Specific Competencies and Skills Tested in this Assessment:
Safety and Sanitation
• Maintain a safe and sanitary environment
• Identify modes of transmission/prevention of zoonotic disease
• Identify and properly handle contaminated and hazardous material and chemicals
Animal Care Management
• Handle and restrain animals for various procedures
• Identify breeds and sex of animals (e.g., dogs, cats, rodents, rabbits, reptiles, birds)
• Feed and water animals and maintain sanitary cages
• Identify and manage care for animals at different life stages
• Gather data and maintain accurate records on animals
• Recognize and interpret animal body language
• Identify external anatomy
• Recognize issues of animal overpopulation and discuss prevention methods and benefits
• Identify training and enrichment methods and equipment
Grooming
• Select, identify, and properly use grooming equipment
• Select and prepare shampoos and rinses
• Identify and describe other various grooming procedures and methods (e.g., ears, coat, nails, and glands)
Genetics and Reproduction
• Define specific genetic and reproductive terminology, including sex-linked traits
• Use the Punnett Square to solve monohybrid cross, dihybrid cross, and quantitative factors
• Read and evaluate a pedigree
• Explain factors that affect reproductive health and fertility
• Identify and explain functions of reproductive organs
• Explain the role of hormones and factors that affect them
• Explain different phases of the reproductive/estrous cycle
• List signs of parturition and manage care in mammals and reptiles
Management of Small Animal-Related Businesses
• Identify professional communications and service
• Schedule appointments and maintain appointment book
• Record/file client data
• Perform and maintain inventory and financial records
• Demonstrate business mathematics
Animal First Aid
• Identify medical terminology, equipment, and supplies
• Explain arterial and venous bleeding and identify pressure points
• Identify symptoms and treatment of shock
• Describe appropriate ways of approaching an injured animal
• Identify various types of bandages and appropriate applications
• Perform physical assessment/triage, including TPR
• Describe the ABCs of CPR procedures
• Prepare slides and operate various types of microscopes
• Operate scales and weigh/measure animals properly
• Identify and describe routes of medication administration
• Identify surgical instruments and prepare surgical packs • Calculate dosage rates and conversions
Health and Disease Control
• List characteristics of a healthy animal
• Identify common internal and external parasites
• Perform examinations for internal and external parasites (e.g., fecal exams, ear cytology)
• Explain the differences between infections and non-infectious diseases (e.g., viral, bacterial, fungal)
• Describe the body’s response when exposed to disease (e.g., immunity, antibody/antigen)
• Explain how diseases are transmitted and prevention methods
• Discuss vaccination protocols
Nutrition
• Identify and explain functions of digestive system organs
• Explain digestive characteristics of cecal fermenters, monogastrics, and avian species
• List the six nutrient groups and their function and sources
• Determine type of food to feed different animal species
• Read and interpret feed labels and follow appropriate storage methods
• List diseases associated with nutritional deficiency and/or toxicity
Written Assessment:
Administration Time: 3 hours
Number of Questions: 196
Areas Covered:
6% Safety and Sanitation
18% Animal Care Management
5% Grooming
15% Genetics and Reproduction
9% Management of Small Animal-Related Businesses
23% Animal First Aid
14% Health and Disease Control
10% Nutrition
Sample Questions:
Ringworm is an example of a/an _____ hazard.
A. physical
B. environmental
C. zoonotic
D. parasitic
Cats should be restrained by the
A. legs
B. hips
C. muzzle
D. scruff
Stop the bleeding of a nail by using
A. cold water
B. styptic powder
C. cotton gauze
D. a bandage
A female cat is called a
A. boar
B. queen
C. bitch
D. sow
When new stock comes in, the current stock should be
A. left alone
B. thrown out
C. given away to customers and staff
D. rotated to the top/front
A dog has ingested an unknown toxin. The immediate first-aid treatment is to
A. induce vomiting by giving pink bismuth
B. transport to a veterinarian immediately
C. induce vomiting by giving hydrogen peroxide
D. let the dog excrete naturally
Why do parasite eggs come to the top during a fecal flotation? A. They are attracted to light.
B. They swim to the top.
C. They are more dense than the solution.
D. They are less dense than the solution.
Which of the following needles is the largest?
A. 18 gauge
B. 22 gauge
C. 25 gauge D. 30 gauge
An example of a giant rabbit breed is
A. Holland
B. Lionhead
C. Dutch
D. Flemish
The primary function of the small intestine is to A. break down food by muscular movement
B. add lubricating mucus
C. absorb water from undigested food
D. digest and absorb carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
Performance Assessment:
Administration Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Number of Jobs: 6
Areas Covered:
12% Identify Tools and Equipment
Participant will identify and correctly spell tools and equipment used in small animal science.
31% Proper Restraint and Sex Determination of Small Animals
Participant will remove small animals 1, 2, and 3 from a cage, pick it up,restrain it, determine its sex, and return it back to the cage.
14% Identify Parasites
Participant will place slides on a microscope, properly focus them,identify internal parasite eggs, and identify external adult parasites.
16% Fill Syringes
Participant will select and assemble syringes and needles and draw up fluids
.
20% Canines: Safety, Handling, Restraint, and External Anatomy Identification
Participant will lift and support and properly place the dog on the table, restrain the dog for blood draw, obtain pulse and respiration and identify external anatomy.
7% Determine Proper Diet for Animals
Participant will correctly match diets to animals.
Sample Job: Identify Tools and Equipment
Maximum Time: 20 minutes
Participant Activity: Identify and correctly spell each of the displayed pieces of equipment used in small animal science.