B8395 - Animal Feed and Nutrition

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, the student knows the principles of animal nutrition and feeding and its relationship to animal physiology. In particular, the student: knows the basic principles of nutrition and feeding of livestock (small ruminants, bovine, buffaloes and pigs) and companion animals (cat, dog and horses), and the interactions between nutrients, digestive process and the intestinal environment and the microbiome; knows energy and nutrients requirements as well as the characteristics of the principal feedstuffs utilised in farming and companion animals; knows how to apply the fundamentals of gastrointestinal microbiome in relation to animal nutrition.

Course contents

This Course is part of the Integrated Course "Nutrients, Digestion, and Metabolism".

The integrated course "Nutrients, digestion, and metabolism" aims to provide the student with adequate knowledge of the anatomical organization, function, and biochemical mechanisms underlying the metabolism of the digestive system, essential for recognizing normal clinical aspects in veterinary species. Additionally, the student is familiar with the basic principles of nutrition and feeding in veterinary species.

The Integrated Course "Nutrients, Digestion, and Metabolism" contributes to the achievement of the following ESEVT Day One Competences: 1.1, 1.5, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.17, 1.21, 1.22, 1.24.

Specific Course contents:

• Definition and roles of different nutrients
• Nutrients requirements and digestibility
• Characteristics and use of principal feedstuff
• Function and characteristics of gastrointestinal microbiome

Readings/Bibliography

• Animal nutrition. McDonald P., Edwards R.A., Greenhalgh J.F.D., Morgan C.A., Sinclair L.A., Wilkinson R.G., 2022. Pearson Ed.
• Comparative nutrition and metabolism. Peter R. Cheeke and Ellen S. Dierenfeld. CABI Ed.

Additional textbook

Animal Nutrition: from theory to practice, Philip I Hynd 2019

Teaching methods

The course is composed of lectures (16 hours) and practical activities (4 hours).

Practical activities will focus on requirements estimation, feeds recognition and label interpretation.

During the course, group discussion on scientific papers covering topics of the CI. will be organized.

Assessment methods

The final assessment of the Integrated Course 'Nutrients, Digestion and Metabolism' is designed to evaluate both theoretical knowledge and practical competencies acquired throughout the course.

The examination consists of three consecutive components:

1. Multiple choice test
2. Open-ended questions
3. Practical activity

The exam is considered passed only if all parts are successfully completed.

1. MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Written test composed of 60 multiple choice questions, designed to assess student's comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the course content. Questions are distributed as follows:

• 18 for Physiology of the digestive tract
• 12 for Systematic Veterinary Anatomy of the digestive tract
• 12 for Animal feed and nutrition
• 12 for Biochemistry of the digestive tract and nutrient metabolism
• 6 for Imaging and basic principles of semiology of the digestive tract.

Each correct answer is awarded 0.5 points; no penalty is applied for incorrect or unanswered questions.

The duration of the test is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Admission to the next parts will require:

• A minimum overall grade of 18/30
• at least the 50%+1 correct answers in each component of the integrated course

The test will be administered through the EOL platform (http://eol.unibo.it [http://eol.unibo.it/] ).

2. OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

The second part consists of 6 short open-ended questions, 3 for each of the following courses, to be answered in 90 minutes:

• Physiology of the digestive tract
• Biochemistry of the digestive tract an nutrient metabolism

3. PRACTICAL EXAMINATION

The third part consists of a practical and oral examination aimed at assessing the acquisition of practical skills and verbal competencies acquired during practical activities of the following courses:

• Systematic Veterinary Anatomy of the digestive tract
• Animal feed and nutrition
• Imaging and basic principles of semiology of the digestive tract
  

This part will be limited to 10 minutes fo each course and will include the description and interpretation of images or videos depicting specific anatomical structure and their normal imaging representation, recognition of feeds, feed label and animal requirements interpretation.

To pass the practical examination, students must demonstrate adequate competence and obtain a minimum grade of 18/30 in each component of the I.C., corresponding to:

• 5.40 out of 9 for Physiology of the Digestive Tract
• 3.60 points out of 6 for Systematic Veterinary Anatomy of the Digestive Tract, Animal Feed and Nutrition and Biochemistry.
• 1.8 out of 3 for Imaging and Basic Principles of Semiology of the Digestive Tract

These grades will be communicated at the end of the practical session.

The final grade of the exam is calculated as the average of the points obtained in the multiple-choice test and the sum of the open-ended questions and the practical examination.

The final grade will be published on the AlmaEsami platform (https://almaesami.unibo.it/?lang=en ) within 5 working days of the date of the exam.

Students may reject the final grade one time by informing the course examiner via email within 3 working days. The designated course contact for this course is prof. Ludovica Mammi.

Negative results are not graded numerically but recorded as “withdrawn” or “failed” in the electronic transcript on AlmaEsami, and do not affect the student’s academic record.

Students can register for exams through the AlmaEsami platform (http://almaesami.unibo.it/ ). Exams are scheduled during the designated periods in the academic calendar.

The use of supporting material or devices (including calculators, books, notebooks, class notes, etc.) is not permitted during the exam. If needed, a follow-up discussion will allow the Candidate to comment on incorrect answers.

With regard to the learning assessment, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use of AI constitutes a breach of academic integrity.

In compliance with Law 104/1992 and Law 170/2010, and in alignment with institutional inclusion policies, students with certified disabilities or specific learning disorders—as well as those with recognized special educational needs—will receive appropriate accommodations during assessments. Such students should promptly contact the course instructor and inform the University’s Disability and SLD Support Service [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en] . A faculty member is appointed to oversee this service within the Department [https://scienzemedicheveterinarie.unibo.it/it/dipartimento/organizzazione/referenti-istituzionali].

Teaching tools

Slides presented during lessons.

Ration calculation Excel spreadsheet.

Scientific articles and reviews published on international journals.

Teaching materials are available on the Virtuale platform and could be reached through the link on the teacher webpage.

Office hours

See the website of Ludovica Maria Eugenia Mammi