If you are interested in working in the pet care industry or simply wish to be a responsible pet owner then Animal Care Level 2 is the perfect starting point. No prior knowledge is required but of course a keen interest in animals is a must!

Support is provided for up to 12 months but it is entirely up to you how quickly you work through the course. The estimated study time is 100 hours so if you average around 5 hours a week study you would complete in 5-6 months.

The Animal Care Level 2 course can be studied online or via a paper version. The paper version is delivered hard copy in folders. This is yours to keep so you can write on it, make notes etc. The online version is a fully digitised version of the paper course and can be studied on any PC or smart device when connected to the internet.

Support is provided throughout the course via a tutor who can be emailed at any time should you come across anything you are unsure of. There is also a support team by telephone.

Animal Care Level 2 is split into sixteen units. At the end of each unit you will complete an assignment which you will email to your tutor. An assignment is a set of questions based upon the unit you have just studied. Your tutor will mark your work and give you feedback. If there are any areas for improvements or anything that you have misunderstood you will always have the opportunity to re-submit.

The good news is there are no exams! Once you have completed all the assignments you complete the course.

Unit 1: History and Background

• Domestication
• The classification system
• How to choose the right pet

Unit 2: Safety, Welfare, Health & Hygiene

• Safety
• Transfer of diseases from animals to humans
• Correct handling methods and methods of restraint
• Hygiene of an animal's sleeping area
• Pests and parasites

Unit 3: Anatomy and Physiology

• The skeletal and muscular systems
• The digestive system
• The circulatory and lymphatic systems
• The respiratory system
• The nervous system

Unit 4: Animal first aid

• Handling and transport of injured animals
• Basic examinations
• Shock and its signs
• Wounds, burns and fractures
• How to administer medication

Unit 5: Dogs

• Different breeds
• Nutrition and exercise
• Behaviour and training
• Grooming and general care
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 6: Cats

• Breeds and body types
• Nutrition and exercise
• Behaviour and training
• Grooming and general care
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 7: Horses and ponies

• Anatomy
• Groups and breeds
• Nutrition
• Housing and exercise
• Behaviour and training
• Grooming, shoeing and general care
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 8: Birds

• Anatomy
• Nutrition and general care
• Birds of prey
• Common diseases

Unit 9: Fish

• Housing and general care
• Types of fish
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 10: Snakes and Lizards

• Housing and general care
• Types and their requirements
• Common diseases

Unit 11: Tortoises, turtles and terrapins

• Characteristics and anatomy
• Housing and general care
• Hibernation
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 12: Insects

• Handling
• Housing
• Nutritional requirements
• Beetles, centipedes and millipedes
• Frogs and toads

Unit 13: Hamsters, gerbils, rats and mice

• Housing and general care
• Nutrition and exercise
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 14: Ferrets, pole cats

• Groups and breeds
• Nutrition, housing and exercise
• Behaviour and training
• Grooming and general care
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 15: Rabbits and guinea pigs

• Groups and breeds
• Nutrition, housing and exercise
• Behaviour
• Grooming and general care
• Breeding
• Common diseases

Unit 16: Wildlife safety

• Types
• Injuries

At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement from ABC Awards and Certa Awards and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).

The course has been endorsed under the ABC Awards and Certa Awards Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Kendal Publishing Ltd has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 2 against level descriptors published by Ofqual to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner.

The course itself has been designed by Kendal Publishing Ltd to meet specific learners and/or employers requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. ABC Awards/Certa endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

ABC Awards and Certa Awards have long-established reputations for providing high quality vocational qualifications across a wide range of industries. ABC Awards and Certa Awards also offer regulated qualifications for all ages and abilities post-14: all are developed with the support of relevant stakeholders to ensure that they meet the needs and standards of employers across the UK

*Regulated qualification refers to those qualifications that are regulated by Ofqual/CCEA/Qualification Wales