| Responsible Department | Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences
70 % Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences 15 % Department of Large Animal Sciences 15 % | ||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||
| Credits | 15 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | MSc | ||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination Portfolio Examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Oral examination based on elaborated project report and pensum Weight: Oral examination: 100% 7-point scale, external examiner | ||||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | Submission of project report | ||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Lectures, seminars and project work | ||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 4 Week Structure: Outside schedule, All course activity will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays | ||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | 260007 Ethology 260008 260028 Introduction to Companion Animals 210006 Statistical Data Analysis 2 260030 Animal Production Science 2B | ||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||
| Nutrition of the healthy animal: - as affected by life stage (maintenance, growth, reproduction, lactation) - for performance, health and longevity - Malnutrition disorders and their prevention feed manufacturing and appropriate feedstuffs for companion and exotic animals incl. nutritional value, quality, and feed technology Management and husbandry at group, individual and population level incl. e.g breeders, pet shops and after school facilities - Management principles to obtain and maintain healthy individuals incl. prophylactic vaccination and anti-parasite programs - Legislation regarding management and husbandry relevant to companion and exotic animal species Canine and feline breeding: - breeding organisations, breeding strategies to maintain healthy populations Behaviour and welfare: - Normal behaviour in companion and exotic animals - Environmental enrichment to maintain normal behaviour - Prevention of behaviour problems | |||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||
| The course is centred around a group based project work. Throughout the course, the students will be working in groups. Lectures and seminars are concentrated in the first part of the course to support the project work. | |||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||
| - This course will focus on nutrition, management and husbandry issues pertaining to companion and exotic animal species. The core of the course will be the quantitative aspects of companion and exotic animal science, focused at group level but extending down to the individual animal and up to populations. The course will be concerned with healthy animals. Students will obtain knowledge of optimal nutrition and management practices incl. breeding, feeding and physical environment to ensure health, longevity and performance. - The aim is to educate graduates with academic competence to become consultants and with an option to work in several areas within this sector incl. - Pet food companies - Pet breeders - Pet shops - Kennels and catteries - Veterinary support industries - Companion and exotic animal advisory services - Government advisory service - Local government advisory service/registration - After-school facilities - Animal legislation - Hunting and gamesport associations - Zoos, wildlife parks - Research - Teaching - The aim is to educate graduates with the following competence profile: - Knowledge The student is able, for companion animal and exotic species, to: - Account for quantitative nutrition and feeding in different stages (maintenance, growh, reproduction, lactation) to optimize health, performance and longevity and prevention of malnutrition. - Account for principles of different feedstuffs and feed manufacturing - Account for legislation relating to management and husbandry relevant to companion and exotic animal species - Account for important principles in management at group level but extending down to the individual and up to populations regarding husbandry, breeding, and their relation to the animals' physical environment, health, behaviour, welfare, and longevity. Skills The student is able to - Apply methods to evaluate feed formulation and feed quality. - Apply methods for evaluation of the interactions between animal nutrition and health, animala behaviour and physical environment, and advice within these areas. - Quantify and model animal life processes, from cellular to whole body level, including nutritional, biochemical, genetic, and physiological processes. Competencies The student is able to - Understand relevant scientific principles, perform relevant experiments and to analyse and critically evaluate scientific literature. - Use relevant scientific principles to evaluate and analyse the animals' nutritional-, health- and welfare status, and the quality of their physical environment. - Formulate and optimize diets for companion and exotic animals in different life stages and under different physical activity or training conditions to optimize performance and prevent malnutriton. - Apply principles of important food processing methods, and how they influence the nutritive value and applicabillity of diets in different life stages and in different physical activity. - Account for behavioral aspects of welfare. - To perform evaluation of nutrition, welfare and management relevant to legislative issues in companion and exotic animal species. Grades To pass the examination the student should - provide a written project report demonstrating a satisfactory insight into the chosen project area - during the oral examination be able to account for the general principles regarding nutrition and management of companion and exotic animals. The mark 2 is given for a project report and oral examination fulfilling the basic criteria of the course, but significantly lacking in depth and precision. The mark 12 is given when both the project report and oral examination demonstrate that the student has deep insight in and understanding of the area of the project report as well as a thorough knowledge on the total subject area nutrition and management of companion and exotic animals, and is able present and discuss the topic at an academic level. | |||||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||||
| To be announced. | |||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||
| Anne-Helene Tauson, aht@life.ku.dk, Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences/Animal Nutrition, Phone: 353-33039 Charlotte Reinhard Bjørnvad, crb@life.ku.dk, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences/, Phone: 353-32864 | |||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||
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