Explore Vet Nursing: Canine

Now Only

$389

AUD

35% off

$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
3340 Students

A practicing veterinarian teaches you to manage the entire canine breeding cycle, from assessing the health of parents to puppy care.

This course is the definitive guide to the principles of sound dog breeding. If you're a veterinary assistant or preparing to become one, this course will help you understand the essential facts so you can knowledgeably converse with clients on the complexities of canine reproduction.

Candidates for a breeding program need to be assessed not only for conformation, but also for health. They need a thorough reproductive examination and they should be screened for hereditary conditions such as hip dysplasia and eye diseases. Once selected, individual dogs are prepared for breeding with the help of proper nutrition, good parasite control, and appropriate vaccination programs.

By studying the hormonal cycle of the female dog in depth, the optimal time for breeding, for both natural mating and artificial insemination, can be identified. When a female fails to conceive, it is important to understand the potential causes. She may be suffering from infertility, but so may the male dog. You'll find out why.

Once the female has been confirmed pregnant, her needs must be met and preparations made for whelping (by knowing what is normal, when to intercede, and when to seek professional help). Postpartum complications in the female must be considered and close attention given to the needs of the puppies to ensure they reach weaning time in good health.

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course runs for 3 months. You’ll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate.

In our first lesson, you'll learn how to select parents for your breeding program by using blood tests, radiographs, and physical examinations. I'll give you a primer on genetic disease and then finish by telling you all about management of the breeding pair, specifically vaccinations, deworming, and nutrition.

How well do you know the female dog's anatomy? Besides learning the difference between the uterus and the oviducts, we'll look at the physical abnormalities that plague the female dog. You'll also find out how to diagnose infections and how those infections can impact fertility.

Today, we'll turn our attention to the male dog. He's a far more important contributor to the gene pool than the female. We'll delve into reproductive diseases that strike the male, such as cryptorchidism and Brucellosis, and conclude with a look at maladies such as testicular and prostatic disease that strike the geriatric male.

When is the right time to breed a female dog? Though this is a simple question, the answer eludes many people. Today, we'll examine the reproductive (estrous) cycle of the female. You'll discover myriad ways to pinpoint the most productive time to breed.

In this lesson, we'll explore two methods of breeding—natural and artificial. You'll be able to tell when there are problems with natural mating. When we look at artificial insemination, you have to know how to collect and evaluate semen to ensure the male is fertile. We'll cover how to do this as well as techniques for insemination.

By now, the female has been bred and you expect a pregnancy. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen every time. In today's lesson, we'll focus on reasons for infertility in the female, such as pyometra and cystic endometrial hyperplasia.

We'll now turn our attention to the hormonal fluctuations that influence fertility. We'll examine silent heats, persistent estrus, and a variety of other abnormalities. We'll even go over a few problems with sexual behavior.

In this lesson, we'll review some of the important reasons for male infertility. You'll begin by finding out why the male may not want to mate, such as having arthritis in his spine. Next, we'll look at semen production and the negative effects of such things as prostate infections. We'll conclude the lesson with a review of a male reproductive examination.

Assuming everything has gone right, you now have a pregnant dog and you have to take care of her. What should she be fed? Should she be vaccinated? What diseases could strike her during this time? We'll look at two specific examples you need to watch for—diabetes and pregnancy toxemia.

Finally, it's puppy time! In today's lesson, you'll learn what to expect during whelping. You'll know what's normal and when to suspect complications. Of course, our lesson wouldn't be complete without examining how to solve a whelping problem. You'll learn what you can do and how a caesarean is done.

Many people breathe a sigh of relief once the puppies are born, but for some dogs, this is when the problems really begin. Today's topic is postpartum disease. These diseases include mastitis, metritis, and hypocalcemia—a condition where the blood calcium drops to dangerous levels.

This final lesson is all about puppies. We'll look at the importance of the first drink of milk. You'll find out how to evaluate if they're getting enough food, and what to do if they aren't. We'll also look at how to keep them warm so they aren't chilled. And we'll conclude this lesson and the course with an itinerary that shows you what to do for the first six months of a puppy's life.

Jeff Grognet

Jeff Grognet has been a companion animal veterinarian for 25 years. He was a pioneer in the field of veterinary assistant teaching, developing his first course almost 20 years ago. The overwhelming success of his veterinary receptionist/assistant ... Read more

Read Jeff Grognet's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

Doc, I really enjoyed this class and learned more than I ever imagined. thanks, Evelyn I plan to breed my dog soon so this class was very helpful and informative. I will be using what I learned in this course to assist me during the upcoming breeding process.

Verified Student

I absolutely loved this course. It helped to give me a good foundation for my breeding program just what I was looking for at just the right time. Before this course ended I signed up for another one by Dr. Grognet.

Verified Student

I enjoyed this class from beginning to end. I cannot wait to take another class with Jeff Grognet. He makes learning seem effortless with his easy to read and easy to understand lessons. I would recommend this class to anyone who has an interest in canine reproduction, whether it is professional or just a desire to learn more about their faithful companion. You will not be disappointed!

Verified Student

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The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Explore Vet Nursing: Canine you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

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We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

We Won't Break The Bank

Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

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Explore Vet Nursing: Canine

$599

$389AUD

Save 35%

Explore Vet Nursing: Practical Skills

Now Only

$389

AUD

35% off

$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
2726 Students

Learn the practical skills you'll need to be a valuable veterinary nurse or educated pet owner.

Learn the practical skills you'll need to be a valuable veterinary nurse or educated pet owner. Taught by a practicing veterinarian, this course is the third installment in this series.

Please join us as we explore all the many duties that a veterinary assistant typically performs. Through instruction and demonstration, you'll learn how to safely restrain an animal for blood tests, urine collection, and injections. Then you'll find out how to obtain blood samples, which needles to use for which patient, where the best anatomical sites for collecting blood are located, and how to catheterise a bladder.

We'll also review the basics of blood and urine interpretation so you'll come to understand how veterinarians diagnose various conditions.

You'll gain a thourough understanding of examination room procedures, including disinfecting, prepping, and taking a patient's TPR (temperature, pulse, and respiration).

Other handy skills we'll cover include expressing anal glands, bathing, cleaning ears, giving medication, establishing the sex of a young kitten, puppy, or bunny, determining age, and trimming nails.

Throughout the course, you'll benefit from videos that demonstrate many of these procedures and techniques, as well as state-of-the-art interactive graphics. It's as close as you can get to actually being right there in the veterinarian's office!

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

We'll begin this course with a discussion about one of the basic duties of veterinary assistants—how to safely and securely hold animals. Proper restraint techniques are the keys to ensuring that you and the person performing a procedure are safe. In addition to learning those techniques, you'll find out how to assess a patient's body language, how to remove a dog from a cage, and how to use different equipment to control a patient.

We focused on dogs in the last lesson. Today, we'll change the focus to cats. Their body language cues differ from a dog's, so how you handle them will change, too. You'll learn the "stretch," the "scruff," and the "kitty burrito" restraint techniques. Then, we'll examine how to restrain rabbits, birds, and other exotics.

Now it's time to learn how to put your new restraint skills to work. Nearly every day, a veterinary assistant will be asked to help restrain an animal for any number of reasons: blood collection, injections, and routine examinations to name a few. Other times, you'll have to conduct a physical exam, give medication, or trim nails. In this lesson, I'll provide you with videos as well as detailed, step-by-step instructions to help prepare you for these duties.

A blood tests is a vital way for veterinarians to determine what's wrong with a patient. So taking blood samples and having a working knowledge of an animal's circulatory system is key for a veterinary assistant. After a review of the circulatory system, we'll look at the most common sites for taking blood—jugular, cephalic, and saphenous veins. Then, we'll take a look at the equipment you'll be using (needles, syringes, and blood collection tubes).

Now that you have a blood sample, what can you do with it? In this lesson, we'll focus on the tests you might help to perform and explore how veterinarians diagnose diseases. Though there are thousands of diseases, a few important ones are anemia, diabetes, kidney disease, and liver failure. You'll quickly learn the difference between white blood cells and chemistries and how to do a PCV and blood smear.

All fluids tell a story. In this lesson, we'll look at urine and how to take samples. You could just put a bowl under a dog, of course, but there other methods that will help ensure that the sample remains uncontaminated. And just like when we talked about blood, we'll also look at the tests that you might help to perform on urine, and go over what duties you'll be responsible for.

In this lesson, we'll move into the surgical suite. Although the veterinarian will do the surgery itself, she won't be able to do it alone. You may be asked to clip and scrub a patient for surgery. Other responsibilities could include preparing surgical packs, knowing the names of the surgical instruments, and cleaning and sterilizing those instruments properly. You'll also have a front row seat to a life-saving surgery that I performed on a little dog.

While it's not the most glamorous of tasks, keeping anal sacs clear and anal glands healthy is a big part of basic health care for companion animals. I'll explain how to identify an impacted sac and show you two techniques you can use to remedy this condition. We'll also examine how to clean ears, administer medication, and provide a bath—all common responsibilities that you may be assigned as a veterinary assistant.

Suppose someone brings you a little kitten and wants to know if it's a boy or a girl. Can you do it? In this lesson, we'll look at how to identify the gender of kittens, puppies, and bunnies, as well as how to tell their age. Knowing the age of a patient is important when figuring out how much medication to give. So I've also included a segment on how to calculate doses of medication to help you figure out what and how much to give your patient.

Now we'll move into the exam room. Yes, assistants have to know how to set up the room, but they can also play an important role in preparing the patients before the veterinarian sees them. In this lesson you'll learn about TPR—temperature, pulse, and respiration. We'll also discuss how to take a patient history, what to look for while performing the TPR, and how to identify dehydration.

Do you know metatarsals from metacarpals? How about ventral from dorsal? In this lesson, I'll give you a crash course in medial terminology and how to use it when taking radiographs. We'll also talk about how to read x-rays and go over why bones look white and lungs look dark. You'll discover how to train a dog so you can take a hip x-ray without sedation.

In this last lesson, we'll take a closer look at how to give injections (including vaccines) and how to diagnose one of the most common ailments that afflicts cats and dogs: worms. We'll discuss collection techniques, proper equipment, what to look for in a sample, and how to identify different types of worms. Finally, we'll wrap up with some of the more memorable cases I've dealt with during my years as a veterinarian. Maybe they'll inspire you to become a veterinarian yourself!