21425 - Clinical Medicine and Medical Therapy of Pets

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module the student is provided with the tools and skills necessary to perform all the appropriate procedures, in a context of pure interdisciplinarity, to obtain a diagnosis, to set the most appropriate therapeutic protocols and formulate the most correct prognostic judgments. The procedures start from the collection and interpretation of the medical history and the signalment of the patient. Than with the identification of the clinical signs (recalls of clinical and semeiotic methodology) and to complete all the available diagnostic investigations (clinical pathology, diagnostic imaging) serological tests, cytological and histopathological examinations, etc.) and interpreting the results in order to complete the diagnostic path. The lectures will have as their subject cases enrolled in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The student will be asked to integrate and expand, with appropriate teaching material, their knowledge in order to pursue a continuous personal update on the subject. The student will have acquired the skills necessary to diagnose a medical disease on a pet (dog and cat), formulate the prognosis and set the most appropriate treatment.

Course contents

It is a theoretical/practical course that completes the practice carried out in the practical training (“tirocinio”) at the Animal Hospital.

The student are guided to apply the knowledge and skills acquired from the lectures of previous years (particularly the topics of Clinical Methodology, Semeiotics and Medical Pathology) in order to achieve the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutical ability.

The student will be guided to the correct approach of clinical problems, and will stimulate to seek the symptoms of a specific disease.

In addition the student, at the end of the course, will be able to define a correct therapeutic plan about the main internal diseases of pets. The goal of the course is the education of the students through the direct examination of clinical cases, comprehending the collection of anamnesis, clinical findings and the indication of a correct diagnostic plan.

The Syllabus of the course unit and the list of EAEVE Day One Competences that the course unit contributes to achieving can be viewed on the dedicated page.

Readings/Bibliography

“Small Animal Internal  Medicine”Nelson RW, Couto G. Elsevier 5th Ed EV 2014

“Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine” 8° edizione edito da Stephen J. Ettinger & Edward C. Feldman & Etienne Cote. Elsevier St Luis 2017.

Articles and book chapters provided by the teacher 

Teaching methods

The course consists of frontal lectures and practical activities. Consistently with the health provisions in force, distance learning may be associated.

At the end of the practical training (tirocinio), the student must present a clinical case managed during the practical training to the teacher.

The student have to present a clinical report on a clinical case observed at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, that will be discussed during the examination. Outgoing Erasmus student will describe the clinical cases collected at the host structure.

The case report must be presented also by those students who have to take the exam only for part related to the Tirocinio (including Erasmus students). The case report must be sent by e-mail (federico.fracassi@unibo.it) at least one month before the date of the first date useful to take the exam (according to these examples: if the first appeal in which you want to take the examination falls on March 15, the case report must be received by 24.00 on February 14, if it falls on June 18 must be received by 24.00 on May 17, etc. ..). The case report has to be sent only one time, since it is valid to all the future dates of the examination.

Due to the problem related to the coronavirus, for the students who have completed the practical training only online, the presentation of the case report will not be required

Assessment methods

At the end of the practical training (tirocinio), the student presents a clinical case managed during the month of practical training. At least one month before the oral exam, the student sends the teacher a written report on a clinical case. Finally, there is an oral examination consisting of two parts. A first question on the diagnostic approach to a clinical case. This question assesses the student's ability to integrate clinical information, to draw up a differential diagnosis and to be able to choose the best diagnostic tests. A second question concerns the prophylactic (eg vaccinations) and therapeutic approach to canine and feline diseases.

The purpose of the oral exam is to verify the student's ability to apply his or her knowledge and to make the necessary logical-deductive connections.

The final grade takes into account the discussion of the clinical case, the written report and the oral exam.

The evaluation is expressed with a mark out of thirty for the exams. The test is passed with a score of at least 18/30. In the case of maximum marks (30/30), "Laude" can be attributed.

Composition  of the final grade:

Substantially exhaustive preparation on the topics addressed in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and connection, full mastery of specific terminology and ability to argue and self-reflection (30-30L).

Preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology (25-29).

Preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and ability to autonomous analysis only on purely executive matters; expression in correct language (20-24).

Preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical skills that emerge only with the help of the teacher; expression in an overall correct language (18-19).

The student is provided with a detailed program on the topics covered by each teacher of the various modules of the course and the chapters of books or articles for the preparation of the exam.

The student has the right to refuse the verbalization of the proposed positive grade at least once (according to the university teaching regulations ART. 16, paragraph 5)

Since this is an Integrated Course, it should be noted that the registration of the exam is performed by Prof. Federico Fracassi.

Students with DISABILITIES or SLDs can contact the teacher to have adaptations to teaching during the lesson phase or in the final evaluation phase. The student must contact the teacher by email, inserting the reference staff  in the C / C.

Teaching tools

In the course will be focused on cases referable to the main and most frequent clinica syndromes. The student will be asked to integrate and expand, with appropriate teaching material, their knowledge in order to pursue a continuous personal update on the subject. The lectures will have as their subject cases enrolled in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Office hours

See the website of Federico Fracassi

See the website of Laura Marconato

See the website of Marco Pietra

See the website of Gualtiero Gandini