Vet & Veterinary Terms
S
A type of color on an animal; has a cream coat with black on the feet, tail, and face
A small sac found on the inside of the ear; has a great deal to do with balance
The removal of a sac-like body part by surgical means
The fourth in a sequence of fused vertebrae near the pelvis and the spinal cord
A type of wound on a horse that has resulted from the use of a saddle
A type of abrasion found on the back of a horse who has not been properly fitted with a saddle; may also indicate a sore on the rider due to the chafing caused by the saddle
A line (imaginary) that divides an animal’s body into right and left; does not have to be an equal line.
A type of neoplasm that occurs in connective tissue
Anything having to do with flesh or muscle
The term used to refer to a lack of desire to eat or have water
The bone in the pectoral that moves with the humerus; the shoulder blade
A gland found in the base of a snake’s tail used to secrete their scent
Has to do with an animal who has been castrated; refers to the swelling of the end of the spermatic cord and happens due to an infection.
The outer layer of the eye that helps it to keep its round shape; the eye white.
The process of dilating the blood vessels in the sclera
The medical condition that occurs when the sclera becomes irritated or inflamed
The part of a tapeworm that allows it to hold fast to its host
A cyst in the testicles; often filled with fluids
The sac that holds the testes; may also be referred to as the scrotal sac
Term used to refer to something that is covered in small scales
A type of horn that grows from the part of the skin where the horn would be on polled animals
The term used to indicate a deficiency of Vitamin C
A sac of fat; cysts are enclosed
A gland in the skin that is known to secrete oil (sebum)
A condition of the skin in which too much oil (sebum) is produced
A type of oil produced by the skin
A type of hormone that is produced in the intestine; it helps to control certain processes in the pancreas
The oozing or liberation of oil or liquid from cells or glands of living things
The placenta; the afterbirth of an animal
A type of drug that is known to calm an animal or put it to sleep
An involuntary action in which the muscles contract; caused by a problem with the brain
The process of breeding certain plants or animals for a desirable characteristic or set of characteristics that they possess.
An element found in trace amounts in soil; closely related to sulfur
The term used to refer to an animal that has a crescent on the grinding surface of their teeth; ruminant animals are a good example.
The white fluid produced by males in the testicles for reproduction
A gland that helps to create semen; it empties into the vas deferens
Tubes inside the testes through which semen travels
A membrane that is used in the diffusion of certain solutions but not others; it lets in certain materials but prevents others from being able to come in.
To be allergic to or sensitive to a certain vaccine or medication
The sensory organs in the body, including those that deal with hearing, taste, touch, and smell
Nerves that send impulses regarding sense to the spine
An apparatus used to separate milk and cream by spinning it; the centrifugal force divides the two.
A medical condition; the contamination of a living thing by a harmful type of bacteria
A condition of the blood in which micro-organisms or harmful toxins are present in the system
A wall or partition that is designed to divide and separate
A piece of bone; may be fully attached or partially attached to the living bone.
The term used to refer to certain lab tests that use liquid blood parts to detect disease
The study of serum and the way it reacts to certain antigens
A condition in which serum collects underneath a surgical incision
A type of border in which the edge is jagged or saw-like
The term used to refer to those cells whose role is to support the growth of sperm in the testicles
A type of test used with virus infections; tests for the presence of certain antibodies with the help of using serum and mixing it with certain viruses.
A bone; this bone may be found embedded in a tendon or some type of joint
Types of bristles that grow atop the heads of certain species of bird; may be referred to simply as bristles
The differences between members of each sex, including physical and behavioral differences
An instance in which an animal fails to mature fully when it comes to sexuality
The calf area; the part of the body that connects the ankle and the knee
A brush that is used to take the dead hairs out of the coat of a given animal
The term for a pig between 60 and 160 pounds; may belong to either sex
A young hog weighing less than 150 pounds.
A medical condition in a horse’s foot; may also be referred to as shell bone.
A fold in the penis of certain animals that is shaped like an S when flaccid and straightens out when the penis is erect.
A lump of tissue inside the right atrium; it helps to regulate the beat of the heart
A cavity within a bone; may also indicate a flow or channel
A medical condition; occurs when the sinus becomes inflamed
An incision into a sinus
The male parent of an offspring
A craving of food, may relate to other medical conditions
A type of bird that broods once or twice each year
A muscle that is involved in voluntary movement
A color of a horse’s coat; has to do with white spots on a colored coat (all except black)
A growth on the skin that hangs from the body by a piece of skin
A condition of birds caused by disruption in a nutritional plane; causes crippling
The term used for the saliva that drips from the mouth of an animal; may be due to excitement or medical reasons
A type of wet feed that is made by the mixing of surplus dairy products and mill products, like crushed grain and skim milk; often fed to pigs
A type of gait in a horse; a canter.
A type of fatty substance that is often found in the sheath of male animals; may close off the passage of urine.
A type of control of horses used when breaking them in for training
The term used to refer to the flesh at the bottom of the beak of a turkey; may be called a dew bill.
The term used for the area of the animal’s face that has the nose and jaws
Something that is used to refer to the tissues of the body
The number of certain cells in milk; used to test for mastitis
A picture of the internal body organs that is created by recording the pulses and echoes made by sound waves.
An intact pig or guinea pig of the female sex.
The contractions of skeletal muscles; involuntary
A type of disease that affects the rear legs of a horse; characterized by a type of growth on the leg
To take the ovaries and uterus out of female animals; makes them unable to reproduce.
A system in which animals are birthed through C-section and raised away from other animals to prevent the spread of certain pathogens
A type of instrument used to make a body cavity or canal larger
The sex cell of male animals; created in the testicles
The tissue that holds up the testicles and contains the vas deferens, nerves, and muscles of the male reproductive organs.
One of the cells that are created in the male gamete.
The production of sperm cells in male animals
The term for a type of cell that is used in the production of sperm in the testes.
The term for the male sex cell; plural form of the word is spermatozoa
A ring-shaped muscle that is used to close and open an opening
Anything having to do with the spine or vertebrae
The space that holds the spinal cord inside the spinal column.
The term used to refer to the threads of protoplasm that are found within a given cell during mitosis.
The vertebral column in an animal; the back bone.
Bacteria that is shaped like a spiral
A type of instrument that measure the way that air flows into and out of the lungs
A fault in certain animals in which the front hooves are turned out and the heels point inward.
Tissue inside the abdomen; it helps to filter toxins out of the blood and stores red blood cells
A surgical procedure in which the spleen is removed.
A condition in which the spleen becomes enlarged
A type of instrument that is used to affix parts of the body that might normally move; used to promote healing
A medical condition in which the vertebrae become inflamed
A condition in which the vertebrae degenerate; usually has to do with more than one vertebrae
A type of disease that occurs in scattered cases
A type of protozoa; may be any of a number of types with varied life cycles.
A small stage of parasites, includes malaria, coccidian and others
The treatment of a certain chemical to an area where it is more heavily infected
A bull that is used to designate female cows who are in estrus; this bull is sterile
A strain of a joint; causes pain and swelling
The act of urinating on objects or areas as a method of marking territory
The term for an animal who has the ability to carry a disease or parasite
The term for a young chicken, usually only a few months old.
Changes that occur in ruminant animals that give the indication that the time of birth is impending
The term for a ferret that has been spayed
The term used for phlegm that is ejected from the mouth; it is secreted in the lower respiratory tract
The term used to refer to a horse whose gait is straight and on all four of its feet
A horse that is four years of age or older; a stallion is intact
A large rush of animals that occurs due to frightening of some kind
A device that is fastened around a cow’s neck to make it easier to milk, feed, or perform a medical examination
A type of bacteria, round in shape
A means of sealing wound that involves steel staples as a method of closing an incision
A fatty acid that is used often in butter and other types of fat; may also be used in the creation of certain types of soap and other chemicals
A disease in which the fat becomes inflamed; also called yellow fat disease
The act of making an opening narrower.
Nostrils that are narrow or have been narrowed
A device that can be implanted into a blood vessel to keep it from collapsing
The word for the bone at the front of the rib cage; may also be referred to as the breast bone
The term for a type of medication that impacts immunity, metabolism, sexual characteristics, and other such elements of a living thing
One of the members of a group of alcohols, such as cholestero
The term for the joint between the femur and tibia (knee cap)
Anything that produces an action or reaction
A type of cloth that is used during or after surgery as a type of bandage
A mouth; an opening
A medical condition in which the mouth becomes inflamed
The material that comes out at the end of the digestive process; waste or feces
A medical condition in which one or both of the eyes are deviated from one another
The term used to indicate an animal whose ancestry is noted and can be closely followed; thoroughbred
A medical condition in which urination is slow or painful
A type of round-shaped bacteria that creates twisted chains
The quality of having grooves or ridges of color
Striped in color or texture
A band of tissue that makes a passage narrower
Something that is erect
The distance between impressions on the ground of the same foot
The adult tapeworm
The tissue that supports any given organ
A type of drug that is used to temporarily paralyze an animal so they can be caught
A type of condition that falls in between acute and chronic
Term denotes something that is found beneath the collar bone
Does not show any signs of a disease
Found underneath the dermis
Found beneath the skin
A collection of blood beneath the dura mater and on top of the arachnoid membrane
The space between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane
Something that is slightly less than fatal in its effects
Implies that something is underneath the tongue
The displacement of the bone from its joint
Underneath the lower part of the jaw
Underneath the upper part of the jaw
Any type of juice or fluid that comes from an organism
A type of fat that comes from the abdomen of a ruminant animal
A fissure or groove
A condition in which more than the standard number of nipples are found on an animal
A condition in which more than the normal number of ovulations take place during a single cycle; may be due to the administration of hormones
The act of rotating something so that it is facing up
Facing up; prostrate
A pasture that is used during emergencies or to augment the use of an existing pasture
The process in which pus is formed
Something in which pus is discharged or formed
A strap that goes around a horse or other such animal; used to help hold a load
Any liquid that helps to release the surface tension on the lungs
The gland that is known to produce and secrete sweat
A relationship between two organisms in which the relationship benefits both parties
A type of relationship in which both parties are benefited
The part of the nervous system that allows the body to react to a stressful situation
A part where two bones are held together and can work together as one bone
Fainting; the respiratory and circulatory systems are suspended for a time
Indicates things that are able to work together
The process that occurs when two gametes come together
A type of joint that is able to move
A medical condition in which the synovial membrane becomes inflamed
Something that is artificially created
The term used to refer to a bird’s voice organ
Something that is related to the whole body and not just one particular part or organ
The flow of blood to the whole body
The term used to refer to contraction of the ventricles of the heart