Discuss careers and skills needed for employment in the small animal care industry

Objective 1.01

Benefits to society• Economic benefit from thousands of jobs

and $38.5 billion dollars (2006) input into the national economy

• Social benefit of small animals serving as companions and pets to almost 60% of all American families or 68.7 million households with at least one companion animal.

• Children learn responsibility and social skills and elderly benefit from improved quality of life as a result of keeping pets

Benefits to society• Valuable means of testing and

developing new products such as drugs and vaccines in a laboratory and research setting. (Hepatitis, diphtheria, tetanus, and polio vaccines were perfected through small animal research)

Benefits to society• Small animals are being used in pet

therapy to help patients overcome illness, improve vital signs, relieve depression, and provide a better quality of life for senior citizens and the disabled

Benefits to society• Dogs, in particular, are useful as watch dogs,

police dogs, and seeing eye dogs• Rabbits are useful as an excellent source of

meat that is low in cholesterol, sodium, and fat while being a highly palatable food source for protein

• Some small animals are used to provide products such as fur/wool for the production of coats, hats, gloves, and other articles of clothing

Benefits to society• Exhibition of animals provides

entertainment in zoos, circus acts, etc and increases and appreciation for animals

• Rabbits are one of the more versatile small animals in that they are raised not only for pets but for food, clothing, and research purposes also

Economic Impact• 15,000-18,000 retail pet stores• Biomedical research supported by $15

billion in taxes and charity used 65-100 million small animals• 6 million small animals were used in

educational facilities for dissection• 4 million small animals were used for the

LD50 (lethal dose 50) test

Economic Impact• Americans spend $20.3 billion per year on pets• Vet expenses exceed $11 billion annually.

Supplies and over the counter medicines add another $9.3 billion and grooming and boarding account for about $2.7 billion

• Dogs require twice as much for veterinary care as cats and more than any other small animal

• Pet food manufacturers produce $15.4 billion in sales (2006)

General pet ownership• There are about 10 million more cats

than dogs (81.7 to 72 million), with each cat owner averaging owning 2 cats

• However, dogs are found in more households (37.2% of homes) than cats (32.4% of homes)

• Fish, birds, and rabbits rank third, fourth, and fifth as far as pet ownership

Types of Jobs• Pet industry is just one small area of small animal

care and management. Other jobs are: lab animal care, zoo animal care, animal health, animal training, and in the area of biological sciences

• Jobs to supply food, equipment, and healthcare to small animals

• Research in hospitals, colleges and universities, diagnostic labs, and private firms in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries

• Exhibitors: operate animal acts, carnivals, circuses, public zoo, and marine mammal displays

Jobs and careers that exist in the small animal care and management

industry• Pet care workers: many types

provide many services to small animal owners. They are employed in boarding kennels, animal hospitals, animal shelters, pet stores, pet training schools, and pet grooming parlors

Small animal careers and jobs

• Kennel attendants: feed and care for animals and keep kennels clean• Animal groomers: bathe pets and brush

the pet and keep hair and nails trimmed• Dog trainers: teach dogs to obey signals

or commands, hunt, herd, or track, to guard lives or lead the blind

Small animal careers and jobs

• Small animal breeders: raise and market fur-bearing animals, animals for sale to pet shops, labs, and for the general public, they also arrange matings and care for females and the young. Usually specialize in one breed.

Small animal careers and jobs

• Pet shop owners: care for small animals they offer for sale, they offer a variety of small animals and need to be knowledgeable in running a business and dealing with customers• Pet shop manager: run the daily pet

store operations

Small animal careers and jobs

• Vets: Doctors of veterinary medicine, treat, and control animal injuries and diseases. They also vaccinate animals against disease, and inspect animals and meat products used for food.

• They will also perform surgery, set broken bones, establish diet and exercise routines, and prescribe medicines.

• 1/3 of vets in US treat only small animals

Small animal careers and jobs

• Dealers: people who sell lab animals for research and teaching

• Vet technicians: assist vet and other members of the vet staff in diagnosing and treating animals for injuries, illness, and routine vet needs, this can include vaccinations and routine checkups