Animal Care and Nursing
What this domain tests
Animal care and nursing tests husbandry, restraint, vital signs, nutrition, fluid therapy, catheter care, medication administration, isolation, and client teaching. It rewards practical, patient-centered decisions.
Core rules
- Record TPR and pain score at every assessment; check mucous membrane color, CRT, hydration, mentation, and urine output.
- Use minimal restraint; choose towel wrap, muzzle, or chemical restraint based on safety and species.
- Resting energy requirement: RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75. Multiply by an illness factor only when indicated.
- Fluid deficit (mL) = % dehydration × body weight (kg) × 1000. Add maintenance and ongoing losses.
- Place catheters aseptically, secure them, flush per protocol, and monitor for phlebitis.
- Isolation requires hand hygiene, PPE, dedicated equipment, and correct disinfectant contact time.
- Refeeding syndrome risk is real in malnourished patients: start slowly and monitor electrolytes.
Worked example
A 10 kg dog is 5% dehydrated. Deficit = 0.05 × 10 × 1000 = 500 mL. If maintenance is 3 mL/kg/hr, that is 30 mL/hr, or 720 mL/day. Replace the deficit over a planned period and add maintenance; reassess perfusion and hydration rather than giving the whole volume rapidly.
Traps that cost marks
Estimating dehydration without weighing; overfeeding a starved patient; forgetting maintenance fluids; poor catheter securement; using the wrong disinfectant; ignoring pain.