8.1 Introduction to Terminology for Large Animals
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to
- Identify common anatomical landmarks in cows, horses, sheep, goats, and pigs
- Define sex, age, and status-specific terms for cows, horses, sheep, goats, and pigs
- Define “supply management” and describe the animal-based industries in Canada: the animals, products, and common breeds
- Identify common management procedures for horses, cows, and pigs
- List what might be considered in a vaccine protocol
- Describe the importance of deworming protocols in production animals, and define the importance of resistant parasites
- Describe principles of restraint for horses, cows, and sheep
- Distinguish between feeding principles of horses, cows, sheep, and goats
- Describe the importance of body condition scoring
Chapter Overview
In this chapter, we will discuss terminology related to common large animal species that are seen by veterinary clinics such as horses, cows, goats, sheep, and pigs.
Most of our large animal species live on farms, and many are production animals that provide food for humans. We will explore the different terms associated with them based on their age, sex, production stage, what they produce, as well as their management and nutrition requirements.
Restraint and behaviour is also discussed, as these animals are generally much larger than cats and dogs and so require specific techniques to be handled safely.
Animals used in farming to produce goods (e.g. cows for milk/beef, pigs for pork, chicken for eggs, etc.)
