SASK10137U Nutrition and Management of Companion and Exotic Animals

Volume 2022/2023
Education

MSc Programme in Animal Science - semi-compulsory/Restricted electives

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
- breeding goals, breeding programmes and organisations, breeding strategies to maintain healthy populations, interactions between genotype and nutrition

Behaviour and welfare:
- Normal behaviour in companion and exotic animals
- Environmental enrichment to maintain normal behaviour
- Prevention of behaviour problems

Learning Outcome

This course will focus on nutrition, management and husbandry issues pertaining to companion and to some extent, 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 focus on healthy animals. Students will obtain knowledge of optimal nutrition and management practices incl. legislation, 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 to some extent for 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, animal 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 animals in different life stages and under different physical activity or training conditions to optimize performance and prevent malnutrition.
- Advise on nutrition for common exotic animal species
- 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 , including relevant genetics and legislative issues in companion and exotic animal species.

SAS10145U Nutritional physiology
SASA10142U Breeding and Reproduction
SASA10143U Animal Nutrition and Performance
SASA17003U Ethology
Lectures, seminars and project work.
The course is centred around a group based project Work, weekly seminars and oral presentations. Throughout the course, the students will be working in groups. Lectures, exercises and seminars will support the case-based project Work. The project Work should result in oral presentations, colloquia and written power-point reports covering the key areas of nutrition, ethology and management including relevant perspectives to legislation and breeding.

Evaluation model: Survey-based model
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 43
  • Class Instruction
  • 11
  • Project work
  • 277
  • Guidance
  • 80
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 412
Oral
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Oral examination, 20 minutes
Type of assessment details
Written assignments/power-point reports covering the areas of nutrition, ethology and management including relevant perspectives to legislation and breeding, demonstrating a satisfactory insight into the chosen project areas must be submitted. Final submission deadline is Friday 4 PM in block week 8.
Oral examination based on the written power-point reports and pensum accounting for the general principles regarding nutrition and management of companion and exotic animals.

Weight: Oral examination 100 %.
Aid
Only certain aids allowed

written power-point reports: All aids

Oral examination: No aids

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
More than one internal examiner
Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student shall be able to:

Knowledge
- 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
- Apply methods to evaluate feed formulation and feed quality.
- Apply methods for evaluation of the interactions between animal nutrition and health, animal 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
- 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 animals in different life stages and under different physical activity or training conditions to optimize performance and prevent malnutrition.
- Advise on nutrition for common exotic animal species
- 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 genetic and legislative issues in companion and exotic animal species.