The Skeletal System

The course consists of three main sections: bones, joints and muscles.

Students learn how to classify a bone and recognise in which section of the skeleton it can be found. Individual bones are examined in detail.

Fibrous, cartilaginous and synovial joints are explained.

The entirety of the muscles and their actions are described

The Blood Vascular System

The course consists of four main parts: the heart, the circulation, the blood and the lymphatic system. The programme introduces the anatomy and physiology of each aspect of this system and explains how they interrelate.

Heart: position, size and shape, structure, function.

Circulation: blood vessels, the circulatory system.

Blood: functions, composition.

Lymphatic: components.

The Urinary System

The content describes the composition of the body fluid and how they affect the working of the body. It describes in detail the anatomy and physiology of the kidney. Emphasis is put on conditions that may be seen in the dog and the cat in a veterinary practice.

Body Fluid: fluid composition and movement.

The Kidney: macroscopic structure, microscopic structure, urine formation, osmoregulation, kidney disease, excretion, acid/base balance.

Urinary Tract: ureter, bladder, urethra.

Micturition: normal urine, abnormal urine.

The Respiratory System

The content describes the structure of each part of the respiratory tract and the physiology behind the processes of external respiration and internal respiration.

Respiratory tract: nose and nasal cavities, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi and bronchioles.

Gaseous exchange: lungs, gross structure, microscopic structure, pulmonary circulation.

Thoracic cavity: definition, boundaries, pleura, disease conditions.

Respiration: breathing, respiratory muscles, action, respiratory rate, lung capacity.

Gaseous exchange: diffusion, oxygen diffusion, carbon dioxide diffusion.

Control of respiration.

Other Species: bird, fish, insect and reptiles.

The Digestive System

The content covers the structure and function of each part of the digestive system in the dog and cat and then explains how the parts interrelate to produce a complicated but controlled process upon which the survival of the animal ultimately depends. The final section covers the variations in the digestive system to the canine pattern shown in a range of large animals, domestic and exotic species.

Ingestion: the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, function.

Digestion: stomach, small intestine, function.

Absorption and metabolism.

Excretion: large intestine.

Other Species: lips, beaks, salivary glands, tongue, cheek pouches, teeth, oesophagus, ruminants, digestion.

The Nervous System

The course describes the anatomy and physiology of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves within the body. It also describes the structure of nervous tissue and how it conveys nerve impulses from one area to another. The final section covers the sense organs and their function. Throughout the course, information is given as to clinical problems that may be seen in practice.

There are four main headings:

Nervous Tissue.

Central Nervous System.

Peripheral Nervous System.

Special Senses.

The Reproductive System

The course consists of four main sections:

The female genital tract.

The male genital tract.

The oestrus cycle.

Spermatogenesis.

The Endocrine System

The course consists of five main sections:

The pituitary gland: anterior pituitary, posterior pituitary.

The thyroid and parathyroid gland.

The pancreas.

The adrenal gland: adrenal cortex, adrenal medulla.

The gonads: testis, ovary.

Minor endocrine.

Genetics

The course consists of six main sections:

Chromosomes.

Cell division.

Genes.

Mendell's law of inheritance.

Breeding patterns.

Congenital and inherited divisions.

Cells and Tissues

Cell structure and organelles visible under light microscope.

Key organelles visible under the electron microscope, nucleolus, mitochondria, lysosomes.

Basic cell division, essential differences between meiosis and mitosis.

Basic tissue types, connective – dense and loose blood, cartilage, and bone – cardiac, skeletal and smooth.

Skin and hair with associated glands: General structure of hairy skin.

Associated adnexa, sudiferous, sebaceous, meibomian and mammary glands.

1000 MCQs

1000 Multiple Choice Questions in Anatomy and Physiology with an integrated scoring system, and resit option.

800 MCQs

800 Multiple Choice Questions in Medical & Surgical Nursing and Diagnostics of Small Animal & Exotics, and resit option.