In no particular order, the veterinary technicians at my hospital and I came up with a list of vocabulary words to review.
We were thinking about funny or strange sounding words that we use in this profession, and here are a few we came up with! My favorite is #9.
What is your favorite vet med word?
1) Pica- eating of non-food items, often to excess as a result of behavior or malnutrition
2) Umbilicus- "belly button," umbilical hernia is an opening in the body wall at that location
3) Fistula- an abnormal connection between 2 body parts, i.e. oronasal fistula, perianal fistula, fistulous withers in horses, etc.
4) Ptyalism- excessive drooling or saliva
5) Papilloma- wart like growth, usually associated with virus
6) Coprophagia- eating feces
7) Petechiae- small or pin-point red or purple spots on the skin caused by broken capillaries; often associated with thrombocytopenia
8) Borborygmus- a rumbling or gurgling noise due to fluid and gas in the intestine
9) Trichobezoar- a compact mass of hair (hairball)
10) Peritoneum- the serous membrane lining the abdominal cavity and covering the abdominal organs