Client and Animal Safety Flashcards
7 cards from real AAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Client and Animal Safety flashcards as text
A therapy dog bites a client during an AAT session. After ensuring client safety, the handler's NEXT priority is:
Answer: Complete an incident report, quarantine the animal, and notify the supervising clinician
Incident reporting, animal quarantine per local ordinance, and immediate supervisor notification are mandatory post-bite protocols.
Which factor most directly determines the appropriate session length for a therapy animal to prevent fatigue-related safety risks?
Answer: The individual animal's demonstrated stress threshold and recovery needs
Each animal has an individual stress threshold; exceeding it increases unpredictable behavior that can endanger clients.
A client with an open skin wound wants to hold a therapy rabbit. The handler should:
Answer: Consult nursing staff and ensure wound is covered before any animal contact
Open wounds create a portal of entry for zoonotic pathogens; nursing staff must assess and cover the wound before animal contact is permitted.
What is the recommended action if a therapy animal exhibits sudden uncharacteristic aggression during a session it has previously performed well in?
Answer: Remove the animal, end the session, and schedule a veterinary evaluation
Uncharacteristic aggression may signal pain or illness; a veterinary evaluation is necessary before the animal returns to service.
Which client population requires the handler to verify animal parasite prevention is current BEFORE every visit?
Answer: Pediatric oncology patients
Pediatric oncology patients are severely immunocompromised, making parasite transmission—even from a single visit—a serious infectious risk.
Proper nail maintenance for a therapy animal is a safety requirement primarily because:
Answer: Scratches from overgrown nails can break client skin and create infection risk
Even unintentional scratches from long nails can break the skin of fragile clients, opening pathways for infection.
A handler notices a client feeding the therapy dog food from their pocket without permission. The appropriate response is to:
Answer: Gently stop the behavior, explain food allergy and reinforcement risks, and redirect to approved interactions
Unauthorized food can trigger allergic reactions or reinforce unwanted animal behaviors that compromise safety in future sessions.