Veterinary Medicine Vocabulary: 100 Key English Terms
English is the shared language of veterinary journals, drug datasheets, international congresses and the licensing exams vets take to work abroad, and clinics in big cities and tourist areas see more and more pets with foreign owners. This glossary brings together the words veterinarians and vet students need first, from species names and the clinical examination to vaccination, surgery and anaesthesia, farm animal diseases, nutrition and husbandry, with Turkish equivalents and realistic sentences from small animal and farm practice. It uses British spelling, gives the American forms, and points out traps for Turkish speakers such as anamnez (history), rapel (booster) and anorexia.
100 terms
11 topics
63 core terms
208 example sentences
Read, understand, keep going
No account needed. Read the meaning, see where the term is used, then study the examples. Click any word in the lesson for help. You can also select a word and press Alt + Enter.
Animals, Species and Breeds
companion animal
noun
Meaning
An animal kept mainly for company rather than for food, work or profit, such as a dog, cat, rabbit or pet bird. It is a more formal word for pet.
Where you use it
Common in professional writing, legislation and job adverts: companion animal practice, companion animal medicine. In conversation vets say pet or small animal; small animal practice usually means dogs, cats and other household pets.
Examples
Most of our patients are companion animals, but we also see a few goats and alpacas.
The journal publishes research on companion animal behaviour and welfare.
Common phrases
companion animal practice · companion animal medicine · companion animal owner · exotic companion animals
Animals kept on farms to produce meat, milk, eggs, wool or other products, such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry.
Where you use it
A collective noun with no plural -s: say livestock, never livestocks, and it usually takes a plural verb. Common in livestock farming, livestock movements, livestock markets and livestock practice, and in government rules on disease and transport.
Examples
All livestock must be ear-tagged and registered before they leave the farm.
Livestock vets spend much of their week on herd health visits.
Common phrases
livestock farming · livestock movement · livestock market · livestock vet · livestock production
A group of animals within one species that share a recognisable appearance and traits passed down through controlled mating, such as the Labrador or the Holstein.
Where you use it
Recorded in every patient file and asked at the first visit: What breed is he? Vets talk about breed predispositions, because many diseases are more common in certain breeds. Breed is also a verb: to breed dogs, breeding cattle.
Examples
Hip dysplasia is a known problem in this breed, so we screen breeding dogs.
Is he purebred or a crossbreed?
Brachycephalic breeds such as pugs often struggle in hot weather.
Common phrases
breed predisposition · pure breed · crossbreed · breed standard · dairy breed
Relating to dogs. As a noun it also means a dog in formal writing, and in anatomy it is the long pointed tooth next to the incisors.
Where you use it
Used in disease names, journals and product names: canine parvovirus, canine distemper, canine behaviour. In conversation vets simply say dog; canine sounds formal or technical.
Examples
Canine distemper is rare in well-vaccinated populations.
She works as a canine physiotherapist at a referral hospital.
Usage note
Pronounced KAY-nine. The other species adjectives are feline (cats), equine (horses), bovine (cattle), ovine (sheep), caprine (goats) and porcine (pigs).
Cows, bulls, steers and calves kept for milk or meat. It is a plural noun with no singular form.
Where you use it
Always plural: the cattle are, never 'a cattle' or 'cattles'. For one animal say a cow, a bull, a heifer or a head of cattle. Vets split the work into dairy cattle and beef cattle; the adjective is bovine.
Examples
The cattle are housed indoors from November to April.
He runs a beef unit with about three hundred head of cattle.
Usage note
Cow means an adult female that has calved; a young female that has not calved is a heifer, and a castrated male raised for beef is a steer (UK also bullock).
Common phrases
dairy cattle · beef cattle · head of cattle · cattle movement · cattle shed
A group of animals of one kind that live, feed or are farmed together, especially cattle, goats, pigs or horses.
Where you use it
In farm practice vets think about the whole herd, not just the individual cow: herd health, herd fertility, herd testing. A herd health plan is agreed with the farmer and reviewed regularly.
Examples
Lameness is costing this herd a lot of milk.
We visit the herd every two weeks for fertility checks.
Usage note
Sheep and poultry are kept in flocks, not herds. Herd immunity, however, is used for any species, including people.
Common phrases
dairy herd · herd health · herd health plan · closed herd · herd immunity
A plant-eating animal with a four-compartment stomach that chews the cud, such as cattle, sheep, goats and deer.
Where you use it
Used in nutrition, pharmacology and disease texts: ruminant nutrition, small ruminants (sheep and goats). Vets talk about the rumen, rumen function and rumination, and many drugs are licensed separately for ruminants.
Examples
Ruminants need plenty of long fibre to keep the rumen working properly.
She specialises in small ruminant medicine.
Usage note
Camels and llamas also chew the cud but have three stomach compartments, so they are sometimes called pseudo-ruminants.
Common phrases
small ruminants · ruminant nutrition · ruminant species · ruminant digestion
Relating to horses, donkeys and other members of the horse family. As a noun, an equine is any animal of this family.
Where you use it
Common in job titles and services: equine vet, equine practice, equine hospital, equine dentistry. In daily talk horse vets say horse or pony; equine sounds professional.
Examples
After graduating, he joined an equine practice near the racecourse.
Equine colic is the most common emergency we see at weekends.
Usage note
Usually pronounced EK-wine. For the person, equine vet is far more common than 'horse doctor'.
Common phrases
equine vet · equine practice · equine hospital · equine dentistry · equine welfare
Birds kept for meat or eggs, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. The word also means the meat of these birds.
Where you use it
A plural or uncountable noun: poultry are kept in flocks, in houses or sheds. Poultry vets work mainly at flock level on vaccination, biosecurity and disease monitoring, for example for avian influenza.
Examples
Poultry flocks were kept indoors during the avian influenza outbreak.
She's a poultry vet working with broiler and layer farms.
Usage note
Pronounced POLE-tree. Don't confuse it with paltry (very small) or poetry.
Common phrases
poultry farm · poultry flock · poultry vet · poultry industry · poultry house
A qualified animal doctor who examines animals, diagnoses and treats their diseases, performs surgery and prescribes medicines. Vets also work in food safety, public health and research.
Where you use it
The standard word in US English and in international writing. In everyday speech almost everyone says vet, and in the UK the legal title is veterinary surgeon, even for vets who never operate. Vets often specialise in small animals, farm animals, horses or exotics.
Examples
Our practice has four veterinarians, and two of them see only farm animals.
She worked as a mixed-practice veterinarian in Wales before moving into research.
Usage note
Vet is also an everyday verb meaning to check someone or something carefully (vet a job candidate), with no link to animals. Don't use veterinary for the person: it is an adjective (veterinary clinic, veterinary medicine).
Common phrases
small animal veterinarian · farm animal veterinarian · practising veterinarian · consult a veterinarian · equine veterinarian
A meeting, usually booked as an appointment, in which a vet examines an animal, discusses the problem with the owner and agrees a plan.
Where you use it
Usually shortened to consult: a ten-minute consult, a second-opinion consult. Vets are in consults all morning, and the consultation fee pays for the vet's time. The room is the consulting room or consult room.
Examples
The consultation fee includes a full physical examination.
I've got back-to-back consultations until one o'clock.
Common phrases
book a consultation · consultation fee · consulting room · follow-up consultation · second-opinion consultation
A trained, registered professional who assists vets, monitors anaesthesia, cares for hospitalised animals, takes samples and advises owners on routine care. In the US: veterinary technician.
Where you use it
Often shortened to vet nurse or RVN (registered veterinary nurse) in the UK, and vet tech in the US. Nurses run nurse clinics for weight checks, dental advice and suture removal.
Examples
The veterinary nurse will take her blood pressure while you wait.
Our veterinary nurses run a free weight clinic every Tuesday.
Usage note
In everyday British speech, veterinary is often said in three syllables: VET-n-ree.
Sending an animal to a specialist or a better-equipped hospital for tests or treatment that the first practice cannot provide.
Where you use it
The first-opinion vet refers the case and writes a referral letter; the specialist sends back a referral report. Referral hospitals offer services such as MRI, orthopaedic surgery and oncology.
Examples
I'd recommend a referral to a neurologist for an MRI scan.
We received the referral letter and the X-rays this morning.
Common phrases
referral letter · referral hospital · referral centre · refer a case · first-opinion practice
To admit an animal to the clinic so that it stays for treatment, monitoring or care, for example on a drip. US spelling: hospitalize.
Where you use it
Vets also say admit or keep in: We'd like to keep him in overnight. Hospitalised patients have a hospital sheet and are checked regularly by nurses. The word is common in estimates and discharge notes.
Examples
She was hospitalised for three days on IV fluids.
If he keeps vomiting, we'll need to hospitalise him.
Common phrases
hospitalise a patient · hospitalised for monitoring · hospitalisation fee · hospitalised patients
Quickly assessing sick or injured animals as they arrive to decide how urgent each case is and which one should be seen first.
Where you use it
Used in emergency and out-of-hours work. Nurses triage patients at reception or on the phone, and vets talk about a triage examination of airway, breathing, circulation and neurological status.
Examples
Triage showed that the dog hit by a car needed to be seen first.
The nurse will triage your cat as soon as you arrive.
Usage note
Pronounced TREE-ahzh, from French. It is both a noun and a verb.
The information a vet collects from the owner about an animal's past and current health: when the problem started, diet, vaccinations, medicines and any changes the owner has noticed.
Where you use it
Vets take a history at the start of every consultation, and the reason the animal was brought in is the presenting complaint. Notes often use the abbreviation Hx for history.
Examples
Before we examine him, can I take a quick history? When did the coughing start?
The history suggests he ate something in the park on Sunday.
Usage note
False friend: in this sense history has nothing to do with tarih. Anamnesis exists in English but is rare; history is what vets actually say.
Common phrases
take a history · clinical history · vaccination history · full history · history of vomiting
A systematic check of an animal's body by looking, feeling and listening: temperature, heart and lungs, eyes, ears, mouth, skin, lymph nodes and abdomen.
Where you use it
Often shortened to physical exam, PE or clinical exam. Vets do, perform or carry out a physical examination and record the findings, writing NAD (no abnormalities detected) for normal body systems.
Examples
On physical examination, the cat was quiet, about five percent dehydrated and had a heart murmur.
A full physical examination is part of every annual vaccination visit.
Common phrases
perform a physical examination · full physical examination · physical examination findings · on physical examination
Something abnormal that a vet or owner can see, hear, feel or measure in an animal, such as a cough, a limp, a fever or weight loss.
Where you use it
Veterinary texts prefer signs to symptoms, because animals cannot describe how they feel. Typical phrases: the dog presented with clinical signs of..., signs consistent with..., the signs resolved after treatment.
Examples
Clinical signs of parvovirus usually include vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and lethargy.
Call us if the clinical signs come back after the course of tablets.
Usage note
Owners still say symptoms, and vets often use that word with them. In reports and exams, write clinical signs.
Common phrases
show clinical signs · present with clinical signs · mild clinical signs · clinical signs resolve · signs consistent with
The basic measurements that show how well an animal's body is working: temperature, heart rate, pulse and breathing rate.
Where you use it
Often summed up as TPR (temperature, pulse, respiration). Nurses check the vital signs of hospitalised patients several times a day, and vets say they are within normal limits or stable.
Examples
His vital signs were stable overnight, so he can go home today.
Record her vital signs every four hours.
Usage note
Normal values differ greatly between species: a cat's resting heart rate is far higher than a horse's, so always use the reference range for the species.
To examine part of an animal's body by feeling it carefully with the hands or fingers, for example the abdomen, the lymph nodes or a swelling.
Where you use it
A clinical verb used in notes and teaching: the abdomen was soft and non-painful on palpation. In cattle, vets palpate the reproductive tract through the rectum (rectal palpation) to check for pregnancy.
Examples
I can palpate a firm mass in the cranial abdomen.
When I palpated his spine, he flinched in the middle of his back.
Usage note
Don't confuse palpate with palpitate, which describes a heart beating fast or irregularly.
Common phrases
palpate the abdomen · on palpation · rectal palpation · painful on palpation · palpable mass
A state in which the body has lost more water than it has taken in, often because of vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or not drinking.
Where you use it
Vets estimate dehydration as a percentage (5%, 8%) from skin tenting, dry mucous membranes and sunken eyes, then correct it with fluids. Calves with scour often need treatment for dehydration.
Examples
She has about eight percent dehydration, so we'll admit her for IV fluids.
Sunken eyes and a slow skin tent are classic signs of dehydration.
Common phrases
severe dehydration · signs of dehydration · correct dehydration · estimated dehydration · mild dehydration
An abnormal way of walking or standing caused by pain or a problem in a leg or foot. An animal with this problem is described as lame.
Where you use it
Vets grade lameness (for example on a 0–5 scale in horses or with a mobility score in cows) and try to localise it: Which leg is she lame on? Owners often say limping. In dairy herds, lameness is a major welfare and cost problem.
Examples
The horse shows a grade 2 lameness on the left fore at trot.
Most lameness in dairy cows starts in the foot.
Usage note
Lame is a normal clinical word for animals, but in informal English it also means weak or unconvincing (a lame excuse), and it is now avoided when talking about people.
Common phrases
hind limb lameness · grade the lameness · intermittent lameness · lameness examination · acute lameness
To listen to the sounds of the heart, lungs or gut with a stethoscope as part of an examination.
Where you use it
The noun auscultation is more common in notes: on auscultation, a grade 3/6 murmur was heard. In everyday speech vets say listen to the chest or have a listen. In cattle and horses, vets also auscultate the gut sounds.
Examples
Let me auscultate her chest before we talk about the cough.
On auscultation, the lungs sounded harsh on both sides.
Usage note
Pronounced AW-skul-tate, with the stress on the first syllable; Turkish speakers often stress the last one.
Common phrases
auscultate the heart · auscultate the chest · on auscultation · thoracic auscultation
The moist pink linings inside the mouth, eyelids, nose and genitals. Vets look at their colour, especially on the gums, to judge circulation and oxygen levels.
Where you use it
Shortened to MM or MMs in notes: MMs pink and moist. Abnormal colours are described as pale, white, blue (cyanotic), yellow (jaundiced or icteric) or brick red (injected).
Examples
Her mucous membranes are very pale, so I'm worried about blood loss.
The cat's mucous membranes looked yellow, so we checked her liver values.
Usage note
Spelling trap: mucous is the adjective (mucous membranes), mucus is the noun (the slimy substance).
Common phrases
pale mucous membranes · pink mucous membranes · mucous membrane colour · check the mucous membranes
The time it takes for colour to return to the gum after it is pressed with a finger. It shows how well blood reaches the tissues; under two seconds is usually normal.
Where you use it
Shortened to CRT and recorded with mucous membrane colour in every examination and triage: CRT < 2 s. A prolonged CRT can point to shock or dehydration.
Examples
Capillary refill time was over three seconds and her pulse was weak.
Check the capillary refill time again after the first fluid bolus.
Common phrases
prolonged capillary refill time · normal capillary refill time · check the capillary refill time
A complete loss of appetite, when an animal eats nothing at all. A reduced appetite is called inappetence or hyporexia.
Where you use it
A clinical sign written in notes, for example 2 days' anorexia. Owners say the animal is off food or off his food. In cats, even a few days of anorexia can be serious, because it can lead to fatty liver (hepatic lipidosis).
Examples
History: three days of anorexia and lethargy.
Anorexia in rabbits is always treated as urgent.
Usage note
False friend: in human medicine and in everyday English, anorexia usually means the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. In veterinary English it simply means not eating.
Common phrases
partial anorexia · complete anorexia · anorexia and lethargy · off food
The identification of the disease or problem that is causing an animal's clinical signs, based on the history, the examination and test results.
Where you use it
Vets make, reach or confirm a diagnosis; a tentative diagnosis comes before the test results, a definitive diagnosis after them. The plural is diagnoses, and the verb is diagnose: the dog was diagnosed with diabetes.
Examples
We can't make a diagnosis until the blood results come back.
The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a mast cell tumour.
Usage note
The animal is diagnosed with a disease; the disease is diagnosed in the animal. Leaving out with, as in 'the cat was diagnosed hyperthyroidism', is a common mistake.
Common phrases
make a diagnosis · confirm the diagnosis · tentative diagnosis · definitive diagnosis · diagnosed with
A laboratory examination of a blood sample to check things such as blood cells, organ function, infections or hormone levels.
Where you use it
Owners say blood test; vets also say bloods (UK) or bloodwork (US): Let's run some bloods. The two most common panels are haematology, usually a complete blood count (CBC), and biochemistry, often shortened to biochem.
Examples
We'd like to do a blood test to check his kidneys before starting the medication.
The blood test results should be back by this afternoon.
Common phrases
run a blood test · pre-anaesthetic blood test · blood test results · routine blood test · take a blood sample
An image of the inside of the body made with X-rays, used to look at bones, the chest and the abdomen.
Where you use it
The formal word in reports and referrals; in speech most vets just say X-ray, both for the image and the procedure. Radiography is the technique. Radiographs are usually taken in two views, for example lateral and ventrodorsal (VD).
Examples
The radiographs show a fracture of the left femur.
We took chest radiographs to check whether the tumour has spread.
Usage note
Turkish röntgen is not used in English for the image; say X-ray or radiograph. The person who takes them is a radiographer, and a specialist who interprets them is a radiologist.
Common phrases
take radiographs · chest radiograph · abdominal radiograph · lateral radiograph · on the radiographs
An imaging method that uses high-frequency sound waves to show soft tissues and organs on a screen, such as the heart, liver, bladder or a pregnant uterus.
Where you use it
Vets do an ultrasound or scan an area; owners often just say scan. Abdominal ultrasound, echocardiography (a heart scan) and pregnancy scanning in cows and sheep are everyday uses. The fur is usually clipped first.
Examples
We'll need to clip a small patch of fur on her belly for the ultrasound.
Taking a small piece of tissue from a living animal so that it can be examined under a microscope, or the tissue sample itself.
Where you use it
Vets take a biopsy and send it off to the lab, where a pathologist reports on it (histopathology). Types include incisional, excisional, punch and needle biopsies. A fine-needle aspirate (FNA) collects cells rather than tissue.
Examples
We took a biopsy of the lump on his leg and sent it to the lab.
The skin biopsy results should be back in about a week.
Common phrases
take a biopsy · skin biopsy · biopsy results · excisional biopsy · ultrasound-guided biopsy
A laboratory examination of a urine sample that checks its concentration, chemistry, cells, crystals and bacteria.
Where you use it
Usually includes urine specific gravity (USG), a dipstick test and sediment examination. Vets collect samples by free catch or by cystocentesis (a needle into the bladder). A urine culture checks for infection.
Examples
The urinalysis showed crystals and blood, so we'll start a special diet.
Please bring a fresh urine sample for urinalysis tomorrow morning.
Usage note
Pronounced yoor-in-AL-uh-sis, with the stress on AL, as in analysis.
A small amount of an animal's droppings collected for laboratory tests, for example to look for worm eggs, bacteria or blood. US spelling: fecal.
Where you use it
Vets ask owners to bring a fresh faecal sample in a pot. Common tests are faecal egg counts (FEC), flotation and faecal PCR panels. Owners say poo (UK) or poop (US); the clinical word is faeces.
Examples
Could you bring in a faecal sample from three different days?
The faecal sample was positive for Giardia.
Usage note
Faeces has no singular form and rhymes with species: FEE-seez.
Common phrases
fresh faecal sample · pooled faecal sample · faecal egg count · submit a faecal sample
One of the possible diseases that could explain an animal's clinical signs, or the whole list of them, which the vet narrows down with tests.
Where you use it
Often shortened to differentials or DDx: My differentials include... Vets rank differentials from most to least likely and rule them out one by one. Listing your differential diagnoses is a classic exam question.
Examples
My differential diagnosis for the weight loss includes hyperthyroidism, diabetes and kidney disease.
The ultrasound helped us narrow the differential diagnosis.
Common phrases
list of differential diagnoses · rule out a differential · top differential · narrow the differential diagnosis
A detailed examination of an animal's body after death to find out why it died or what diseases it had. In the US it is usually called a necropsy.
Where you use it
Shortened to PM or post-mortem. Vets carry out a PM on the farm or send the body to a laboratory, and take samples for histopathology. Autopsy is the word in human medicine, and vets usually avoid it for animals.
Examples
We'll do a post-mortem examination on the dead calf to see if it was pneumonia.
The insurance company asked for a post-mortem examination before paying the claim.
Common phrases
carry out a post-mortem examination · post-mortem findings · post-mortem report · send for post-mortem examination
Giving an animal a vaccine, usually by injection or into the nose, to train its immune system to protect it against a specific infectious disease.
Where you use it
In clinics people shorten it to vaccs, jabs (UK) or shots (US): Is she up to date with her vaccinations? Puppies and kittens have a primary course, then boosters. On farms, vaccination is part of the herd health plan.
Examples
Her first vaccination is at eight weeks, and the second one is a few weeks later.
The farm started a vaccination programme against bluetongue last spring.
Can I walk him in the park before his vaccinations are finished?
Usage note
Vaccination is the act; the vaccine is the product you inject. Turkish aşı covers both.
Common phrases
primary vaccination course · annual vaccination · vaccination certificate · vaccination programme · up to date with vaccinations
An extra dose of a vaccine given at set intervals after the first course to keep the animal's immunity strong.
Where you use it
Used with owners and in reminders: Your dog is due for his annual booster. Vets talk about booster intervals, which vary between vaccines and may be yearly or every three years.
Examples
We'll send you a reminder when her booster is due.
He missed his booster last year, so we may need to restart the course.
Usage note
Turkish rapel comes from French rappel; that word is not used in English. Say booster.
Common phrases
annual booster · booster vaccination · booster is due · give a booster · booster interval
An organism that lives on or inside an animal and feeds from it, such as fleas, ticks and mites on the outside or worms and protozoa on the inside.
Where you use it
Vets divide them into external parasites (ectoparasites) and internal parasites (endoparasites) and speak of parasite control rather than one-off treatment. Owners usually name the parasite: fleas, ticks, worms.
Examples
We recommend year-round parasite control for dogs that walk in the forest.
A tiny electronic chip, about the size of a grain of rice, placed under an animal's skin. A scanner reads its unique number, which links the animal to its owner in a database.
Where you use it
Also a verb: the puppy was microchipped. Vets implant the chip, usually between the shoulder blades in dogs and cats, scan found animals for a chip and remind owners to keep their details up to date.
Examples
Someone brought in a lost cat, and the microchip led us straight to the owner.
We'll microchip her at the same visit as her second vaccination.
Common phrases
implant a microchip · scan for a microchip · microchip number · microchip database · get a puppy microchipped
Giving an animal medicine to kill or remove internal worms such as roundworms, tapeworms and hookworms.
Where you use it
In the UK people more often say worming, and the product is a wormer: Is he up to date with his worming? Vets plan deworming by age, lifestyle and risk; on farms they use faecal egg counts to slow down drug resistance.
Examples
Puppies have frequent deworming treatments in their first months, because many are born with roundworms.
We changed the sheep deworming plan after the faecal egg counts showed resistance.
A small, wingless, jumping insect that lives on the skin of cats, dogs and other animals and feeds on their blood.
Where you use it
Owners ask about flea treatment, flea collars and spot-ons. Vets look for flea dirt (black specks that turn red on wet paper) and explain that most of the flea population lives in the home as eggs and larvae. Fleas can also spread tapeworms.
Examples
I found flea dirt along his back, so he definitely has fleas.
Her itchy skin is probably caused by a flea allergy.
A vaccine that every animal of a species should receive, wherever it lives, because it protects against widespread and serious diseases.
Where you use it
Contrasted with non-core vaccines, which depend on lifestyle and local risk. For dogs, core vaccines protect against distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus; for cats, against panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. Rabies is core where the law or local risk requires it.
Examples
Leptospirosis is not a core vaccine everywhere, but we recommend it for dogs that swim in lakes.
Even indoor cats are given core vaccines, because some viruses can be carried in on shoes.
A small, eight-legged parasite related to spiders that attaches to the skin and feeds on blood. Ticks can spread diseases such as Lyme disease and babesiosis.
Where you use it
Vets talk about tick-borne diseases, tick prevention and tick removal; a tick hook twists the tick out without leaving the mouthparts behind. In cattle, ticks spread tropical theileriosis, an important disease in parts of Turkey.
Examples
I found a tick behind his ear and removed it with a tick hook.
Dogs that travel abroad may need extra tick protection.
Usage note
Tick also means a check mark and the sound a clock makes; the context makes the meaning clear.
The set of measures used to stop infectious diseases from getting into a farm, clinic or country and from spreading inside it.
Where you use it
Covers controls on animal movements, quarantine of new stock, cleaning and disinfection, foot dips, protective clothing and visitor rules. Farm vets check biosecurity during visits, and it is essential on poultry and pig units.
Examples
As part of the farm's biosecurity, all visitors wear boots and overalls provided by the farm.
Poor biosecurity was the most likely way the virus got into the flock.
Common phrases
biosecurity measures · farm biosecurity · strict biosecurity · biosecurity plan · breach of biosecurity
Keeping animals apart for a set period because they may carry an infectious disease, so that it does not spread to other animals.
Where you use it
Used for newly bought livestock, imported animals and pets travelling between some countries. Animals are put into, held in or released from quarantine. Isolation is the related word for animals already known to be sick.
Examples
All new heifers stay in quarantine for four weeks before joining the herd.
The farm was placed under quarantine after a suspected case of sheep pox.
Usage note
Pronounced KWOR-un-teen. It is also a verb: the new ewes were quarantined.
Common phrases
in quarantine · quarantine period · quarantine new stock · place under quarantine · quarantine pen
A disease that can pass between animals and people, such as rabies, brucellosis, ringworm or leptospirosis. The plural is zoonoses.
Where you use it
The adjective zoonotic is even more common: a zoonotic disease, zoonotic risk. Vets warn owners and farm staff about zoonoses and play a central role in One Health, which links animal, human and environmental health.
Examples
Ringworm is a zoonosis, so the owner's children may also need to see their doctor.
Brucellosis remains one of the most important zoonoses in rural areas.
Usage note
Pronounce the first two o's separately: zo-o-NO-sis, not 'zoo-nosis'. Ringworm is a fungal skin infection, not a worm.
Common phrases
zoonotic disease · zoonotic risk · control of zoonoses · foodborne zoonoses
Forcefully bringing up the contents of the stomach through the mouth. The technical word is emesis.
Where you use it
One of the most common reasons owners bring dogs and cats in. Owners say being sick or throwing up. Vets ask how often it happens, what it looks like and whether there is blood, and distinguish vomiting from regurgitation, which is passive.
Examples
How many times has she been vomiting since yesterday?
The vomiting stopped after the anti-sickness injection.
He's been vomiting bile first thing in the morning.
Usage note
Vets often write V+D for vomiting and diarrhoea. Horses and rabbits cannot vomit, so the word is used mainly for dogs, cats and pigs.
Loose or liquid faeces passed more often than normal, a sign of a problem in the intestines. US spelling: diarrhea.
Where you use it
Vets ask about frequency, colour, blood and mucus, and whether it is small or large bowel diarrhoea. In calves, lambs and piglets, farmers call it scour or scours.
Examples
The puppy has had diarrhoea for two days and won't eat.
Calf diarrhoea is the main cause of death in young calves on this farm.
Usage note
A spelling and pronunciation trap: die-uh-REE-uh. Diarrhoea is uncountable, so say he has diarrhoea, not 'a diarrhoea'.
The invasion and growth of bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites in the body, causing disease or damage.
Where you use it
Vets describe infections by cause (bacterial, viral, fungal) and place (ear infection, wound infection, urinary tract infection or UTI). Animals pick up infections; vets treat, clear or prevent them, and infection control matters in every clinic.
Examples
The ear infection has cleared, but we'll recheck him in two weeks.
A viral disease of the nervous system that spreads mainly through bites from infected animals. Once clinical signs appear, it is almost always fatal in animals and people.
Where you use it
A notifiable zoonosis. Vets give rabies vaccinations, issue certificates for pet travel and arrange antibody (titre) tests. Suspected cases are reported to the official veterinary services.
Examples
Dogs travelling to the EU need a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination.
The dog that bit the farmer is under observation for rabies.
Usage note
Pronounced RAY-beez. The adjective is rabid (a rabid fox); like Turkish kuduz, it is also used for people with extreme feelings (a rabid fan).
Common phrases
rabies vaccination · rabies certificate · rabies titre test · suspected rabies · rabies-free country
Inflammation of the udder or mammary gland, usually caused by bacterial infection. It is one of the most common and costly diseases of dairy cows.
Where you use it
Vets separate clinical mastitis (visible changes in the milk or udder) from subclinical mastitis, found with the somatic cell count (SCC) or the California Mastitis Test (CMT). Each quarter of the udder is checked separately. Bitches and other species can also get mastitis.
Examples
We had six cases of clinical mastitis this month, all in fresh cows.
The left hind quarter has mastitis, and the milk is clotted.
Common phrases
clinical mastitis · subclinical mastitis · mastitis case · mastitis control · somatic cell count
A highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, causing fever and blisters in the mouth and on the feet.
Where you use it
Shortened to FMD. It is a notifiable disease with major effects on trade: outbreaks lead to movement bans, culling or mass vaccination, and Turkey vaccinates against it. It is a different disease from hand, foot and mouth disease in children.
Examples
Foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed, and all animal movements in the district were stopped.
Lame sheep with mouth lesions must be reported as suspected foot-and-mouth disease.
A tough, highly contagious virus that causes severe vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and dehydration, mainly in young unvaccinated dogs. A related parvovirus causes panleukopenia in cats.
Where you use it
Usually just called parvo in clinics: a parvo puppy, parvo-positive. Cases are kept in isolation, and because the virus survives for months in the environment, cleaning needs specific disinfectants. A quick in-clinic snap test detects it in faeces.
Examples
The puppy tested positive for parvovirus and has gone into isolation.
Parvovirus can survive for months on floors and shoes.
A contagious respiratory infection of dogs that causes a harsh, honking cough. It spreads where dogs mix and is caused by bacteria such as Bordetella and several viruses.
Where you use it
The everyday name; vets also say canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC) or infectious tracheobronchitis. Boarding kennels often require a kennel cough vaccine, which is usually given into the nose.
Examples
He started coughing three days after his stay at the boarding kennels, so it's probably kennel cough.
Most dogs with kennel cough stay bright and keep eating.
Abdominal pain, especially in horses. It is a sign rather than one disease and can range from mild gas pain to a twisted gut that needs surgery.
Where you use it
Horse owners say the horse is colicking or has colic. Signs include rolling, pawing, looking at the flank and not eating. Vets do a colic examination, including rectal palpation and passing a stomach tube, and decide between medical and surgical colic.
Examples
The mare has been rolling and pawing since this morning; I think it's colic.
It was a surgical colic, so we referred him to the equine hospital.
Usage note
In babies, colic means long periods of crying; in veterinary English it almost always refers to abdominal pain in horses.
Common phrases
colic surgery · surgical colic · mild colic · signs of colic · colic examination
A dangerous build-up of gas in the stomach. In cattle and sheep the rumen swells with gas or froth; in large dogs the stomach can fill with gas and twist.
Where you use it
In ruminants vets distinguish frothy bloat, often after grazing lush clover or other legumes, from free-gas bloat. In dogs, gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a surgical emergency, most common in large, deep-chested breeds.
Examples
Three heifers developed bloat after being moved onto the clover field.
The Great Dane came in at midnight with bloat and went straight to surgery.
Usage note
Bloated is also the everyday word for feeling full and swollen after a meal; for dogs, GDV is the precise clinical term.
A bacterial disease that causes abortion and infertility in cattle, sheep, goats and other animals. It can spread to people, mainly through raw milk and contact with aborted material.
Where you use it
A notifiable zoonosis in many countries, including Turkey. Vets take blood samples for herd testing, vaccinate young females and wear protective clothing when dealing with abortions. In people it is known as Malta fever or undulant fever.
Examples
Two cows aborted late in pregnancy, so we're testing the herd for brucellosis.
Brucellosis is one of the reasons why cheese made from raw milk can be risky.
A disease that, by law, must be reported to the government veterinary authorities as soon as it is suspected, even before it is confirmed.
Where you use it
Called a reportable disease in the US. Examples include foot-and-mouth disease, rabies, anthrax, avian influenza and brucellosis, though the lists differ between countries. Vets notify the authority, which may restrict movements and investigate.
Examples
Anthrax is a notifiable disease, so I phoned the district office immediately.
Every vet student has to learn the list of notifiable diseases.
Common phrases
report a notifiable disease · suspected notifiable disease · list of notifiable diseases · notifiable disease outbreak
To remove an animal's reproductive organs by surgery so that it cannot breed: the testicles in males and usually the ovaries and uterus in females.
Where you use it
A general word for both sexes, though some vets use it mainly for males. Owners ask When should I get him neutered? and the operation is often just called a neuter. Australians also say desex.
Examples
Many owners neuter their cats before six months of age.
We have two cat neuters and a dental on the list this morning.
Neutered males are less likely to roam and fight.
Usage note
Turkish kısırlaştırmak covers neuter, spay and castrate. In English, spay is only for females and castrate only for males.
Common phrases
get a dog neutered · neutered male · cat neuter · neutering clinic · neuter and spay
To remove a female animal's ovaries, and usually her uterus too, by surgery so that she cannot become pregnant or come into heat.
Where you use it
Used for female dogs, cats and rabbits. The operation is a spay; the technical names are ovariohysterectomy (OHE or OVH: ovaries and uterus) and ovariectomy (OVE: ovaries only). A laparoscopic spay is called a keyhole spay.
Examples
The spay went well, and she's already eating.
Has she been spayed, or is she still entire?
Usage note
Spay is used only for female animals, never for people. Entire or intact means not neutered: an entire male, an intact female.
Common phrases
spay a bitch · cat spay · keyhole spay · spay wound · spay and neuter
A controlled state, produced with drugs, in which an animal feels no pain and is usually unconscious, so that surgery or other procedures can be done safely.
Where you use it
General anaesthesia (GA) puts the animal fully under; local anaesthesia numbs one area. Vets say the animal is under anaesthesia or under a general, and the drug is an anaesthetic. US spelling: anesthesia.
Examples
He'll need to go under general anaesthesia so we can X-ray his hips properly.
Older patients have a blood test before anaesthesia to check their kidneys and liver.
The nurse monitors heart rate and breathing throughout anaesthesia.
Common phrases
general anaesthesia · local anaesthesia · under anaesthesia · induce anaesthesia · recover from anaesthesia
Drugs given to make an animal calm, relaxed and sleepy while it still breathes on its own and can be woken. It is lighter than general anaesthesia.
Where you use it
Used for X-rays, minor procedures and nervous or aggressive animals. Vets talk about light or heavy sedation and say the cat needs sedation; the drug is a sedative and the verb is sedate.
Examples
We'll use sedation to clip and clean the wound, because she won't let us touch it.
Most dental work in horses is done standing, under sedation.
Common phrases
light sedation · heavy sedation · under sedation · standing sedation · reverse the sedation
A stitch or line of stitches used to close a wound or surgical incision, or the thread used to make it. As a verb, it means to close with stitches.
Where you use it
Surgeons choose the suture material (absorbable or non-absorbable) and the suture pattern. With owners, vets say stitches: The stitches come out in ten days. Skin sutures are usually removed at a post-op check.
Examples
We'll use absorbable sutures, so there are no stitches to remove.
The vet sutured the cut on the horse's leg under standing sedation.
Common phrases
absorbable suture · skin sutures · suture removal · suture the wound · suture material
An injury in which the skin or other tissue is cut, torn, pierced or burned, such as a bite, a laceration or a surgical incision.
Where you use it
Vets clean, flush, dress and close wounds and check them for infection. Bite wounds in cats often turn into abscesses. Surgical wounds are checked a few days after the operation.
Examples
The wound is healing well, with no swelling or discharge.
Cat bite wounds look small but can be deep and dirty.
Usage note
The noun wound is pronounced /wuːnd/ (woond). Wound /waʊnd/ is the past tense of wind, as in wind a cable.
Removing a male animal's testicles, or destroying their function, so that it cannot breed and produces less male hormone.
Where you use it
The verb is castrate; with dogs and cats, owners usually say neuter or snip. Farm animals may be castrated with a rubber ring, a Burdizzo clamp or by surgery, and rules on pain relief apply. A castrated male horse is a gelding.
Examples
On this farm, castration of the bull calves is done before two months of age.
After castration, the colt will need a few days of rest.
Common phrases
surgical castration · castration with a rubber ring · routine castration · castration wound
Withholding food from an animal for a set time, for example before anaesthesia, so that the stomach is empty and the risk of vomiting and inhaling food is lower.
Where you use it
Clinics give owners fasting instructions before surgery, such as no food after a certain time the night before. Vets say the animal has been fasted, or in informal UK English starved. Water is usually allowed, and very young animals and rabbits are not fasted in the usual way.
Examples
The fasting instructions say no food after 10 p.m. the night before surgery.
Fasting before surgery lowers the risk of regurgitation during anaesthesia.
A cone-shaped plastic or fabric collar fitted around an animal's neck to stop it licking, biting or scratching a wound, its stitches or its eyes.
Where you use it
Shortened to E-collar; owners call it the cone, and in the UK it is also called a buster collar. Pets often go home in one after surgery. Inflatable and soft collars are alternatives.
Examples
He managed to lick his wound open, so he'll have to wear an Elizabethan collar this time.
Most dogs get used to the Elizabethan collar within a day or two.
Usage note
It is named after the stiff, round collars worn in the time of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Drugs given before a general anaesthetic to calm the animal, reduce pain and lower the amount of anaesthetic needed. Usually shortened to premed.
Where you use it
A typical premed combines a sedative and an opioid. Vets and nurses say the patient has had its premed, or ask Has he been premedded? Induction comes next, followed by intubation.
Examples
Give the premedication now, and we'll induce in twenty minutes.
The premedication made her very relaxed, so placing the catheter was easy.
Common phrases
give a premedication · premedication protocol · sedative premedication · after premedication
To pass a tube through the mouth into an animal's windpipe (trachea) to keep the airway open and deliver oxygen and anaesthetic gas.
Where you use it
Done right after induction of general anaesthesia. Vets choose the size of the endotracheal tube (ET tube), inflate the cuff and extubate when the swallowing reflex returns. In cats the larynx is sprayed with local anaesthetic first, because it goes into spasm easily.
Examples
We intubated her with a 4.5 mm tube and connected her to the anaesthetic machine.
To wake up and become conscious again after an anaesthetic or after fainting. American English prefers come around or wake up.
Where you use it
Used every day in the recovery area and on the phone with owners: She's coming round nicely. He hasn't come round yet. In notes and papers vets write recovery from anaesthesia.
Examples
The operation went well, and she's coming round in her kennel now.
I'll call you when he's fully come round, and we'll talk about going home.
Usage note
Don't confuse it with come round (or come over) meaning to visit someone's home: Come round for dinner.
Common phrases
come round from the anaesthetic · come round slowly · come round smoothly · fully come round
A clean cut made through the skin and tissues with a scalpel during surgery, or the wound that it leaves.
Where you use it
Surgeons make, extend and close an incision; nurses and owners check the incision site for redness, swelling or discharge. Notes describe where it is: a ventral midline incision, a left flank incision.
Examples
The incision looks clean and dry at the two-day check.
For a standing caesarean in a cow, the incision is usually made in the left flank.
Common phrases
make an incision · skin incision · midline incision · incision site · close the incision
A way of giving a drug or vaccine into the body with a needle and syringe, for example under the skin, into a muscle or into a vein.
Where you use it
Vets give injections; owners say jab (UK) or shot (US). Routes are written as SC or SQ (subcutaneous), IM (intramuscular) and IV (intravenous). Diabetic pets need insulin injections at home every day.
Examples
I'll give him an injection of pain relief now and send some tablets home with you.
She's very good for her insulin injections.
Common phrases
give an injection · intramuscular injection · subcutaneous injection · injection site · long-acting injection
The amount of a medicine given at one time, usually worked out from the animal's body weight, for example in milligrams per kilogram.
Where you use it
Vets calculate, adjust or double-check a dose, and doses are written as mg/kg. Dose is also a verb (dosed at 5 mg/kg). Dosage is the overall plan: dose, frequency and duration.
Examples
Always weigh the patient before you calculate the dose.
The dose was reduced because of his kidney disease.
Cattle are dosed by weight, so we estimated each animal's weight with a weigh tape.
Usage note
Dose and dosage are often mixed up. Dose rhymes with close (the adjective): /dəʊs/, not 'doz'.
Common phrases
calculate the dose · adjust the dose · missed dose · single dose · dose rate
A medicine that kills bacteria or stops them from multiplying. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections; they do not work against viruses.
Where you use it
Vets prescribe a course of antibiotics and stress responsible use because of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In farm animals, antibiotic use is recorded, and withdrawal periods apply to milk and meat.
Examples
We'll only start antibiotics if the culture shows a bacterial infection.
Milk from cows treated with antibiotics must be kept out of the bulk tank.
Usage note
Antibiotic and antimicrobial are not the same: antimicrobials also include antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic drugs.
Common phrases
course of antibiotics · prescribe antibiotics · broad-spectrum antibiotic · antibiotic resistance · responsible antibiotic use
A vet's written authorisation for a medicine to be supplied for a specific animal, giving the drug, the dose, how often to give it and for how long.
Where you use it
Vets write or issue a prescription; owners may ask for a written prescription to buy medicines elsewhere. Some drugs are prescription-only medicines. Using a drug outside the terms of its licence is called off-label or extra-label use.
Examples
Can I have a written prescription so I can buy the tablets online?
The prescription label says one tablet twice a day with food.
Common phrases
write a prescription · repeat prescription · prescription-only medicine · prescription label · prescription diet
An unwanted effect of a drug or treatment in addition to the intended one, such as vomiting, drowsiness or increased thirst.
Where you use it
Vets explain possible side effects before starting a drug and ask owners to report anything unusual. In formal reports and datasheets the terms are adverse reaction or adverse event, and suspected reactions are reported to the regulator.
Examples
Steroids can make him thirsty and hungry; that's an expected side effect.
Has she had any side effects from the new tablets?
Common phrases
possible side effects · common side effect · report side effects · serious side effect
The minimum time that must pass after the last dose of a medicine before milk, meat, eggs or honey from the treated animal can be used for food.
Where you use it
Printed on every farm animal medicine and recorded in the farm medicine book: milk withdrawal 3 days, meat withdrawal 28 days. Vets state it on the prescription, and residue tests check that it was respected. Also called the withholding period.
Examples
This injection has a milk withdrawal period of 84 hours.
The lambs can't go for slaughter until the withdrawal period is over.
Common phrases
milk withdrawal period · meat withdrawal period · observe the withdrawal period · zero withdrawal period
Relief of pain with drugs or other methods, or the absence of pain in a conscious animal. A drug that does this is an analgesic.
Where you use it
Vets plan analgesia before, during and after surgery and use pain scores to judge whether it is working. Common drug groups are NSAIDs, opioids and local anaesthetics. With owners, vets say pain relief or painkillers.
Examples
Her pain score dropped after we increased the analgesia.
Multimodal analgesia combines drugs that work in different ways.
Short for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug: a medicine that reduces pain, inflammation and fever without being a steroid, such as meloxicam or carprofen.
Where you use it
One of the most prescribed drug groups in practice, used for arthritis, after surgery and for lameness. Vets monitor effects on the stomach, kidneys and liver, and NSAIDs are generally not combined with corticosteroids because of the risk of stomach ulcers.
Examples
He's been on an NSAID for his arthritis for two years, so we check his kidney values every six months.
Ibuprofen is a human NSAID that is toxic to dogs and cats.
Usage note
Said as one word, EN-sed or EN-sayd, not letter by letter; that is why the article is an: an NSAID.
Common phrases
prescribe an NSAID · long-term NSAID use · NSAID side effects · injectable NSAID
Giving water and salts to an animal, usually through a drip into a vein, to correct dehydration, support blood pressure or replace ongoing losses.
Where you use it
Vets talk about IV fluids, putting a patient on a drip or on fluids, and fluid rates in ml/kg/h. Fluids can also be given under the skin (subcutaneous fluids) or by mouth, as in oral rehydration for calves.
Examples
We'll start fluid therapy straight away and recheck his kidneys tomorrow.
Calves with mild scour often respond well to oral fluid therapy.
Common phrases
IV fluid therapy · start fluid therapy · fluid rate · on a drip · subcutaneous fluids
Short for intravenous, meaning into or inside a vein. It is also used as a noun for an intravenous line or drip.
Where you use it
Very common in speech and notes: IV fluids, IV antibiotics, give it IV. Vets place an IV catheter, usually in the cephalic vein of the foreleg in dogs and cats, or in the jugular vein in horses and cattle.
Examples
We'll place an IV catheter and give the first dose of antibiotics IV.
The cow was given calcium IV and was standing within an hour.
Usage note
Say the letters: eye-VEE. The other routes are IM (intramuscular), SC (subcutaneous) and PO (by mouth, from Latin per os).
Common phrases
IV catheter · IV fluids · IV access · give IV · IV line
The food and drink an animal regularly has, or a special feeding plan used to manage a health problem, such as a kidney diet or a weight-loss diet.
Where you use it
In small animal practice vets ask What is she eating? and may recommend a prescription diet (US: therapeutic diet) sold through vets. A sudden change of diet is a common cause of mild stomach upsets.
Examples
We'll put him on a low-fat diet for a few weeks after the pancreatitis.
What diet is she on at the moment: dry food, wet food or both?
Usage note
Diet does not only mean eating less to lose weight; in veterinary English it usually means simply what the animal eats.
Common phrases
prescription diet · change the diet · balanced diet · weight-loss diet · on a diet
A number on a fixed scale that describes how thin or fat an animal is, judged by looking at and feeling the ribs, spine, waist and hips.
Where you use it
Shortened to BCS. Dogs and cats are scored on a 1–9 or 1–5 scale, cattle usually on a 1–5 scale with half points. Vets record it at each visit and use it in weight-loss plans and when checking dairy cows around calving.
Examples
Her body condition score is 7 out of 9, so she's overweight.
We body condition score the cows at drying off and again before calving.
Common phrases
assess body condition score · ideal body condition score · body condition score of 5/9 · condition scoring
Food given to farm animals, such as hay, silage, grain or compound feed. As a verb, feed means to give food to an animal.
Where you use it
As a noun it is used mostly for livestock and horses: feed intake, feed costs, feed efficiency. Vets and nutritionists talk about the ration and the quality of forage and concentrates. For pets, people usually say food.
Examples
Feed intake drops when the cows are lame.
How much hard feed is the horse getting each day?
We feed the calves twice a day until weaning.
Usage note
In the sense of animal food, feed is uncountable: some feed. A feed is one meal (the calf's morning feed). The past tense of the verb is fed.
The everyday care and management of farm animals, including housing, feeding, breeding, hygiene and handling.
Where you use it
Common in the phrases animal husbandry and good husbandry. Vets often find that a herd problem is caused by husbandry rather than infection, and they suggest changes to ventilation, bedding or stocking density.
Examples
The calf pneumonia is mainly a husbandry problem: the shed is damp and poorly ventilated.
The second-year module covers the husbandry of cattle, sheep and pigs.
Usage note
The word comes from an old meaning of husband, 'the master of a household or farm', not from the modern meaning of a married man.
Common phrases
animal husbandry · good husbandry · husbandry practices · husbandry system
The physical and mental state of an animal and how well its needs are met, including health, suitable food and shelter, normal behaviour and freedom from pain and fear.
Where you use it
A core part of every vet's job and legal duty. Vets refer to the Five Freedoms or the Five Domains model, carry out welfare assessments and may report welfare concerns. Welfare is also checked during transport and at slaughter.
Examples
Keeping a parrot alone in a small cage raises animal welfare concerns.
The new rules aim to improve animal welfare during long-distance transport.
Usage note
Don't confuse this welfare (well-being) with the American sense of welfare: government money for people in need.
Carrying one or more developing young in the uterus. Farm vets often use species phrases instead, such as in calf, in lamb or in foal.
Where you use it
The noun is pregnancy, and the length of pregnancy is gestation. Vets confirm pregnancy by ultrasound, palpation or a blood test (pregnancy diagnosis, PD). Dog breeders also say the bitch is in whelp.
Examples
She's about six weeks pregnant, and we can see at least five puppies.
The process of a cow giving birth to a calf. The verb is calve, and the time of year when the cows give birth is the calving season.
Where you use it
A key word in farm practice: calving interval, calving pen, assisted calving. Vets are called out to difficult calvings at all hours. Each species has its own word: lambing, kidding, farrowing (pigs), foaling and whelping (dogs).
Examples
We had a difficult calving at two in the morning; the calf was coming backwards.
The farm wants to bring the calving interval down to 380 days.
Usage note
The l in calf, calve and calving is silent: /kɑːv/.
The part of the reproductive cycle when a female animal is fertile and will accept mating, commonly called heat or, in dogs and cats, season. US spelling: estrus.
Where you use it
Farmers and vets talk about heat detection, cows bulling or on heat, and oestrus synchronisation before AI. Dog owners say she is in season or on heat. The adjective is oestrous (the oestrous cycle).
Examples
Cows that are not pregnant come into oestrus about every 21 days.
Signs of oestrus in this cow were missed, so she wasn't served.
Usage note
The noun is oestrus and the adjective oestrous; both are pronounced EE-strus. Don't confuse them with oestrogen, the hormone.
Common phrases
oestrus cycle · signs of oestrus · oestrus detection · oestrus synchronisation · in oestrus
Placing semen collected from a male into a female's reproductive tract with instruments, instead of natural mating, to make her pregnant.
Where you use it
Shortened to AI and widely used in dairy cattle, pigs and horses, and sometimes in dogs. Farmers talk about AI sires, straws of semen and services; the person who does it is an AI technician or inseminator.
Examples
Most dairy cows in the region are bred by artificial insemination.
We use sexed semen for artificial insemination of the best heifers.
Usage note
In technology AI means artificial intelligence; on a farm it almost always means artificial insemination.
Common phrases
artificial insemination programme · fixed-time artificial insemination · AI technician · straw of semen
A difficult or abnormal birth in which the mother cannot deliver her young without help, for example because the baby is too large or wrongly positioned.
Where you use it
The clinical word; farmers say a hard or difficult calving, lambing or foaling. Vets assess the presentation and position of the foetus, correct it, use calving ropes or a calving aid, or decide on a caesarean.
Examples
The heifer has been straining for two hours with no progress; it looks like a dystocia.
Dystocia is common in some bulldog breeds, so planned caesareans are often booked.
Usage note
The stress is on the second syllable: dis-TOH-shuh or dis-TOH-see-uh.
Common phrases
cause of dystocia · dystocia in heifers · manage a dystocia · foetal dystocia
An operation to deliver young by cutting through the abdominal wall and the uterus, used when a normal birth is impossible or unsafe.
Where you use it
Usually shortened to caesarean, C-section or section. In cows it is often done standing, through the left flank, under local anaesthesia; in dogs and cats it is done under general anaesthesia. US spelling: cesarean.
Examples
The calf was too big to come out, so we did a caesarean section on the farm.
After the caesarean section, all five puppies were breathing well.
The owner or keeper who brings an animal to the vet, agrees to treatment and pays the bill. In veterinary work the animal is the patient and the person is the client.
Where you use it
Used by practice staff in professional settings: client communication, client records, client complaints. When talking directly to people, vets usually say owner, and on farms they speak of the farmer or the herd manager.
Examples
The client is worried about the cost, so let's go through the options with her.
Please update the client's phone number before the dog goes home.
Usage note
A word-for-word translation of hasta sahibi, 'patient owner', is understood but sounds unusual; English prefers client or owner. Patient always means the animal.
Common phrases
client communication · new client · client record · client consent · client complaint
Ending an animal's life painlessly, usually with an overdose of an anaesthetic drug, to stop suffering that cannot be relieved.
Where you use it
The formal word for consent forms and records. With owners, vets usually say put to sleep (PTS in notes) and speak gently: Have you thought about what you'd like to do? Put down is more direct and can sound harsh.
Examples
We talked about euthanasia, and the family would like to be with him at the end.
Euthanasia was performed at the owner's request after the diagnosis of advanced cancer.
Usage note
Euthanasia is not a verb; the verb is euthanise (US: euthanize): The horse was euthanised. With owners, a softer phrase is kinder.
A vet's opinion about the likely course and outcome of a disease, for example whether the animal will recover and how long it may live.
Where you use it
Described with fixed adjectives: good, fair, guarded, poor or grave. Vets give the prognosis to the owner, and the word appears in every referral report. The plural is prognoses.
Examples
With surgery, the prognosis for a full recovery is good.
I'm afraid the prognosis is poor, because the tumour has spread to the lungs.
Usage note
Diagnosis says what the problem is; prognosis says what will probably happen next. Guarded here means uncertain, not protected.
Common phrases
good prognosis · guarded prognosis · poor prognosis · long-term prognosis · give a prognosis
A document an owner signs to agree to a procedure such as surgery or anaesthesia after the risks, costs and alternatives have been explained.
Where you use it
Owners sign or complete a consent form when they leave the animal for a procedure. Vets talk about informed consent, meaning the owner understood what they agreed to. The form usually includes a contact number and an estimate.
Examples
Could you read and sign the consent form? It covers the anaesthetic and the dental work.
The consent form wasn't signed, so we couldn't start the surgery.
Common phrases
sign a consent form · informed consent · anaesthetic consent form · euthanasia consent form
A written or spoken statement of the likely cost of treatment, given to the owner before the work is done.
Where you use it
Vets give, provide or update an estimate, and owners often sign it with the consent form. Estimates are usually a range and may change if complications arise. A quote, by contrast, is a fixed price.
Examples
Here's an estimate for the X-rays and the surgery; it may change if we find more damage.
I'll call you if the costs are going to go over the estimate.
Usage note
The noun is pronounced ES-ti-mut and the verb ES-ti-mate: We estimate (ES-ti-mate) the cost; here is the estimate (ES-ti-mut).
Common phrases
give an estimate · written estimate · update the estimate · go over the estimate · treatment estimate
To let a hospitalised animal go home with its owner, usually with instructions and medicines. As a noun, discharge also means fluid coming out of the body, for example from the eyes or nose.
Where you use it
Vets or nurses hold a discharge appointment and give discharge instructions about medicines, rest, feeding and the wound. In clinical notes, discharge also describes nasal, ocular or vaginal discharge.
Examples
We plan to discharge him tomorrow afternoon if he keeps eating.
The cat has a thick green discharge from both eyes.
Usage note
The verb is stressed dis-CHARGE; the noun is usually stressed DIS-charge.
Ten questions from this glossary. Pick the right meaning for each term and see your score.
How to learn veterinary medicine vocabulary
Learn the species words as a set: the adjective (canine, feline, bovine, ovine, equine, porcine), the names for male, female and young (bull, cow, calf; stallion, mare, foal) and the word for giving birth (calving, lambing, foaling, whelping).
Pair every clinical term with the word owners use: emesis and being sick, anorexia and off food, pruritus and itching, euthanasia and putting to sleep. You need the first in notes and the second in the consulting room.
Read real veterinary texts every week, such as case reports, journal abstracts, drug datasheets and client leaflets, and collect set phrases like 'bright, alert and responsive', 'no abnormalities detected' and 'guarded prognosis'.
Practise a whole consultation out loud in English: take the history, describe your examination findings, give your differential diagnoses and explain the plan and the estimate to the owner in plain words.
Keep a list of British and American pairs: veterinary surgeon and veterinarian, vet nurse and vet tech, anaesthesia and anesthesia, faeces and feces, post-mortem and necropsy, worming and deworming.
Frequently asked questions
How can I learn veterinary English quickly?
Study by topic rather than alphabetically, and learn each word with the words it goes with: take a history, palpate the abdomen, give a booster, sign a consent form. Read short real texts from your field every day, such as case reports and drug datasheets, and try to write up your own cases in English. Ten minutes a day works better than one long session before an exam.
Which veterinary terms should I learn first?
Start with the names of the main species and their adjectives, the words of the clinical examination (history, clinical signs, vital signs, mucous membranes), everyday procedures (vaccination, neutering, anaesthesia, blood tests), the most common diseases and the phrases you use with owners. The first tier of this glossary covers exactly these.
What is the difference between vet, veterinarian and veterinary surgeon?
All three name the same profession. Vet is the everyday word everywhere; veterinarian is standard in the United States and in international writing; veterinary surgeon is the legal title in the United Kingdom, even for vets who rarely operate. Veterinary on its own is an adjective, as in veterinary clinic or veterinary medicine, so it is not used for the person.
Why do vets say clinical signs instead of symptoms?
A symptom is something a patient feels and reports, like a headache, while a sign is something others can observe or measure, like a limp or a fever. Animals cannot describe how they feel, so veterinary reports, textbooks and exams use clinical signs. Owners still say symptoms, and vets often use that word with them in conversation.
Is veterinary English different in the UK and the US?
The scientific vocabulary is shared, but spelling and some everyday words differ: anaesthesia and anesthesia, diarrhoea and diarrhea, oestrus and estrus, vet nurse and vet tech, bloods and bloodwork, post-mortem and necropsy, jab and shot. This glossary uses British spelling and mentions the American forms. Pick one style for your own writing and learn to recognise both.
