Animal Care Program Details
The Animal Care certificate program is designed for individuals passionate about working with animals and seeking a rewarding career in the animal care industry. This program equips students with the knowledge and practical skills needed to provide quality care as a veterinary assistant and animal attendant for a variety of animals in a range of settings, from veterinary hospitals to animal shelters and boarding facilities. The program prepares graduates to meet the growing demand for skilled animal care professionals by focusing on topics like:
- Animal behaviour, nutrition, wellness and welfare
- Animal interactions and handling of domestic animals including large animals and exotics
- Basic animal nursing care procedures
- Animal legislation and ethics
- Client service skills
Understanding the science behind what motivates behaviour is necessary for safe interactions with animals. You’ll delve into the study of animal psychology and behavioural patterns, learning how factors like environment, genetics, and health influence an animal’s actions. This knowledge is critical for ensuring safe handling and identifying stress or discomfort in animals, enabling you to respond effectively as an animal attendant in various situations. Whether you're working with a nervous dog or an uncooperative cat, understanding behaviour will help you provide better care while minimizing stress and risks to both yourself and the animal.
Effective client relations with pet owners are fundamental to providing quality care. As part of the Animal Care program, you’ll develop strong communication skills that are essential when working with pet owners. It’s important to be able to explain an animal's needs or health conditions in a way that owners can understand and act upon. This aspect of the program ensures that you’ll be able to build trust with clients as their animal care attendant, fostering better cooperation when it comes to the care and well-being of their pets. You'll also learn how to participate in medical discussions with veterinary medical professionals in the veterinary setting. Assisting in client communication and education in parasite prevention, nutrition, behaviour, and including sensitive topics, such as discussing an animal's illness or end-of-life care, with compassion and professionalism.
Knowing the proper standards of care for common species offers an opportunity to assist with improving animal welfare. You'll gain expertise in providing species-specific care as an animal care attendant, including understanding their nutritional needs, exercise requirements, and living environments. You'll explore the importance of regular wellness checks and vaccinations and how to spot early signs of illness or injury.
Our one-year, two-semester Animal Care program will give you the knowledge and skills to become a valued member of an animal facility. The hands-on training throughout the Animal Care program ensures you’ll be comfortable handling animals in real-world settings. Whether you're interested in working with domestic pets or other animals, this program offers a comprehensive foundation to help you thrive in the animal care industry.
Animal Care Program Learning Outcomes
- Assist with managing animal behaviour by interpreting animal body language and applying restraint techniques when appropriate.
- Contribute to the implementation of a plan of care to enable and enhance health, wellness, and safety of animals.
- Assist with basic clinical procedures on animals.
- Respond to diverse needs of clients by providing customer service in animal care environments.
- Assist with daily administrative tasks, reception, and basic bookkeeping duties in animal care environments.
- Provide professional, humane and ethical care for the basic needs of animals within the scope of the regulation, laws, and statutes governing animals and the veterinary profession.
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