Scouting/BSA/Veterinary Medicine Merit Badge

The requirements to this merit badge are copyrighted by the Boy Scouts of America. They are reproduced in part here under fair use as a resource for Scouts and Scouters to use in the earning and teaching of merit badges. The requirements published by the Boy Scouts of America should always be used over the list here. If in doubt about the accuracy of a requirement, consult your Merit Badge Counselor.

Reading this page does not satisfy any requirement for any merit badge. Per National regulations, the only person who may sign off on requirements is a Merit Badge Counselor, duly registered and authorized by the local Council. To obtain a list of registered Merit Badge Counselors, or to begin a Merit Badge, please contact your Scoutmaster or Council Service Center.

Requirements for the Veterinary Medicine merit badge: Discuss with your counselor the roles a veterinarian plays in the following: Companion or small animal medicine, and equine medicine Food animal or large animal medicine Exotic animal medicine Marine animal medicine (mammal and fish) Poultry medicine Wildlife medicine and aquaculture medicine Discuss with your counselor the roles a veterinarian plays in the following: Public health medicine and zoonotic disease surveillance and control The military Food safety and inspection Laboratory animal medicine and research Teaching and government Describe the training required to become a veterinarian. Where is the veterinary medical college nearest you? Describe the prerequisites for applying to veterinary school. Tell your counselor what a registered veterinary technician (R.T.V.) or animal health technician (A.H.T.) is. Describe the training required to become an R.V.T. or A.H.T. Where is the school or facility for R.V.T. or A.H.T training nearest you? Describe the role an R.V.T. or A.H.T. would play in assisting a veterinarian working in three of the practice types listed in requirement 1. Discuss with your merit badge counselor the role a veterinarian plays in the human-animal bond. Do ONE of the following: Visit a veterinary clinic, hospital, or veterinary referral teaching hospital that does work in one of the practices listed in requirement 1. Spend as much time as you can observing the veterinarians and their staff. Write a report on what you observed and learned at the facility. Share your report with your counselor. Spend as much time as possible with a veterinarian who works in one of the fields listed in requirement 2. Learn what special training beyond veterinary medical school may have been required for that position. Learn about any special or unusual activities required of this position. Write a report on what you have learned about this field of veterinary medicine. Include in your report how this field serves the needs of the general public. Share your report with your counselor.

Requirement 1

Tell the normal posture or attitude, motion, or action of two farm animals and two companion animals.

Requirement 2

Make chart showing the normal body temperature and heart and respiration rates of the horse, cow, pig, sheep, dog, and cat.

Requirement 3

Make a schematic drawing of at least TWO of the following body systems. For each system, label the parts, and explain the function of each part: respiratory, digestive, skeletal, and circulatory.

Requirement 4

Prepare a program of animal health maintenance for two farm animals and one pet. Emphasize adequate housing, feeding, watering, and grooming care (if required) and exercise. Give the kinds of food that each animal needs.

Requirement 5

Tell the importance of proper nutrition in farm animals and pets.

Requirement 6

Define bacteria, virus, and parasite. Tell how they cause diseases in animals. Name two diseases of farm animals and of pets caused by each.

Requirement 7

Illustrate and explain the stages of the life cycles of the tick, dog roundworm, and dog heartworm.

Requirement 8

Name five diseases of animals that are transmissible to humans.

• Cat-scratch fever is transmitted by the bacterium Bartonella henselae. The diseases causes lymphadenopathy.

Requirement 9

Spend as much time as possible with a veterinarian. Watch the kind of work the veterinarian does. Prepare a written summary of your experience.

Requirement 10

Tell about veterinary activities other than direct treatment and handling of animals.

• Research
• Running a veterinary practice