Discuss medical terminology used by those working in the veterinary phase of the small

animal care industry

Objective 3.02

Medical Terminology• Components of medical terminology• Prefix- word part at the beginning of the

word indicating number, location, time or status– a-, an- without, lack of (anemia-without

blood)– anti- against, opposing (antiseptic-against

infection)– pre- before (preoperative- before operation)

Components of Medical Terminology

• Root words- word part that gives the fundamental meaning of the word–cardi- heart (cardiology- study of the

heart–gastr- stomach (gastrostomy- surgical

opening of the stomach)–phleb-, ven- vein (phlebotomist-

person who obtains blood from veins)

Components of Medical Terminology

• Suffixes- word part at the end of the word indicating procedure, condition, disease, or disorder– -algia pain (arthralgia- painful joints)– centesis surgical puncture to remove fluid

(cystocentesis- removing fluid from the bladder)– -itis inflammation (bronchitis- inflammation of

the bronchial tubes– -rrhea flow or discharge (diarrhea- watery flow

or discharge)

Positional Terminology • Ventral- underside of the body• Cranial- head• Anterior- front of the body• Dorsal- back• Caudal- tail• Dorsal (frontal) plane- plane that divides the body

into dorsal (back) and ventral (belly) parts• Transverse (horizontal or cross-sectional) plane-

plane that divides the body into cranial and caudal parts

General Terminology• Antisepsis- process of applying a preparation to

the surface of living tissue to prevent infections and inhibit growth of microorganisms.

• Biopsy- removal of a tissue sample for microscopic diagnosis and examination

• Catheterization- insertion of a sterile plastic tube into the urethra to remove urine

• Contact transmission- disease transmission that includes direct contact, indirect contact and droplet contact

General Terminology• Incubation- period of time between the animal

contact with an infection and the appearance of disease symptoms

• Infectious disease- diseases capable of being spread from one animal to another

• Pocket pets- term used to describe small pets once only thought of as laboratory animals such as gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice and rats

• Preventative health care programs- designed by the veterinarian to help prevent disease and health problems in individual animals or herds of animals

General Terminology• Quarantine- isolation of an animal or

animals suspected to have been exposed to an infectious disease for the duration of the potential disease’s incubation period• Spaying- removal of female reproductive

organs• Zoonoses- disease that can be transmitted

from animals to humans