregnancy.
 In American West a veterinarian would find themselves treating animals and people alike because of their skills in many areas.

 Veterinarian
 Small Animal
 Large Animal
 Exotic
 Zoological
 Veterinary Technologist
 Veterinary Assistant
 Clinical Pathologist
 Academia

 A DVM needs 8 years of post secondary education.
 There are 28 schools of veterinary medicine in the country .
 A Vet Tech needs 4 years of post secondary education.
 A Vet assistant can have 2-4 years of post secondary education.
 A pathologist will need 4-6 years of post secondary education

 Breed selection  Treat illness/injury
 Nutrition
 Grooming
 Training
 General husbandry
 Health screening
 Treat parasites
 Provide referrals
 Humane euthanasia
 Vaccination
 Spay/neuter
 Allay concerns of owner

 By Promoting animal health and welfare.
 By Combating zoonotic diseases.
 By inspecting livestock and food-processing procedures to ensure safety of food supply.
 By preserving and conserving wildlife.
 By conducting scientific research that impacts the food we eat, the medicine we take, etc.

 Dorsal - toward the ceiling or back
 Ventral - toward the floor or belly
 Cranial/anterior - toward the head
 Caudal/posterior - toward the butt rear
 Lateral - toward the side
 Medial - toward the midline

 Proximal - toward the body
 Distal - away from the body
 Palmar - the front foot pads
 Plantar - the rear foot pads

 Rostral – toward the nose
 Caudal – toward the tail/rear
 Flexion decreasing a joint’s angle
 Extension increasing a joint’s angle

 …ectomy – to remove ______
 …itis – inflammation of ______
 …ose – sugar
 …ase – enzyme
 …gen – producing
 …tomy – incision
 …emia – blood
 …oid - resemble

 … oma – tumor/swelling
 …osis/iasis – abnormal
 …sclerosis – hardening
 …plegia – paralysis
 …rrhea – discharge
 …rrhage – burst forth
 …ptosis – prolapse/falling out
 …spasm - contraction

 Hema/o… - having to do with the blood
 Hyper… - increased levels/activity of ______
 Hypo… - decreased levels/activity of _______
 Hetero… - different
 Homo… - the same
 Psuedo… - false
 Anti… - against
 Peri… - around

 Tachy… - fast
 Mega/macro… - large
 Micro… - small
 Poly… - many
 Pan… - all
 Hap/mono… - one
 Di… - two
 A… - none/not
 Prim… - first
 Iso… - equal
 Ambi… - both
 Laevo… - left
 Dextro… - right
 Trans… - through
 Ex/o… - out
 End/o… - in

 Brachy… - short
 Steno… - narrow
 Ortho… - straight
 Leuk/o… - white
 Cirrh/o… - yellow
 Chlor/o… - green
 Melan… - black
 Glauc/o… - grey

 Malignant – cancerous
 Benign – non-cancerous
 Local – in one specific location
 General – all over or in many locations
 Acute – rapid onset
 Palpate – to feel by hand
 Feces/fecal – excrement
 Triage – to collect information and assess the situation

 Infectious – can be spread
 Diagnosis – to determine a cause for symptoms
 Prognosis – how it will turn out
 Congenital – with/upon/before birth
 Appendages – arms or legs
 Digits – fingers or toes
 Vestigial – non-functional
 Phalanges – fingers/toes

 You will be required to complete and document 10 clinical hours.
 Clinical hours include working with animals in any structured environment.
 Examples are:
 working at a vets office cleaning cages, feeding, etc.
 Working at a local animal shelter cleaning cages, feeding, socializing, etc.
 Working at a barn/stable
 Documentation comes in the form of detailed records listing days & hours worked, tasks completed, and skills learned. Signed by the owner/ operator/ manager.