Physiology and Ethology of Domestic Animals

The course is divided into three modules.
The first module, Physiology and Ethology of Domestic Animals (6 CFU), provides students with a comprehensive overview of cellular function physiology, the nervous system and sensory organs, the blood and cardiovascular system, and the skeletal and smooth muscle cells in domestic mammals, fish, and birds.
The second module, Veterinary Ethology and Animal Welfare (4 CFU), equips students with fundamental knowledge of the ethology of domestic animals and its application in Veterinary Medicine to ensure animal welfare.
The third module, Veterinary Law (2 CFU), aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of national and European law relevant to veterinary practice. This includes learning about the current legal framework, the nature and functioning of the judicial system, and key regulations for animal protection and welfare, as well as crimes against animals.

1) Knowledge and Understanding: for the physiology module, students should be able to explain the basic physiological functions related to the nervous system, including neuron physiology, the spinal cord, brain (particularly the cerebellum and motor functions), and sensory organs. They should also be able to describe the basic functions of the cardiovascular system, including cardiac physiology (electrocardiography and mechanical cardiac activity with nervous control) and circulatory physiology (relationship between pressure, flow, and resistance across all circulatory districts and nervous regulation of pressure), highlighting differences among domestic mammals, birds, and fish. Additionally, students should understand the physiological bases of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle contraction in domestic mammals, fish, and birds.
For the ethology module, students should demonstrate knowledge of the physiological bases of domestic animal behavior, focusing on underlying mechanisms, development, and social, sexual, and parental patterns. They should also be able to study animal behavior scientifically.
For the law module, students should acquire a basic understanding of law, the veterinarian's relationship with the judicial authority, knowledge of animal welfare laws, and regulations on animal protection and welfare.

2) Applying Knowledge and Understanding: students must demonstrate the ability to connect various topics, such as the functions of the nervous system, particularly the hypothalamus, and different animal behaviors, such as feeding behavior or responses to temperature changes. This will enable them to adequately address subsequent studies in pathology and veterinary clinic.
Students should apply ethological knowledge to improve the welfare of domestic animals, including new companion animals (NAC). They must also develop the ability to critically search and analyze relevant legislation and case law and refer to the judicial authority, preparing them for further study and understanding of veterinary legal medicine and legislation.

3) Critical Thinking and Judgment: the student will be expected to approach the study of the subject matter critically. This will include demonstrating the ability to orally present written reports during practical activities, integrating the study materials provided by the professor of physiology with independently acquired knowledge. Additionally, the student will need to present the ethological studies conducted in the veterinary ethology module. The student will also be expected to critically engage with the study of law, identifying relevant regulations pertaining to professional practice in various fields of interest, evaluating and correctly applying them, and recognizing the associated responsibilities.

4) Communication: students will need to demonstrate the use of appropriate terminology to adequately express acquired knowledge. This will be shown through responses to open questions during exams, class presentations of reports prepared during the course (which will be evaluated by professors), and active participation in class discussions, including arguing cases proposed by the professor.

5) Life-long Learning Skills: students will be expected to autonomously enhance their knowledge of topics related to the physiology, ethology, and welfare of domestic species, including new companion animals (NAC), and veterinary law. This will involve researching laws and jurisprudence and applying learned concepts during practicals, thereby developing application and problem-solving skills.