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How do you apply mathematics in the veterinary field?

I'll be majoring in Biology when I start college this fall, and I'm a little leery of the math requirements. Math has never been my best subject (I always need additional help and forget the steps to certain things without constant practice). I was wondering what type of math is actually applied during work. I assumed it would mostly be measurements, but I want to know what I should focus on especially in terms of practice in case there is anything else. Also, do you have any advice for improving my math skills in general? #college #career-counseling #mathematics #veterinary #hospital-and-health-care #personal-development #career-details

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Rehana’s Answer

Completing pre-requisite mathematics courses will prepare you for many of the courses required for a DVM degree that demand an in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts. You will also use math on a daily basis as a veterinarian in practice. You will need a solid understanding of mathematics for personal and business finances, proper calculations of nutrient needs for animal nutrition, understanding of metabolic processes such as circulating volume, pathology and disease virulence, proper dosing of pharmaceuticals and proper administration of anesthesia. Mastering mathematical concepts will enable you to be a competent and effective veterinarian.

This is old forum, but to answer your questions please review at your leisure: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-situations-will-veterinarians-use-math.919381/
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Nirah’s Answer

I will be honest – calculus has not yet ones come up in my practice veterinary medicine. Still glad I took the classes, but it's not a skill you will be using day to to day. Geometry comes up from time to time, for example at what angle is the bone broken? What angle do I need to correct it? By far the most common use of math, however, is simple algebra and arithmetic to calculate dosages and in some cases make dilutions of drugs. This is an absolutely critical skill. Remember, you might be dosing anything from the size of a horse down to a 1 pound Chihuahua puppy. Moving your decimal place over accidentally could result in a fatal dose for a smaller animal, or an ineffective dues for a larger animal. You can use a calculator, but I think it is absolutely critical that you be able to at least estimate the dose in your head, so that way you will know when a decimal point mistake has been made.

Here is an example of a typical dosing calculation: The patient is a 150 g hamster. I need to dose him at 10 mg per kilogram body weight. The drug is supplied as a 100 mg/ml solution. A reasonable does volume for a subcutaneous injection a hamster is 0.05 to 0.5 mls volume. What do you do?
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