Animal, Plant & Soil Science
Lesson C5-9
Veterinary Terminology
Interest Approach
n  Gather
some common veterinary tools
(e.g., scissors, forceps, and scalpels).
Ask the students what each item is and
for what purpose it is used. If these
items cannot be found in a standard
science lab, they can be purchased on
a veterinary supply Web site.
Objectives
n  Define
and use common
veterinary medical root words,
prefixes, and suffixes.
n  Recognize
and describe common
veterinary medical abbreviations.
Objectives
n  Define
and properly use terms
(ventral, dorsal, etc.) that
describe the direction and
position of vertebrae animal
body parts.
n  Identify and describe the
function of instruments used in
veterinary practice.
Terms
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n
adeno
anaesthetic
machine
anti
artho
auto
BAR
BID
BP
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n
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n
n
n
n
n
cardio
caudal
cranial
distal
dorsal
ectomy
EENT
forceps
GI
Terms
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n
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n
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n
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hem
IC
IM
IP
itis
IV
lateral
medial
neuro
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n
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odonto
oma
palmar
plantar
plasty
prefixes
proximal
QID
root word
Terms
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n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
root word
SC
SID
stomy
suffixes
TID
UTI
vaso
ventral
What are some common
veterinary medical root words,
prefixes, and suffixes?
n
n
n
Common veterinary medical root words,
prefixes, and suffixes
A. Medical root words are crucial to
comprehending terminology.
A root word refers to the form of a word
when all prefixes and suffixes are removed.
1.
n  2.
n  3.
n  4.
n  5.
n
Cardio—pertaining to the heart
Vaso—blood vessel
Adeno—gland
Artho—joint
Odonto—tooth or teeth
What are some common
veterinary medical root words,
prefixes, and suffixes?
Prefixes are word sounds attached
to the beginning of a word to change the
meaning.
n  B.
Anti—against
n  2. Auto—self
n  3. Hem—blood
n  4. Neuro—nervous system
n  1.
What are some common
veterinary medical root words,
prefixes, and suffixes?
Suffixes are word sounds that are
added to the end of a word to change
the meaning.
n  C.
n  1.
n  2.
n  3.
n  4.
n  5.
Plasty—surgical repair
Itis—inflammation
Ectomy—surgical removal
Oma—tumor or neoplasm
Stomy—artificial or surgical opening
What are some common
veterinary medical
abbreviations?
n  Common
veterinary medical
abbreviations
n  A. Intramuscular (IM) injections are
given in the muscle.
n  Muscles
in the neck are commonly used in
large animals.
n  Thigh and back muscles are commonly used
in small animals.
What are some common
veterinary medical
abbreviations?
Intracardial (IC) injections are given
directly into the heart.
n  C. Intravenous (IV) injections are given
directly into a vein.
n  D. Intraperitoneal (IP) injections are
given into the peritoneal or abdominal
cavity.
n  E. BP—blood pressure
n  F. SID—once daily
n  B.
What are some common
veterinary medical
abbreviations?
BID—twice daily
n  H. TID—three times daily
n  I. QID—four times daily
n  J. EENT—eyes, ears, nose, and throat
n  K. UTI—urinary tract infection
n  L. BAR—bright, alert, responsive
n  M. GI—Gastrointestinal
n  N. Subcutaneous (SC) injections are
given under the skin.
n  G.
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
n  Direction
and position of vertebrae
animal body parts
n  A. Dorsal and ventral
n  1. Dorsal refers to a body part that is
directed toward the back of the body.
n  For
instance, the hip joint is dorsal to the
knee joint.
Ventral refers to a body part that is
directed toward the belly.
n  2.
n  For
example, the elbow joint is ventral to
the shoulder joint.
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
n  B.
Medial and lateral
n  1. Medial refers to being directed
toward the middle or median plane of
the body.
n  The
median plane is best described as a line
that would divide the body in half from head
to tail.
Lateral refers to being directed away
from the median plane of the body.
n  2.
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
n
n
C. Cranial and caudal
1. Cranial is directed toward the head or
cranium.
It is used on the legs to describe structures above
the metacarpal/ankle/fetlock joint.
n  Dorsal is used to describe structures below the
aforementioned joint, along with palmar or plantar.
n
n
2. Caudal is directed toward the rear of the
body.
n
It is used for structures on limbs above the
metacarpal/ankle/fetlock joint.
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
n  D.
Proximal and
distal
n  1. Proximal is
directed toward
the body from foot
to head.
n  2. Distal is
directed away
from the body
from head to foot.
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
n  E.
Palmar and plantar
n  1. Palmar is the surface that is
equivalent to the palm of a hand, for
structures of the front limbs below the
metacarpal/ankle/fetlock joint.
n  2. Plantar is the surface that is
equivalent to the sole of the foot, for
structures of the hind limbs below the
metatarsal/ankle/fetlock joint.
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?
n  Instruments
used in veterinary practice
n  A. Everyday instruments
n  1. Scissors are one of the most
commonly used instruments in
veterinary practice.
n  They
are used for cutting blunt lines and
sutures.
n  The scissors must be sanitized and sterilized
prior to use.
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?
Forceps are used to grasp the skin
when suturing an incision or closing a
wound in sterile surgery.
n  2.
n  They
may also be used to
grasp ticks or other
masses from a dog or cat.
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?
n
n
B. Surgical instruments
1. Needle holders, retractors, and scalpels are
also used in the surgery room.
a. Needle holders are used to grasp the needle at
the end of the suture; this allows the surgeon to
precisely close the incision, using various sewing
patterns.
n  b. Retractors are used to hold back the body wall
during surgery to allow the surgeon to expose and
visualize the internal organs easier.
n
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?
n  c.
Scalpels have two parts: a handle and a
very sharp blade.
n  Scalpels
are used to make a
precise incision.
n  More bleeding is associated
with scalpels versus scissors
because the blade is so sharp.
n  These instruments are important to the success
of the overall procedure and must be handled
with care.
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?
The anaesthetic machine is a
device that uses gases (e.g., oxygen and
nitrous oxide), typically causes
unconsciousness, and prevents the
patient from feeling pain during surgery.
n  2.
n  It
is important for the patient to receive the
proper dose.
n  An overdose could result in death, and too
little could cause the patient to be awake
and feel pain during the surgery.
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?
n  C.
Dental instruments
n  1. Dental instruments that are used on
animals are very similar to the
instruments humans use to clean their
teeth.
n  2. A dental instrument used on a pet at
home for teeth cleaning is a soft bristled
toothbrush.
n  There
are special toothbrushes made for
pets or a soft cloth may be used also.
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?
n  3.
The veterinarian uses the same tools
to extract teeth, fill cavities, and clean
teeth as the tools used on humans.
n  However,
the instruments
used on animals are a
different size than human
ones depending on the size of the animal.
Review
n
What are some common veterinary
medical root words, prefixes, and
suffixes?
n
What are some common veterinary
medical abbreviations?
Review
n
What are some terms that describe
the direction and position of
vertebrae animal body parts?
n
What are the functions of
instruments used in veterinary
practices?