Large Animal Practice

The aim of the LARGE ANIMAL PRACTICE course is to provide the student the clinical method allowing the diagnosis of farm animal diseases and management of herd health and reproduction.
This class allows to acquire a systematic approach to clinical examination and clinical procedures including case history and symptoms collection, differential diagnoses formulation, choice of collateral exams and formulation of diagnosis, prognosis, therapy and prophylaxis for the herd.
Regarding reproduction, the class aims to provide theoretical and practical knowledge for the clinical management of the most common reproductive disorders of farm animals, including the basic management of male reproducers, the control of the estrous, surgical and obstetric techniques.
Moreover, the course provides the knowledge related to the management of veterinary drugs in farm animals, guiding the students to a responsible and ethical use of veterinary medicines, to the traceability of treatments and the prevention of antibiotic resistance using a one-health perspective.

By the end of the class the following skills are expected:
Knowledge and understanding
Students have to demonstrate to know and to fully understand the clinical decision making in large animal practice: starting from the knowledge of medical, surgical and reproductive pathology and from clinical symptoms, the student formulates a diagnosis, employing if necessary, the most suitable collateral exams. The student should therefore prescribe or perform a therapeutic or prophylactic treatment for the individual or for the herd. Students will have to demonstrate moreover to know and understand procedures for farm animal reproductive management.
Appling knowledge and understanding
The student must demonstrate to have fully understood the clinical decision-making procedure in large animal practice during theoretical and practical classes in order to diagnose and set a treatment protocol for a large animal and to manage the reproduction and health of the herd.
Making judgments
The student should be able to formulate diagnostic hypotheses based on clinical signs, symptoms, the course of a pathology, and the outcomes of collateral exams. The student should be able to critically and proactively approach the study, drawing not only from the material provided by the teachers and recommended texts but also from databases of scientific information.
Communication
The student should be able to present acquired information using appropriate medical terminology. This will enable the sharing of studied concepts, as well as the results of a clinical examination performed on farm animals, with a view to formulating appropriate therapy and judgment on interventions to improve herd health. Additionally, the student should acquire the ability to communicate these concepts to stakeholders (e.g., both fellow veterinary professionals and livestock owners).
Lifelong learning skills
The student must demonstrate the ability to learn and gather updated information, including conducting bibliographic research, useful for professional growth and independently increasing knowledge of new emerging aspects in the field of farm animal practice