Distinguish between preventative and therapeutic veterinary care in the context of research animals.

• A. Vaccinations and screening are therapeutic; treatment of disease is preventative.
• B. Preventative care is optional.
• C. Therapeutic care is the same as preventative care.
• D. Preventative care maintains health (vaccinations, screening); therapeutic care treats diagnosed conditions.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is distinguishing actions that keep animals healthy from actions taken after illness is present. Preventative care aims to maintain health and prevent disease through measures like vaccinations and routine health screening. Therapeutic care is what you provide once a disease or injury has been diagnosed, such as antibiotics for an infection, analgesia for pain, or surgery to address a condition.

In the context of research animals, preventative care reduces the chance of illness occurring and helps ensure reliable study results and animal welfare. Therapeutic care addresses problems that have already been identified, aiming to restore health or relieve suffering. For example, vaccinating an animal to prevent a specific infectious disease is preventative care, while treating a diagnosed infection with antibiotics is therapeutic care.

That combination is best captured by the statement that preventative care maintains health (vaccinations, screening) and therapeutic care treats diagnosed conditions. The other options either misstate the roles, suggest preventative care is optional, or claim the two are the same.