Animal Husbandry, Nutrition, and Preventive Care
This domain tests body condition scoring, calorie calculations, life-stage feeding, husbandry, vaccination, parasite control, and zoonosis prevention.
Nutrition
Use a 1-to-9 body condition score, with 5 as ideal. Calculate resting energy requirement as 70 × body weight in kg to the 0.75 power. Multiply by a life-stage factor for maintenance, growth, or weight loss. Transition diets gradually and provide fresh water.
Worked example
A 10 kg neutered adult dog: 10^0.75 = 5.62, so RER = 70 × 5.62 = 393 kcal/day. For maintenance, use about 1.6 × RER = 629 kcal/day. Reasoning: calculate RER first, then apply the factor; do not feed by cup volume alone because calorie density varies.
Husbandry and prevention
Match housing, bedding, temperature, and enrichment to species. Rabbits need hay and space; birds need perches and mental stimulation; reptiles need species-specific temperature gradients. Core vaccines and parasite control follow the veterinarian's plan and local law.
Zoonoses
Wash hands after animal contact, handle feces and ectoparasites carefully, and advise pregnant or immunocompromised clients about toxoplasmosis, salmonellosis, and ringworm.
Traps
Using an adult maintenance factor for a growing puppy; free-feeding an obese cat; changing diet abruptly; assuming a vaccine plan fits every lifestyle; ignoring zoonotic counseling.