Animal Nursing and Patient Care
What the exam tests
Animal Nursing and Patient Care tests vital signs, nutrition, pain assessment, catheter and wound care, husbandry, and client teaching.
Core rules
- Know species-specific normal ranges for temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate.
- Resting energy requirement: RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75. Illness factors adjust for injury or growth.
- Body condition score and muscle condition score guide feeding and monitoring.
- Pain assessment uses behavior, posture, facial expression, and interaction; treat pain rather than waiting for obvious signs.
- Aseptic catheter care, secure bandages, and frequent recumbency checks prevent complications.
- The nursing process is assess, plan, implement, and evaluate; document each step.
Worked example
A 10 kg dog: 10^0.75 = 5.62; RER = 70 × 5.62 = 393 kcal/day. With a 1.2 illness factor, the plan is about 472 kcal/day. Divide by the diet's kcal/can to get cans per day, then split into meals. Recheck weight and intake daily.
Traps
- Feeding an anorexic cat too rapidly, risking refeeding syndrome.
- Using human foods or supplements without veterinary guidance.
- Missing pain because the patient is quiet or immobilized.
- Letting a catheter dressing become wet or contaminated.
- Failing to weigh the patient or document intake and output.