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Requirements September 1995 until January 2006

1. Tell the normal posture or attitude, motion or action of two farm animals and two pet animals.

2. Make a chart showing the normal body temperature, heart and respiration rates of the horse, cow, pig, sheep, dog, and cat.

3. Make a schematic drawing of at last two of the following body systems. Label the parts. Explain the function of each part: respiratory, digestive, skeletal, and circulatory.

4. Prepare a program of animal health maintenance for two farm animals and one pet. Emphasize adequate housing, feeding, watering, exercise, and grooming care, if required. Give the kinds of food each animal needs.

5. Tell the importance of proper nutrition in farm animals and pets.

6. Define bacterium, virus, and parasite. Tell how they cause diseases in animals. Name two diseases of farm animals and pets caused by each.

7. Show with drawings the stages of the life cycles of the tick, dog roundworm, and the dog heartworm.

8. Name five diseases of animals transmissible to humans.

9. Spend as much time as possible with a veterinarian. Watch the kind of work he does. Prepare a written summary of your experience.

10. Tell about veterinary activities other than direct treatment and handling of animals

Requirements January 2006 until Current

1. Discuss with your counselor the roles a veterinarian plays in the following:

1. Companion or small animal medicine, and equine medicine
2. Food animal or large animal medicine
3. Exotic animal medicine
4. Marine animal medicine (mammal and fish)
5. Poultry medicine
6. Wildlife medicine and aquaculture medicine

2. Discuss with your counselor the roles a veterinarian plays in the following:

1. Public health medicine and zoonotic disease surveillance and control
2. The military
3. Food safety and inspection
4. Laboratory animal medicine and research
5. Teaching and government

3. Describe the training required to become a veterinarian. Where is the veterinary medical college nearest you? Describe the prerequisites for applying to veterinary school.

4. Tell your counselor what a registered veterinary technician (R.T.V.) or animal health technician (A.H.T.) is. Describe the training required to become an R.V.T. or A.H.T. Where is the school or facility for R.V.T. or A.H.T. training nearest you? Describe the role an R.V.T. or A.H.T. would play in assisting a veterinarian working in three of the practice types listed in requirement 1.

5. Discuss with your merit badge counselor the role a veterinarian plays in the human-animal bond.

6. DO ONE of the following:

1. Visit a veterinary clinic, hospital, or veterinary referral teaching hospital that does work in one of the practices listed in requirement 1. Spend as much time as you can observing the veterinarians and their staff. Write a report on what you observed and learned at the facility. Share your report with your counselor.
2. Spend as much time as possible with a veterinarian who works in one of the fields listed in requirement 2. Learn what special training beyond veterinary medical school may have been required for that position. Learn about any special or unusual activities required of this position. Write a report on what you have learned about this field of veterinary medicine. Include in your report how this field serves the needs of the general public. Share your report with your counselor.