When working in the animal care industry, many observations, diagnoses, treatments, and wellbeing recordings must be recorded. The industry has many accepted and common abbreviations used across the field. Below, you will find some of the most common ones.
Sub Topics
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Ad lib | As desired, e.g., feed ad lib |
| Bid or b.i.d | To be given twice a day – usually 12 hours apart |
| Eod | Every other day, every second day. |
| mcg | Microgram(s) |
| mg | Milligram(s) |
| min | Minute(s) |
| mL | milliliter(s) |
| mm | millimeter(s) |
| mol | mole(s) – most commonly seen when recording blood glucose results |
| mn | nanometer(s) |
| NPO | Nil per os – nothing by mouth, including food, water, and medication |
| PD | Polydipsia – increased or excessive water consumption. |
| PO | Per os – orally |
| Pr | Per rectum |
| PRN or p.r.n. | As occasion arises (as needed) [Latin] Pro re nata |
| PU | Polyuria – increased or excessive urine production |
| Qh | To be given every hour, q4h – To be given every four hours, q8h – To be given every 8 hours |
| Qid or q.i.d | To be given four times a day |
| sec | second(s) |
| Sid or s.i.d | To be given once a day |
| TDN | total digestible nutrients |
| Tid or t.i.d | To be given three times a day |
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| BAR | Bright, alert, and responsive |
| BCS | Body Condition Score |
| BP | Blood Pressure |
| Bpm | Beats per minute – used for heart rate and pulse rate recording |
| BM | Bowel movement |
| BW | Body weight- the weight of an animal usually |
| C | Celsius - temperature |
| cf | In comparison to. e.g., Pup small cf littermates. |
| CRT | Capillary refill time |
| Cx | Clinical sign |
| DDx | Differential Diagnosis |
| dw | Dry weight |
| EDDU | Eat, drink, defecate, urinate or eating, drinking, defecating, urinating. |
| HR | Heart rate |
| Hx | History, e.g., Patient has Hx of vomiting after eating |
| ME | Metabolizable energy – used in feed calculations |
| MM | Mucous membrane |
| NAD | No abnormalities detected |
| NWB | Non-weight bearing |
| QAR | Quiet, alert, and responsive |
| QOL | Quality of life – an assessment of the animal’s quality taking into consideration normal functions, temperament, happiness, mobility, and joy. |
| RER | Resting energy requirement– used in feed calculations |
| RR | Respiratory Rate |
| TRP | Temperature, Pulse, Respiration |
| Wt | Weight – body weight of animal |
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Abs | Antibiotics – drugs used to treat bacterial infections |
| BB | Bordetella bronchiseptica (vaccine). |
| BIV | Bovine immuno-deficiency-like virus |
| BHV | Bovine herpesvirus |
| BLV | Bovine leukemia virus |
| BRD | Bovine respiratory disease |
| C3 | Canine 3 vaccine - Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus |
| C4 | Canine 4 vaccine - Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza |
| C5 | Canine 5 vaccine - Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica |
| C7 | Canine 7 vaccine - Leptospirosis, Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica |
| Canine Cough | Colloquialism is a group of bacteria and or viruses that cause a cough in dogs. Contagious disease. |
| CBA | Catfight bite |
| CDV | Canine distemper virus |
| CFA | Catfight abscess |
| DOA | Dead on arrival |
| CPV | Canine parvovirus |
| DHP | Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus – Used for C3 vaccine as it covers these 3 viruses |
| DJD | Degenerative joint disease |
| Dsp | Dessert spoon, e.g., fed dsp of canned food+ |
| Dx | Diagnosis |
| EAGs | Express anal glands or empty anal glands |
| E-collar | Elizabethan Collar |
| EFA | Essential fatty acid |
| EHV | Equine herpesvirus |
| EIAV | Equine infectious anemia virus (a lentivirus) |
| F3 | Feline 3 vaccine - Enteritis, Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Chlamydia |
| F4 | Feline 4 vaccine - Enteritis, Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus OR Feline 4 vaccine - Enteritis, Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Feline Leukemia |
| F5 | Feline 5 vaccine - Feline Panleucopenia Virus, Feline Herpesvirus, Feline Calicivirus, Chlamydophila psittaci and Feline Leukaemia Virus |
| FAD | Flea allergy dermatitis |
| FCV | Feline calicivirus |
| FeLV | Feline leukemia virus |
| FIA | Feline infectious anemia |
| FIP | Feline infectious peritonitis |
| FIV | Feline immunodeficiency virus |
| fLUTD | Feline lower urinary tract disease |
| FRV | Feline rhinotracheitis virus |
| FVRCP | Feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia – Used for vaccine |
| fx | Fracture (Break in bone or tooth) |
| GDV | Gastric dilatation-volvulus |
| GI | Gastrointestinal (tract) |
| HBC | Hit by car |
| HS | Bedtime |
| HW | Heartworm |
| IBD | Inflammatory bowel disease |
| IBD | Inclusion Body Disease (of snakes) |
| IC | Intracardiac |
| ICH | Infectious canine hepatitis |
| ID | Intradermal |
| IGR | Insect growth regulators |
| IM | Intramuscular |
| IN | Intranasal |
| IU | International unit – a unit of measure used for some drugs, most commonly insulin |
| IV | Intravenous |
| IVDD | Intervertebral disc disease |
| KBH | Kicked by horse |
| KC | Kennel Cough: The best practice is to use the term Canine Cough; however, some vaccination brands term it this way. |
| LA | Large Animal |
| MS | Musculoskeletal (system) |
| NSAID | Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are drugs commonly used for pain management. Should never be used in conjunction with Steroids In most cases, it must be given with food. |
| OA | Osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease |
| OP | Organophosphates |
| OTC | Over-the-counter – sale of products that do not require a prescription. |
| OVH | Ovariohysterectomy – Surgical removal of ovaries, fallopian tube, uterine horn, and body. Desexing of female. |
| PBFD | Psittacine beak and feather disease |
| PE | Physical examination |
| PRA | Progressive retinal atrophy |
| PTS | Put to sleep (Euthanasia, medically assisted death) |
| RCD | Rabbit calicivirus disease (rabbit haemorrhagic disease) |
| r/s,s/r, s/o | Remove sutures, e.g., r/s 10 days |
| r/v, RV, rv | Revisit e.g., r/v 10 days. |
| Rx | Prescription or prescribed |
| SA | Small Animal |
| SBL | Sick bird look |
| SC, s/c, SQ, subcut or Sub Q | Subcutaneous |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheet |
| SOP | Standard operating procedure |
| Sx | Surgery |
| Tbsp | Tablespoon |
| TGA | Therapeutic Goods Administration |
| Tsp | Teaspoon |
| TLC | Tender loving care |
| Tx | Treatment |
| US | Urine sample |
| UTBH, UTH | Unable To Be Handled |
| UTI | Urinary tract infection |
| WNL | Within Normal Limits |
| - | Minus or absence e.g., U- (absence of urine) |
| + | Plus. Used to denote severity. + mild, ++ moderate, +++ severe. E.g., Fleas +++ would indicate a very high number of fleas present on animal |
| ^ | Value is increased, e.g., ^ Bw over the last 2 months of 5kg. |
| # | Fracture |
| µg | microgram |
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| ACN | Australian Company Number |
| AAHL | Australian Animal Health Laboratory – a national facility for animal health located in Geelong |
| ACF | Australian Cat Federation Inc. The ACF Inc. promotes the welfare of all cats, as well as the responsible and ethical breeding and showing of pedigreed cats and neutered/ spayed domestic cats. |
| AERP (Ag/Vet) | Adverse Experience Reporting Program (Agriculture/Veterinary Medicines) |
| A/H | After hours |
| ANKC | Australian National Kennel Council |
| APVMA | Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. The regulator of agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemicals in Australia. They are an independent statutory authority responsible for assessing and registering pesticides and veterinary medicines proposed for supply in Australia. |
| ARTG | Australian Therapeutic Goods Register. Australia's regulatory authority for therapeutic goods. They are responsible for carrying out a range of assessment and monitoring activities to ensure therapeutic goods available in Australia are of an acceptable standard. |
| AusRFS | Australian Rat Fanciers Society Inc |
| AVA | Australian Veterinary Association. Not-for-profit association representing Australian Veterinarians working in industry, government, private practice, and academia |
| BVMS | Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery |
| BVSc | Bachelor of Veterinary Science |
| CAHP | Complementary animal health product |
| CLSI | Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute |
| CSIRO | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
| DAFF | Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. |
| DLH | Domestic Long Hair Cat – A cat of unknown breeds or a mix of breeds that has long length hair |
| DMH | Domestic Medium Hair Cat – A cat of unknown breeds or a mix of breeds that has medium-length hair |
| DSH | Domestic Short Hair Cat – A cat of unknown breeds or mix of breeds that has short-length hair |
| FSANZ | Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is a statutory authority in the Australian Government's Health portfolio. |
| PIAA | Pet Industry Association. Trade-only associations within Australia are dedicated to protecting the pet industry and promoting responsible pet ownership. |
| PM | Practice Manager |
| PPE | Personal protective equipment |
| TGA | Therapeutic Goods Administration. Australia's regulatory authority for therapeutic goods. |
| VN | Veterinary Nurse |
| VT | Veterinary Technician |
| AT | Animal Attendant |
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