Community Helpers: Veterinarians

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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• Have you ever owned a pet?

If you have not owned a pet, you may know someone who has a pet.

• What kinds of pets do people own?

You probably know dogs and cats are common pets. There are other pets people have too.

Here are some examples of pets.

• hamsters
• gerbils
• rabbits
• ferrets
• rats
• guinea pigs
• fish
• lizards
• snakes
• frogs

There are many more animals people can own as pets.

As a pet owner, it is important to keep your pet healthy. There are special doctors for pets, called veterinarians.

• Do you know what a veterinarian does?

That's right! Veterinarians take care of sick animals, just like doctors take care of sick people.

They can work in a veterinary office, at a zoo, or even at a farm! They take care of many different types of animals.

• Can you think of some zoo animals a veterinarian might take care of?
• What about some farm animals?

Here are some examples.

These are some examples of animals veterinarians take care of at a zoo or at a farm.

• If you were a veterinarian, would you rather work with pets, zoo animals, or farm animals? Why?

Veterinarians help animals in many ways.

They give animals vaccines to prevent them from getting harmful diseases. A vaccine is a shot that is given to animals and people that prevents them from getting certain sicknesses.

They put casts on animals with broken bones. A cast is like a hard shell that is wrapped around the broken bone to heal it.

They also give animals medicine to help them feel better when they get sick.

• Has a veterinarian ever helped your pets?
• If not, what are some ways they have helped other people's pets?

Share your story with someone nearby if you can. Then, move on to the Got It? section.