Animal attendants take care of animals and all aspects associated with this, e.g. feeding, cleaning, dipping and giving medicine. When working on a small holding, animal care attendants usually perform all these duties, but if they work with lots of animals, then their duties are usually split up, e.g. one attendant will be responsible for weighing and mixing the recommended feed before they feed the animals.
All animals are on special diets and their attendants need to follow this diet in order to keep the animals healthy. Another attendant would clean out the cages, stables or barns, while a third attendant would take care of the animals by exercising them - horses for example, or watching the animals graze, e.g. cows or deer. Some caretakers specialize in giving the animals their medication or dipping them to prevent ticks and fleas from harming them. Animal attendants need to report any problems to the person in charge and are then advised what to do. They also change bandages whenever an injury has occurred. They perform similar duties to a veterinarian assistant.
In their work, animal attendants use cleaning equipment and materials, such as brooms; dips (for fleas and ticks); medicine; and general office equipment, eg. computers to keep track of things. They work mostly outdoors with the animals.
Satisfying Aspects
- meeting lots of people, who can expand the business
- helping animals, especially when they are in distress
- generally, the satisfaction of caring for and raising animals
Demanding aspects
- difficult animals can cause frustration
- working in various weather conditions
- having to work irregular hours at times, especially if something goes wrong with the animals
Requirements
- responsible and reliable
- patient and kind
- friendly and helpful
- sincere love of animals
- self-motivated
School Subjects
No set level of school required, but it is suggested that you progress as far as you can at school.
Compulsory Subjects: None
Recommended Subjects: Life Sciences and Physical Sciences
Training
In-service training under the supervision of an experienced animal care attendant.
Employer
- kennels or catteries
- farmers
- zoos
- stables and stud farms
- aviaries
- animal shelter organizations, eg. SPCA, animal anti-cruelty and wildlife orphanages
Contact
Any of the above potential employers