Biological & Health Sciences Division

Foothill VT Gotta Get It Freebie!
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Here's a truly fascinating and useful handout for solving those pesky Dilution Problems that have a way of popping up during your work day (whether you know it or not!) Yes, you do need to know some math to be a good tech! Many veterinary technicians and assistants have never learned how to do dilution problems so they estimate, guess and eyeball-it when making up solutions. This can be very dangerous for your patients and shouldn't be allowed in your hospital.

Come on, take a few minutes to study up and learn how to do it right! Even if you're 'math phobic' you can learn to do the calculations that every veterinary technician should know how to do. If you want to learn more, consider enrolling in VT 53B Medical Calculations for Technicians at Foothill College this winter quarter. Dr. Mac Dougall is a great teacher and can even make learning math fun and relevant to your work.

Idea: Why don't you start a binder to keep and organize all the clinically useful information you come across? Pretty soon your Dr. will be so impressed with all the new things you have learned to do, they'll just have no choice but to give you a raise! (Especially if you are the only one in the place that knows how to do these things!)

Next: Converting Between Ratios x Percent Solutions x mg/mL (Working with: 1:10,000 & 1:1000 Epinephrine, D5W, 50% Dextrose, 20% Mannitol, 2.5% Pentothal, etc.)

Hope you enjoy this Freebie. A list of Humorous Medical Acronyms. Clever and funny, if you're a sick puppy! Compiled from various unnamed Internet sources with a special nod to Dr. Pion at vin.com and Dr. Peter's wife, Jan the ER Nurse.

All in good fun. No dishonor or disrespect to clients, patients or colleagues is intended. I know this isn't the most useful document we've ever posted but we can't be serious all the time! Do try to enliven and enrich your veterinary medical vocabulary ;-)

If you want to learn more real Vet Med Terminology you can enroll in VT53A-Veterinary Medical Terminology for Technicians at Foothill College.

*Warning: Not recommended for use if front of clients or people that take themselves too seriously.

ADR	Ain't Doin' Right
ART	Assuming Room Temperature
BBBD	Bit By Big Dog
CATS	Cut All To Sh*t
CCFCCP	Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs (For that special client)
CTD	Circling The Drain
DND	Damn Near Dead
DRT	Dead Right There
FDGB	Fall Down Go Boom
FODE	Falling On Deaf Ears
FTD	Fixing to Die
FUBAR	F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition
HIBGIA	Had It Before, Got It Again
HBFFF	Hit By Fifty-Five Ford
HBWTT	Hit by Won Ton Truck
MAC	Mean Assed Cat
MUH	Messed Up Heart
NLBODF	No Large Bags Of Dog Food
NVTAI	Negative Vehicle To Animal Interface
OFIG	One Foot In The Grave
ONWTT	Owner Not Wrapped Too Tight
PBS	Pretty Bad Shape
PCL	Pre-Code Looking
PU	Paws Up
PITA	Pain In The Ass (for that extra special client)
PLH	Pray Long and Hard
SP	Street Pizza
SYB	Save Your Breath (for those clients that don't listen)
TBC	Total Body Crunch
TCB	Tri-Colored Bitch
TFIGAOOBP	Three Feet In Grave And One On Banana Peel
UD	Until Dead (As in Prednisone, 20 mg, q24h, UD)
UNIVAC	Unusually Nasty Infection, Vultures Are Circling

This Freebie is a very interesting diagram created from the Purdue University Pet Overpopulation Data. The Flow Diagram of US Pet Dog Population demonstrates the "flow" of animals through our society. Check out the "ins & Outs" of pet overpopulation--the bummer is that the 'Ins' are far greater than the 'Outs'! The numbers are staggering!! YOU can help educate people about this serious problem: Print the diagram and put it on your wall, reduce it and keep a copy in your wallet, show it to your friends and family and generally become a big pest about pet overpopulation!

Go to the new highly informative site created by VIN.com called Y2Spay. Here you will find:

Also, check out these cool links to slide shows of a canine spay, a dog neuter, and even a C-section! Our thanks to the doctors and staff at Long Beach Animal Hospital for these excellent educational tools (Nice site--Check it out).

Inform yourself, then inform others--You CAN make a difference. Why not create a new client education handout for use in your hospital or clinic or go talk to a group of kids or adults about pet overpopulation.

RVTs study animal reproduction and surgical nursing in depth: If you've got a license--Go take a continuing education course. If you don't, think about going to school to get licensed--Do it for yourself!

If you are working in a veterinary clinic as a veterinary assistant and want to learn more about Clinical Pathology, consider enrolling in VT 84-Clinical Pathology for Veterinary Technicians at Foothill College. This course has a prerequisite of college General Chemistry and is offered every Fall Quarter (September to December). If you are not a student in the program, you must contact the Veterinary Technology Program Director to obtain permission to enroll. Heck, why not go back to school and get your RVT License!! Check out the information on this web site for more details on how to do it.

No More "Guesstimating" Intravenous Fluid Volumes and Fluid Rates! Thanks to the Foothill College Vet Tech's handy Fluid Administration Chart you can look up and deliver exactly the amount of fluids your patients need without painful medical calculations! (We have also provided a Blank Chart in case your doctor disagrees with the fluid dosages Dr. Peter used).

No time to attend school full-time due to family, work or other personal commitments?

Then the "Alternate Route" to California State Board Exam eligibility may be for you!

This document contains important information and advice from the Program Director for those unregistered assistants interested in qualifying for the California RVT Exam without attending a two year AS Degree, AVMA accredited Veterinary Technology Program.

paw print

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