I



Goal/Purpose Statement

The goal of this lesson will be to inform dog owners about the signs, symptoms, and both symptomatic and long term treatments for dogs with allergies. At the conclusion of the lesson, learners will be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of a dog that is experiencing an allergic reaction and administer the appropriate symptomatic and desensitization treatments.

I. Needs Assessment

A. Instructional Problem

Allergic reactions in dogs are commonly misdiagnosed and mistreated by pet owners, but can lead to serious health issues if not properly addressed in time. Basic instruction on how to recognize and treat the short term symptoms with veterinarian recommended over-the-counter medications as well as information on how to administer the prescription desensitization serums will help to raise awareness and lessen the burden on the veterinarian after the diagnosis has been made. The graphics used in the presentation will depict the visual signs that a dog’s reaction is allergic, as opposed to a flea infestation, and show the learner how to administer the pills and shots needed to remedy the situation. The graphics will be beneficial because the learner will have a visual reference to help guide their learning. For instance, a picture of a dog with red paws is easier to comprehend than a simple verbal description.

B. Learner Profile

The audience consists of dog owners who have one or more dogs that have been diagnosed with allergies. The majority of these owners will be experienced in the basic care of dogs, but most likely have never administered a pill or injection. The owners will have prior knowledge about the standard behaviors of their dogs as well as knowledge of the change in behavior that prompted a visit to the veterinarian.

II. Instructional Strategy Outline

A. Preinstructional Activities

The learners will be receiving this instruction at a point where they have enough concern to visit the veterinarian with their dog and obtain the allergy diagnosis. The majority of their pets will be experiencing an extreme amount of itching or swelling, along with the associated anxiety, and they will be very interested in their dog returning to “normal.” To spark their interest, images of healthy dogs without allergic reactions will be used. At that point, the goal will be introduced to inform the learner that the obtained skills will hopefully help to return their dog to the depicted state of health. The learners will also be told that in order to perform the necessary skills, they must be completely comfortable with controlling and handling their dog and not be uncomfortable around needles. Learner will be informed that those who perform the skills well will have the convenience of being able to administer the medications at home, while learners that are unable to master the skill or are not comfortable with the skill will have to return to the clinic every other day to have the technician perform the tasks.

B. Information Presentation

For the first section of the lesson, learners will be shown images of common types of allergic reaction symptoms. They will also be shown an example of a common symptom that is not attributed to allergic reactions.

For the second section of the lesson, learners will be exposed to the standard process for diagnosing and treating allergies in dogs. Checkmarks will orient them to where they are in the process.

For the third section of the lesson, learners will be given instructions for administering over-the-counter pills to their dog in order to reduce the amount of itching. Visuals will accompany each of the steps so that the learner will be familiar with what the process looks like.

For the fourth section of the lesson, learners will be given instructions for administering the desensitization injections that will hopefully prevent the dog from having more allergic reactions. Injections can be intimidating to administer, so the visuals will help the learner to feel more comfortable with the process. A chart will be displayed to show how the dosage is increased over time.

C. Learner Participation

After each of the sections, a veterinarian technician will assist the learner with performing the steps on the dog. For this, sugar pills and saline will be used instead of actual antihistamines and desensitization serum. The technician will be able to provide immediate feedback and support to the learner as they are walking through the steps. At this point the learner can ask any questions and the technician can assist with problems that arise.

D. Testing

In this situation I do not feel it is appropriate to have an entry skills test or pre-test because the range of knowledge will be too great and unfamiliar learners might feel overwhelmed by the topics that the questions address. The assumption will be that the dog owner is completely unfamiliar with the skills and every aspect of the skill set will be covered. This way, any misconceptions about the topics will also be realized by the learners. A post-test will be administered at the end of the lesson, to prove to the veterinarian technician that the learner is able to perform the pill and injection administration skills without assistance. They had previously practiced the skill with assistance, but this time they must perform the actions on their own to ensure that the dog can be cared for at home.

E. Follow-through Activities

Following the test, the learners who did not perform well will be given unlimited opportunities to try again, with or without the assistance of the veterinarian technician. They may discover that their particular dog requires two individuals in order to be administered pills or injections, which is fine. That is something that is important for the owner to be aware of so that they can enlist another family member or friend for assistance. Additionally, the technician will be available at any point in time if the learner needs to return for additional instruction or to ask questions. Learner who performed well will have the convenience of being able to administer the medications at home, while learners that are unable to master the skill or are not comfortable with the skill will have to return to the clinic every other day to have the technician perform the tasks.

III. Identification of Graphic Needs

IV.

A. List of Graphics

Graphic |Brief Description of Graphic |Preinstructional activities |Information presentation |Learner participation |Testing |Follow through activities |Actual Graphic |Role of Graphic in Instruction | |1 |Healthy dog |Obtained without modification |  |  |  |  |[pic] |This picture of a healthy, happy dog is intended to motivate the learner to want to administer pills and injections to eliminate the allergy issues. | |2 |Dog scratching | |Obtained without modification |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to visually demonstrate the constant, intense, and rough scratching on the neck is a sign of skin irritation. | |3 |Dog with red toes | |Obtained, but needs modification |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to demonstrate what irritated skin will look like between the dog’s toes, the easiest place to spot it. | |4 |Fleas in dog fur |  |Obtained, but needs modification |  |  |  |[pic] |Shows what a flea infestation looks like and serves as a non-example of an allergic symptom. | |5 |Chart of treatment steps |  |Created with draw program |  |  |  |[pic]

Link to full size image |Intended to orient the learner with where they are in the treatment process. | |6 |Antihistamine pills |  |Created (digital camera) |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to show the learner that generic over-the counter medication can be used. | |7 |Opening dog’s mouth to administer pill |  |Created (digital camera) |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to give a visual example of how to safely administer a pill. | |8 |Holding dogs mouth closed to swallow |  |Created (digital camera) |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to give a visual example of how to encourage the dog to swallow a pill. | |9 |“Now you try it!” sign |  | |Created with artistic text |  |  |[pic] |Intended to trigger the learner to turn to their dog and attempt the pill administration process with the technician’s assistance (participation phase). | |10 |Syringe diagram |  |Obtained without modification |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to familiarize the learner with the parts of the syringe. | |11 |Filling syringe |  |Created (digital camera) |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to visually demonstrate filling the syringe with serum. | |12 |Direction of syringe needle |  |Obtained, but need modification |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to demonstrate the orientation of the “eye-hole” of the syringe. | |13 |Administering shot |  |Created (digital camera) |  |  |  |[pic] |Intended to visually demonstrate how to inject the serum under the gathered skin. | |14 |“Now you try it!” sign |  |  |Created with artistic text |  |  |[pic] |Intended to trigger the learner to turn to their dog and attempt the serum injection process with the technician’s assistance (participation phase). | |15 |Shot schedule |  |Created with draw program |  |  |  |[pic]

Link to full size image |Intended to visually represent the injection schedule. | |16 |“Now demonstrate both procedures!” sign | | | |Created with artistic text | |[pic] |Intended to trigger the learner to turn to their dog and attempt the both processes without assistance (testing phase). | |

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