Veterinary Animal Husbandry

FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies

VETERINARY ANIMAL HUSBANDRY - BVMS II

Curriculum for the Degree of BVMS

COURSE INFORMATION

2005-2006

Course Leader:J J Parkins

Quality Assurance Officer:E R Cameron

Veterinary Animal Husbandry

INFORMATION FOR THE SECOND YEAR COURSE IN

VETERINARY ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

ACADEMIC YEAR 2005/2006

CONTENTSPage No

1.Place of the Course in the BVMS Degree Curriculum1

2.Aims of the Course.1

3.Learning Objectives of the Course.1

4.Components of the Course (4.1 - 4.13)2-9

5.Course Content9

6.Course Texts and Required Reading9

7.Teaching Hours and Teaching Methods11

8.Methods of Assessment11

Assessment of the Course11

8.1Assessment of student learning12

Examination Instructions12

Examination Structure12

Code of Practice on incomplete assessment and good cause13

8.2Class Examinations14

8.3Second Professional Examination for the Degree of BVMS,
Veterinary Animal Husbandry14

Marking and Oral Examination Procedures15

Anonymity of marking and reporting15

Procedures15

Grading15

8.4 External Examiner16

8.5 Prizes17

9.Policy on Exemptions and Course Certification17

10.Other Important Information

10.1 Arrangements for Practical Classes, Protective Clothing, Health & Safety17

10.2Staff and Student Liaison18

10.3Staff18

10.4Extramural Studies (EMS18

10.5Essential Competences Required of the Veterinary Surgeon19-22

Veterinary Animal Husbandry

INFORMATION FOR THE SECOND YEAR COURSE IN

VETERINARY ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

ACADEMIC YEAR 2005/2006

PLEASE NOTE

Items contained within this Course Information Document are sometimes unavoidably subject to change. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the correct lecture, practical, tutorial and examination schedules. Lecture venues may be changed during the Course. The Year Notice boards and email should be checked daily.

In light of student feedback and External Examiner comments the following changes have been made: - minor alterations to the timetabling schedules.

Code of Professional Conduct, Fitness to Practice

Students are reminded that they are expected to have read the above code which should be signed for and duly implemented during the time spent in the Course.

PLACE OF THE COURSE IN THE BVMS DEGREE CURRICULUM

The Veterinary Animal Husbandry & Management Course is given in the first and second years of the 5 year BVMS degree course. The teaching is designed and administered as a single-streamed course. The students are assessed at class examinations over the two years and the First Professional Examination is held in the Whitsun Term of the first year and the second Professional Examination at the end of year two.

Before completion of the second year of the course, students must have undertaken vacation practical work (Extra Mural Studies, EMS) involving periods (amounting to a total of 12 weeks) on each of: a dairy farm, a pig unit, a livery or riding establishment and lambing on a commercial sheep enterprise. Further, students are strongly advised to gain additional practical experience wherever possible.

AIMS OF THE COURSE

To provide basic understanding of the importance of pet animal ownership, equine management and food animal production.
To provide basic biological data for individual farm, equine and companion animal species and to present the basic principles of animal breeding with particular knowledge of production/conformation enhancement.
To impart knowledge essential for the optimal husbandry of individual farm, equine, companion and laboratory animal species.
To provide information for the effective prevention of management associated illnesses.
To provide an understanding of the behavioural needs and welfare concerns of individual farm, equine and companion animal species.
To cultivate a sense of care and responsibility to animals.
To cultivate a professional, open-minded and informed attitude towards the topics of animal welfare and veterinary ethics.
To provide information on legislation related to the care of animals.
To develop practical skills; in particular, those required for the effective handling and safe restraint of animals.
To integrate practical experience of extramural studies into the formal course.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

Be aware of the importance of the pet animal, equine and animal production industries.
Know the behavioural, environmental and nutritional needs of individual farm, equine and companion animal species at different life stages.
Acquire a knowledge of good husbandry practices which allow for these behavioural, environment and nutritional requirements to be achieved.
Understand the basic principles of preventive health care.
Know the basic biological data of individual farm, equine, cage and companion animal species and the basic principles of animal breeding.
Be aware of welfare issues and associated arguments relevant to individual animal species.
Gain confidence handling equine, farm and companion animals
Acquire first-hand experience of a variety of animal management systems.

COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE

The principal components include the management, behaviour, welfare, feeding, breeding, and housing of companion animals and horses and is extended to cover the main production systems of farm and food animals.

Foundation courses, including animal nutrition, welfare, environment control and applied genetics are threaded through the two-year course.

There is also a practical component which involves live animal instruction covering both farm animals, horses and companion animals. Practical instruction is given both at the VeterinarySchool and the University Farm & Research Centre at Cochno. There is also a series of outside visits to places of veterinary interest.

Advanced husbandry instruction, as a preparation for later clinical studies, is given in tutorial sessions in the later part of the course.

A strong emphasis is placed on the interaction between animal management and animal health in a number of different species.

4.1Genetics and Animal Breeding

Aims

To provide a basic training in the principles of genetics which are necessary for the understanding of animal breeding and genetically inherited susceptibility to disease.

Learning Objectives

To understand sufficient genetic science to be able to provide breeders with relevant advice on selective breeding problems.
To know enough genetics to recognise genetically inherited diseases and formulate appropriate control strategies.

4.2Environment & Housing

Aims

To present information on the relationship between housing and animal productivity, health and welfare.
To provide an understanding of the various factors which affect the environment in livestock buildings.
To present basic information on the design of animal housing.
To provide an understanding of the changes that occur in the internal environment of buildings when stocked with animals and the methods used to control these changes.
To present information on and develop the practical skills required to assess the environment in livestock buildings.
To illustrate how faults in the design of animal housing can affect the severity of disease and how improvements can be used to control/prevent disease.

Learning Objectives

Know the importance of housing in relation to veterinary work.
Understand the various factors which affect the environment in livestock buildings.
Have an appreciation of the design of animal accommodation.
Know the changes that occur in the internal environment of buildings when stocked with animals and the methods used to control these changes.
Be able to assess the environment in animal houses.
Be able to identify a poor environment and in principle how this could be improved.

4.3Animal Nutrition

Aims

To provide a basic understanding of the principles of animal nutrition explaining the concepts of proximate analyses, feed digestibility, utilisation and nutritive value.
To be able to outline how feeds are analysed in the laboratory according to current legislation and how the most important nutritive values are calculated.
To outline a feed classification scheme of direct relevance to the practical formulation of diets for animals and to present basic information on the important nutritive characteristics of the major groups and display example feeds from each group, including conserved grass materials.
To impart a knowledge of energy partition in ruminant and monogastric species and how the Digestible Energy and Metabolisable Energy systems operate.
To give an essential outline of the modern concepts of protein digestion and utilisation and how this is related to the Digestible Crude Protein and Metabolisable Protein systems.
To provide essential information on the involvement of major and trace elements and vitamins of importance in animal feeding. This includes the effects of veterinary importance in practical deficiency and excess mineral supply situations.
To explain the workings of modern commercial nutritional advisory organisations and how feed mills operate in the production of farm feeds.

Learning Objectives

To attain an understanding of the principles of animal nutrition.
To understand how feeds are classified for animal nutrition purposes and how these are sampled and analysed according to legally regulated procedures.
To be able to identify feedstuffs of importance in animal feeding and know their broad nutritional characteristics.
To be able to explain the basis of the energy and protein feeding recommendations for ruminant and monogastric species.
To understand the important features of mineral/vitamin requirements and the effects of deficiency or over-supply and how these may be presented to different classes of farm livestock in the practical situation.
To have an outline understanding of the workings and legislation surrounding the feed industry.

4.4Welfare and Legislation

Aims

To introduce welfare as a concept.
To define the roles of animal welfare science, ethics and law.
To explain different types of welfare problems facing animals.
To introduce the roles and responsibilities of vets and to cultivate an open minded attitude about animal welfare.
To describe the principles and problems involved in the transportation of animals.
To outline the UK/EU legislative process and raise awareness of legislation relevant to the veterinary profession.
To introduce basic ethical concepts and highlight ethical challenges faced by vets.
To describe behavioural theory including cognition and animal sentience.
To outline behavioural approaches that are relevant to welfare research and assessment.

Learning Objectives

Understand different definitions of welfare.
Know the different contributions of science, ethics and law to welfare debates.
Be aware of the range of welfare and ethical issues and the role of the veterinary profession.
Understand the principles involved in the transportation of animals.
Have working knowledge of legislation affecting the veterinary profession particularly in relation to welfare and transportation.
Understand basic ethical concepts.
Demonstrate knowledge of behavioural theory and its relevance to welfare research and assessment.

4.5Cattle Husbandry

Aims

To present an overview of cattle production with particular emphasis on the UK economic situation including ongoing difficulties associated with restrictions caused by the FMD crisis.
Give instruction in the principles of selection for breeding, body condition scoring and linear type assessment exercises. Give information on breed types and details of performance characteristics. Provide details on how the AI service operates.
To describe outlines of dairy cow herd annual management with emphasis on production and reproduction events and the essentials of feeding and housing systems.
To provide information explaining the role of grassland in the annual management of the dairy herd.
To demonstrate how dairy cow diets are nutritionally evaluated using different examples and how these may be practically related to reproductive or production problems
Give information on bovine milk characteristics and the factors which may affect them.
Provide information on the rearing of calves and young replacement livestock from the dairy herd.
Detail the important features of beef suckler cow herd management including the important aspects of health control, breeding and feeding.
Describe the different systems of raising beef livestock to finished market condition with details of feeding, health management and housing, also explaining the current EU financial support packages.

Learning Objectives

Gain awareness of UK cattle and milk production in relation to the current FMD and EU situation and trade restrictions; common breeds and main characters; BCS and LTA features in describing cattle.
Have a thorough knowledge of the annual reproductive events, feeding, milking, housing and health needs of the dairy cow in different management systems including the importance of grassland/silage utilisation in modern dairy production.
To be able to undertake simple hand-steered calculations evaluating the energy supply provided from example diets in different production situations and be able to comment on the adequacy of supply.
To be able to explain the principles of cattle selection and outline how AI services operate.
To understand the structure of the UK beef industry, the systems used to produce finished cattle from dairy and beef herds, health considerations, breeding and beef cow management features.
To know the essential features of the rearing of dairy and suckler beef calves and the husbandry details associated with the rearing of female offspring to first service.

4.6Sheep Husbandry

Aims

To provide an understanding of the behavioural, environmental and nutritional requirements which are necessary for the optimum management of sheep at various life stages.
To provide a basic understanding of ovine reproduction and breeding management.
To present basic information which allows for the effective prevention of management associated illnesses and prophylaxis of common ovine diseases.
To highlight ovine welfare issues.
To introduce the most important aspects of legislation (e.g. tagging and movement order requirements in wake of FMD crisis) relating to the ovine species.
To present information and develop the practical skills required for the safe and effective handling, restraint and examination of sheep.
To provide a practical insight into the yearly management of sheep.

Learning Objectives

Know the behavioural, environmental and nutritional requirements of sheep at different life stages.
Know basic ovine reproduction data.
Know prophylactic measures commonly employed for the effective health management of sheep.
Appreciate ovine welfare issues.
Appreciate the basic principles of legislation relating to sheep and to know the current tagging and movement order restrictions in place.
Gain confidence in the handling and restraint of sheep.

4.7Pig Husbandry

Aims

To provide information on the structure of the pig industry including marketing and the suppliers’ objectives.
To provide basic biological data concerning the pig.
To give information concerning the genetic diversity of the national herd and the role of genetic selection in promoting productivity.
To present information regarding pig reproduction and highlight those factors affecting the reproductive performance and profitability of a breeding herd.
To provide a practical insight into the nutritional requirements of the pig at different stages of the life-cycle and highlight the common health and production problems that can arise due to inappropriate nutritional care.
To emphasise those environmental and management factors that promote health and good welfare of pigs.
To highlight those areas of welfare concern within the pig industry and provide examples of how suboptimal environment or management can result in problems with regard to welfare, health and production in different classes of pig.

Learning Objectives

To provide an understand the structure of the pig industry and appreciate those factors affecting profitability with different types of producer.
To know the basic biological data concerning the pig.
To give be able to identify different breeds, understand their use within the industry and appreciate how genetic selection can affect production.
To know the basic data concerning pig reproduction and be able to discuss the biological and managerial factors that affect the reproductive performance of a breeding herd.
To know the nutritional requirements of the pig at different stages of the life-cycle at a practical level and be aware of the common problems arising from inappropriate nutrition.
To know the environmental and management factors the promote health and good welfare pigs and be aware of the major areas of concern.

4.8Deer Husbandry

Aims

To provide information on the biological data of the Red Deer and the natural history of deer within the UK.
To present information regarding the development of commercial deer farming in the UK and the different types of farming practice.
To outline the specific husbandry requirements of deer.
To introduce the major areas of concern regarding health and welfare of farmed deer.

Learning Objectives

To know the basic biological data of the Red Deer.
To be aware of the development of commercial deer farming in the UK and the different types of farming practice.
To have knowledge of the specific husbandry requirements of deer.
To have some basic knowledge of the major health and welfare problems in farmed deer.

4.9Goat Husbandry

Aims

To provide information regarding the various uses of goats at home and abroad and the utility of the goat in agricultural production.
To provide information concerning the basic biological data of the goat.
To provide information regarding the different breeds of goat and their different production characteristics.
To emphasise those aspects of management that are distinct from sheep husbandry and the reasons underlying this.

Learning Objectives

To have knowledge of the utility of the goat in agricultural production and the different circumstances under which they are kept.
To know basic biological data of the goat.
To be able to identify different breeds of goat and discuss their different characteristics.
To know about the specific husbandry requirements of goats.

4.10Equine Studies

Aims

To provide a basic understanding of the behavioural, environmental and nutritional requirements which are necessary for the appropriate management of horses at different life-stages.
To present basic information which allows for the effective prevention of management associated illnesses and prophylaxis of common equine diseases.
To provide a basic understanding of equine reproduction and breeding management.
To present information and develop practical skills required for safe and effective handling and restraint of horses.
To highlight equine welfare issues.
To introduce aspects of legislation/certification relating to equine species.
To provide a practical insight into the day to day running of an equine establishment.

Learning Objectives

Know the behavioural, environmental and nutritional requirements of equidae at different life stages.
Know basic equine reproductive data.
Know prophylactic measures commonly employed for effective health management of horses.
Appreciate equine welfare issues.
Appreciate the basic principles of legislation/certification relating to equidae.
Gain confidence in handling horses.

4.11Companion Animals Studies