Pet Care

Like our human family members, pets don't come with an instruction book. Completing this course will give you a sound introduction to caring for a wide variety of different pets, whether they have legs or wings, scales or fins.

The Learning Cloud pet care course provides an outstanding opportunity for you to learn about your pets and how to meet their many and various needs. A sound foundation for the care of a wide variety of different pets is provided, giving you the tools to give your pets the best care possible.

This course is a must for any animal lover, particularly those wishing to work with domestic animals or in the pet care industry.

This course has been developed by highly qualified and experienced professionals including Veterinary Surgeons, a former wildlife park manager, and university lecturers, who are available to support your learning and discuss any queires you may have.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Animal Care
   • Laws and licenses
   • Animal Charities and Societies (eg. RSPCA, WSPA, Blue Cross)
   • Pet Care Needs (feeding, Watering, Shelter, Containment, Fencing, Caging, Protection)
   • Maintaining Health
   • Hygiene
2. Cats
   • Breeds (Lang Haired, Semi Long Haired, Short Haired, Oriental etc)
   • Cat Selection
   • Allergies
   • Containment
   • Sexing
   • Desexing
   • Breeding
   • Newborn Kittens
   • Exercise
   • Behaviour
   • Hygiene
   • Feed and nutrition
   • Amount of food
   • Watering, Grooming
   • Travelling
   • Care for a sick cat (Signs of illness, Temperature, Common ailments, Skin disorders, Ticks)
   • Cats and wildlife
3. Dogs
   • Dog Selection
   • Breeds (Pure and mixed)
   • Varying size and temperament
   • Grooming
   • Skin care
   • Inherited traits (aggression, deafness)
   • Containment
   • Breeding
   • Desexing
   • Exercise
   • Behaviour
   • Feeding
   • Canine Nutrition
   • Bones
   • Watering
   • Training
   • Travelling
   • Identifying sickness
4. Birds
   • Bird Selection
   • Breeds (eg. Canaries, Finches, Budgerigars, Small Parrots etc)
   • Sexing
   • Desexing
   • Containment (Aviaries –selection, design, size, management)
   • Feed and Feeding
   • Watering
   • Grooming (Wing trim, Beak Trim, Nail Trim)
   • Hygiene
   • Catching and Restraining
   • Travelling
   • Caring for the Sick Bird
   • Signs of illness
   • Temperature
   • Supportive therapy
   • Common Ailments (eg. Abscesses, Alopecia, Apoplexy, Aspergillosis, Breathlessness, Constipation, Parasites)
   • Safety in the Home
5. Fish
   • Fish Selection
   • Inside or Outside
   • Warm or Cold water
   • Number of fish
   • Types of fish (Tropical, Marine, Cold Water)
   • Costs, Size
   • Equipment: Tanks, Ponds, Pumps, Aquariums, Night lights
   • Water quality
   • Changing Water, Feed (Pelleted, live feed –Daphnia, Brine Shrimp)
   • Illnesses (Fungal, Bacterial, Parasites, Environmental)
6. Rabbits
   • Rabbit Breeds (Large, Small and Dwarf)
   • Selection
   • Legality (Illegal in some areas)
   • Containment (Hutch or Cage)
   • Environment (temperature etc)
   • Feeding, Nutrition, Watering, Feed quantities and routine
   • Grooming
   • Handling
   • Moulting
   • Transporting
   • Sexing, Breeding
   • Identifying illness (Coccidiosis, Snuffles, Myxomatosisis, Sore Hocks, Pasteurellosis, Ear Canker, Heat Stroke, Cannibalism, Calcivirus Disease)
   • Care of sick rabbits
7. Reptiles and Amphibians
   • Types (eg. Salamander, Frogs, Venomous snakes, Non-venomous snakes, Shingle-backed lizard, Tortoises, Terrapins, Axolotls, etc),
   • Selection,
   • Legal Issues,
   • Housing,
   • Environmental requirements (Moisture, Humidity, Warmth, etc),
   • Terrariums,
   • Problems (eg. Dehydration, Stress, External and internal parasites, Blisters, Scale Rot, Mouth Rot or Canker, Colds/pneumonia, Constipation and diarrhoea, Cannibalism, Incomplete sloughing of the skin -shedding of the skin)
   • Feed and feeding
   • General Care
8. Guinea Pigs, Hamsters and Mice
   • Varieties, Selection
   • Containment
   • Sexing, Breeding
   • Grooming
   • Feeding, Watering
   • Illness (eg. Skin Problems, Abscesses, Mites, Ringworm, Fleas, Respiratory Infection, Vitamin C Deficiency, Otitis, Salmonella, Stripping etc)

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Discuss the general principles of pet care, as they relate to a wide range of different types of pets.
• Describe routine care for cats.
• Compare the characteristics of different cat breeds.
• Describe routine care for dogs.
• Compare the characteristics of different dog breeds.
• Describe routine care for birds as pets.
• Describe routine care for fish
• Describe routine care for rabbits as pets.
• Describe routine care for reptiles and amphibians.
• Describe routine care for rodent pets.

What Do Pets Need?

No matter what type of pets you are looking after there are some general needs that must be fulfilled. Learn to cater to a wide variety of needs, including: 

Food

Water

Shelter/Containment/Protection

Hygiene

Controlling Pests and Diseases

After You Finish Study

When you complete this course you should have a much better foundation for understanding how to care for a whole range of different pets.

For some people, this will help you look after your own animals better; but for others, it may be the starting point for a business or career working with companion animals.

Some opportunities for people completing our course

This course may provide an advantage to those wishing to work in a pet shop, pet sitting or in a home care capacity for companion animals.

This is a good opportunity for people who like working with animals, but who also have good people skills. The work would not only involve educating customers on how to look after their pets. You may also influence their choice of purchase but may be even advising a customer with regard to the pet which is most suited to their situation. It would be important that you are competent handling a whole range of species from small rodents to cage birds, snakes and other reptiles as demand for these pets increases.