Top 25 Terms Every Veterinary Technician Students Should Know

It’s hard to say what the top 25 terms every veterinary technician students should know are. Below are 25 terms, however, that are a very good place to start. If you’re thinking about going into veterinary technician school in the near future, it would be worth your while to learn these terms and other important words that will soon become a part of your everyday vocabulary.


1. Antibiotic: a substance produced by a microorganism that inhabits or kills other microorganisms

2. Anemia: a condition signified by a low RBC count

3. Ataxia: an uncoordinated gait that is usually associated with a neurological dysfunction

4. Aural: in or of the ear

5. Axillary: under the armpit

6. Barbering: behavioral problem where animal obsessively grooms until damage to skin and fur occurs

7. Colitis: an inflammation of the colon

8. Cystotomy: an incision made into the bladder

9. Dorsal Recumbency: lying on its back

10. Emesis: vomiting

11. Epilepsy: a brain disorder that causes recurrent and often violent seizures

12. Glucosuria: a presence of glucose in the urine

13. Hematoma: a blood clot

14. Hernia: abnormal protrusion of an organ or other body structure

15. Lateral Recumbency: lying on its side

16. Mycosis: a fungal infection in or on a part of the body

17. Nematode: a round worm or heart worm

18. pH: an inverse logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration of a fluid

19. Pharynx: a part of the digestive and respiratory tract that extends from the back of the nasal cavity and mouth all the way to the esophagus

20. Polydipsic: when a patient is drinking more water than normal, characterized by excessive thirst

21. Pruritic: itchy

22. Renomegaly: an enlargement of one or both of the kidneys

23. Shock: a condition marked by a decrease in perfusion as well as a decrease in the amount of oxygen being delivered to vital organs

24. Viscus: any large internal organ

25. Viscid: thick and sticky

There are definitely more than 25 terms that a vet tech will need to learn in order to effectively do their job. There are more than 25 basic terms a vet tech needs to know just to make it through their first semester of school, for that matter. However, the above terms may be just what you need to get you started and pique your interest.
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