My Vet Glossary

20 Veterinary medecine terms

Hi, I'm Jinny! I am a full time student at Montmorency College in Science and Social Science, who aspire to be a future veterinarian. I've been studying at Montmorency College for 2 years and I will hopefully be done in 1 year. My program is a little longer than usual since it's a double DEC. This is my little veterinarian glossary of 20 terms who will hopefully help everybody who is interested in working with veterinary medicine. Some terms in medicine can be tricky, and I am certain that this glossary will help you figure out the definitions of the terms and of the abbreviations.

-ectomy
Surgical removal.
analgesic
Medication given to reduce pain.
apnea
The absence of breathing.
BAR
Being Bright, Alert and Responsive.
biopsy
An examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease.
cataract
Opacity of the lens of the eye.
diagnosis
The identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms.
dyspnea
Difficult or labored breathing.
emesis
The action or process of vomiting.
fever
An abnormally high body temperature.
hyper-
Something that is considered high.
hyperventilate
Breathe or cause to breathe at an abnormally rapid rate.
hypo
Something that is considered low.
leukocytosis
An increase in the number of white blood cells.
leukopenia
A decrease in the number of white blood cells.
seizure
A sudden attack of illness, especially a stroke or an epileptic fit.
TPR
Vital signs as Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration.
Veterinarian
A person qualified to treat diseased or injured animals.
Veterinary Assistant
A person who helps with the care of the animals such as lab work, drawing blood and collecting urine.
Veterinary Technician
A person who assists the veterinarian with the diagnosis and treatment plan.