Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer: Junior Veterinarians week 1

This week we learned that it is important to always wash hands before & after handling animals to prevent the spread of disease.

We learned hand hygiene reduces bacteria on the hands as well as those objects that hands come into contact with.

There are six steps to stage a proper hand wash protocol. I demonstrated these steps while the students participated.

If the proper process is not followed, hand washing will be inadequate and areas of the hands will not be cleaned properly.

Caring for a pet is a huge responsibility.

Owners of pets & junior veterinarians always should have a first aid kit close by.

We discussed the basic supplies in a pet first aid kit and I asked the students why THEY THINK those supplies would be needed and then explained if the students needed the correct reasons.

Antibiotic ointment for minor cuts or scrapes.
Anti-fungal spray for control of ringworm, itching or other fungus problems.
Anti-itch spray for relief of itching, dermatitis and abrasions.
Artificial tear gel.
Bandages -- Purchase an assortment of gauze and stretch bandages, and large and small gauze pads to cover wounds.
Bitter Apple Spray: Its bitter taste keeps your dog from licking her wounds.
Cotton balls and swabs for applying just about everything.
Ear wipes for wax and ear discharges.
Eye wipes to clean eye discharge.
Flea & tick shampoo for flea control.
Grease-cutting dishwashing detergent (mild) for cleaning wounds.
Iodine for wounds.
Latex gloves for your own protection.
Milk of magnesia -- as an acid neutralizer.
Saline solution -- to flush eyes.
Sanitary wipes for cleaning wounds and yourself.
Styptic powder to stop bleeding on nail tips.
Large Syringe (no needle) for flushing wounds or administering medicine.
Small nail scissors.
Tick release ointment.
Tweezers.
Hydrogen peroxide solution (3%): This is the most versatile item in your pet first aid kit. If you have one only thing available for pet emergencies make it hydrogen peroxide: It can be used to clean wounds and ears, and to induce vomiting. Check with your veterinarian for specifics on these procedures.

We made our own Pet First Aid Kit to use on our animals in the classroom :)

We also talked about “Domestic Animals” and what exactly that means. A domestic animal is an animal (of a species of vertebrates) that has been domesticated by humans so it is capable to live in a tame condition and depends on humankind for survival. Examples are dogs, cats, horses, hamster, etc.

We put our focus on dogs for that day’s lesson and we discussed the body language of tame submissive dogs and nutrition that domesticate dogs depend on humans to provide.

Reading a dog’s body language can be helpful in keeping you & the dog safe. As long as you can recognize these messages, you can interact with him confidently and safely, and you can protect him when he needs protection. We visited the ASPCA's site to help us identify canine body language.

Dog's surprisingly need a lot of the same nutrition we do!

1. Water is the most important nutrient. Essential to life, water accounts for between 60 to 70 percent of an adult pet’s body weight. While food may help meet some of your pet's water needs (dry food has up to 10 percent moisture, while canned food has up to 78 percent moisture), pets need to have fresh clean water available to them at all times. A deficiency of water may have serious repercussions for pets: a 10-percent decrease in body water can cause serious illness, while a 15-percent loss can result in death.

2. Proteins are the basic building blocks for cells, tissues, organs, enzymes, hormones and antibodies, and are essential for growth, maintenance, reproduction and repair. Proteins can be obtained from a number of sources. Animal-based proteins such as chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, fish and egg have complete amino acid profiles. (Please note: Do not give your pet raw eggs. Raw egg white contains avidin, an anti-vitamin that interferes with the metabolism of fats, glucose, amino acids and energy.) Protein is also found in vegetables, cereals and soy, but these are considered incomplete proteins.

3. Fats are the most concentrated form of food energy, providing your pet with more than twice the energy of proteins or carbohydrates. Fats provide the body insulation and protection for internal organs.

4. Carbohydrates provide energy for the body’s tissues, play a vital role in the health of the intestine, for having her puppies

5. Vitamins. Tiny amounts of vitamins are essential to dogs for normal metabolic functioning. Most vitamins cannot be synthesized in the body, and therefore are essential in the diet.
-When feeding a complete and balanced diet, it is unnecessary to give a vitamin supplement unless a specific vitamin deficiency is diagnosed by a veterinarian. Due to the practice of over supplementation, hypervitaminosis—poisoning due to excess vitamins—is more common these days than hypovitaminosis, or vitamin deficiency! Excess vitamin A may result in bone and joint pain, brittle bones and dry skin. Excess vitamin D may result in very dense bones, soft tissue calcification and joint calcification.
Minerals are inorganic compounds that are not metabolized and yield no energy. These nutrients cannot be synthesized by animals and must be provided in the diet. In general, minerals are most important as structural constituents of bones and teeth, for maintaining fluid balance and for their involvement in many metabolic reactions.

For a special snack we made MINI-DOGS!!!

And they were DOG gone good! ;)

We took a very fun and educational field trip to Livingston Animal Clinic ...

where Dr. Vaughan gave us a tour of the clinic and shared with us all the important aspects of taking care of animals. We viewed the examination room...

the grooming station...

the surgery room...

their lab for blood work...

x-ray room...

and even got to view a few animals!!

The kids absolutely loved every minute of it. After we finished, Dr. Vaughan gave us coloring books and tootsie pops!! We are so thankful for such a kind & generous town vet! Thank you Dr. Vaughan and Mrs. Bonnie and staff!!!

And then we couldn't leave for the holiday weekend without doing a flag handprint craft!