Vets in your daily life

1. Vets in your daily life

2. Veterinarian • A vet, shortened from veterinarian (American English) or veterinary surgeon (British English), is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals. • In many countries, the local nomenclature for a vet is a protected term, meaning that people without the prerequisite qualifications and/or registration are not able to use the title, and in many cases, the activities that may be undertaken by a vet (such as animal treatment or surgery) are restricted only to those people who are registered as vet. For instance, in the United Kingdom, as in other jurisdictions, animal treatment may only be performed by registered vets (with a few designated exceptions, such as paraveterinary workers) (Veterinary nurses, veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, veterinary technologists) and it is illegal for any person who is not registered to call themselves a vet or perform any treatment.

3. Role and responsibilities of vets • Most vets work in clinical settings, treating animals directly. These vets may be involved in a general practice, treating animals of all types; may be specialised in a specific group of animals such as companion animals, livestock, zoo animals or horses; or may specialise in a narrow medical discipline such as surgery, dermatology or internal medicine. • As with healthcare professionals, vets face ethical decisions about the care of their patients. Current debates within the profession include the ethics of purely cosmetic procedures on animals, such as declawing of cats, docking of tails, cropping of ears and debarking (Devocalization also known as ventriculocordectomy or vocal cordectomy, and for dogs, debarking or bark softening) is a surgical procedure applied to dogs and cats, where tissue is removed from the animal’s vocal cords in order to permanently reduce the volume of their vocalizations)on dogs.

4. Role and responsibilities of vets • Vets are primarily required to treat disease, disorder or injury in animals, which includes diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. The scope of practice, speciality and experience of the individual vets will dictate exactly what interventions they perform, but most will perform surgery (of differing complexity). • Unlike in adult human medicine, vets must rely on clinical signs, as animals are unable to vocalise symptoms as a human would (and in that respect is similar to medicine on human children). In some cases, owners may be able to provide a medical history and the vet can combine this information along with observations, and the results of pertinent diagnostic tests such as x-rays, CT scans, blood tests, urinalysis or other diagnostics.

5. Role and responsibilities of vets • As with human medicine, much veterinary work is concerned with prophylactic treatment, in order to prevent problems occurring in the future. Common interventions include vaccination against common animal illnesses, such as distemper or rabies. This may also involve being involved in owner education so as to avoid future medical or behavioural issues. • Unlike in most human medicine, vets will often consider the appropriateness of euthanasia ("putting to sleep") if a condition is likely to leave the animal in pain or with a poor quality of life.

6. Focus of practice • Exotic animal veterinarian - Generally considered to include reptiles, exotic birds such as parrots and cockatoos, and small mammals such as ferrets, rabbits, chinchillas, and degus. • Conservation medicine - The study of the relationship between animal and human health and environmental conditions. • Small animal practice - Usually dogs, cats, and other companion animals/household pets such as hamsters and gerbils. Some practices are canine-only or feline-only practices. • Laboratory animal practice - Some veterinarians work in a university or industrial laboratory and are responsible for the care and treatment of laboratory animals of any species (often involving bovines, porcine species, felines, canines, rodents, and even exotic animals). Their responsibility is not only for the health and well being of the animals, but also for enforcing humane and ethical treatment of the animals in the facility.

7. Focus of practice • Large animal practice - Usually referring to veterinarians that work with, variously, livestock and other large farm animals, as well as equine species and large reptiles. • Equine medicine - Some veterinarians are specialists in equine medicine. Horses are different in anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and husbandry to other domestic species. Specialization in equine veterinary practice is something that is normally developed after qualification, even if students do have some interest before graduation.

8. Focus of practice • Food animal medicine - Some veterinarians deal exclusively or primary with animals raised for food (such as meat, milk, and eggs). Livestock practitioners may deal with ovine (sheep), bovine (cattle) and porcine (swine) species; such veterinarians deal with management of herds, nutrition, reproduction, and minor field surgery. Dairy medicine practice focuses on dairy animals. Poultry medicine practice focuses on the health of flocks of poultry; the field often involves extensive training in pathology, epidemiology, and nutrition of birds. The veterinarian treats the flock and not the individual animals.

9. Focus of practice • Food safety practice - Veterinarians are employed by both the food industry and government agencies to advise on and monitor the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. • Wildlife medicine - A relatively recent branch of veterinary medicine, focusing on wildlife. Wildlife medicine veterinarians may work with zoologists and conservation medicine practitioners and may also be called out to treat marine species such as sea otters, dolphins, or whales after a natural disaster or oil spill.

10. Animal agriculture • Animal agriculture in the developed world has become increasingly science and knowledge based and where this model has been applied there has been enormous success.  To deal with the increasing consumer demand for animal protein across the globe, improvements in productivity will not be sufficient. An honest approach to trade issues will also have to be adopted, although such a resolution appears to be less than straightforward. For instance, growth-promoting hormones have become the basis of a serious European Union (EU)-US trade dispute on the basis of alleged safety concerns.

11. Growth promoting hormones • Growth promoting hormones for the most part are natural steroids, which provide an increase in growth and a reduction in fat during the finishing stage of cattle production. More than 60% of the beef cattle in the US receive anabolic hormones and more than 90% of the cattle fed in feedlots are implanted with this hormone. Since these implants are located in the ear, they are easily removed at slaughter, and residual hormone does not enter the food chain.

12. Dairy production • Globally, 2/3 of milk is produced by high-output breeds. Dairy cattle breeding is focused on very clear but very few objectives: Milk amount and fat content, weight gain, feed efficiency, all under optimum production conditions. “Consistent selection for these traits has led to a genetic narrowing to an extent that, despite the fact there are more than 3.7 million Holstein cows enrolled in milk recording in the USA, the effective population size of the Holstein breed in the USA for 2004 was only 60 animals. Jerseys and Brown Swiss in the USA have 2004 estimates of effective population size of 31 and 32 animals, respectively.”

13. The Genetics of animals • The genetics of the animal-the American Holstein-are primarily responsible for these productivity gains. The number of cows has decreased by almost two-thirds, and although large Holsteins individually consume more food and deposit more manure than before, on aggregate, less feed is consumed and less manure produced than 50 years ago. How were such gains achieved? The precursors of the modern milk breeds were gradually derived from farmed cattle that were selected according to their milk production. Improved nutrition and artificial insemination, which began on a large scale only in the 1950s, had an enormous impact on productivity.

14. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND VETERINARY SCIENCE • 1. Animal Nutrition: • 1.1 Partitioning of food energy within the animal. Direct and indirect calorimetry. Carbon— • nitrogen balance and comparative slaughter methods. Systems for expressing energy • value of foods in ruminants, pigs and poultry. Energy requirements for maintenance, • growth, pregnancy, lactation, egg, wool, and meat production. • 1.2 Latest advances in protein nutrition. Energy protein interrelationships. Evaluation of • protein quality. Use of NPN compounds in ruminant diets. Protein requirements for • maintenance, growth, pregnancy, lactation, egg, wool and meat production. • 1.3 Major and trace minerals—Their sources, physiological functions and deficiency • symptoms. Toxic minerals. Mineral interactions. Role of fat-soluble and water—soluble • vitamins in the body, their sources and deficiency symptoms.

15. Animal Nutrition • 1.4 Feed additives—methane inhibitors, probiotics, enzymes, antibiotics, hormones, • oligosaccharides, antioxidants, emulsifiers, mould inhibitors, buffers etc. Use and abuse • of growth promoters like hormones and antibiotics—latest concepts. • 1.5 Conservation of fodders. Storage of feeds and feed ingredients. Recent advances in feed • technology and feed processing. Anti–nutritional and toxic factors present in livestock • feeds. Feed analysis and quality control. Digestibility trials—direct, indirect and • indicator methods. Predicting feed intake in grazing animals. • 1.6 Advances in ruminant nutrition. Nutrient requirements. Balanced rations. Feeding of • calves, pregnant, work animals and breeding bulls. Strategies for feeding milch animals • during different stages of lactation cycle. Effect of feeding on milk composition. Feeding • of goats for meat and milk production. Feeding of sheep for meat and wool production.

16. Animal Nutrition • 1.7 Swine Nutrition. Nutrient requirements. Creep, starter, grower and finisher rations. • Feeding of pigs for lean meat production. Low cost rations for swine. • 1.8 Poultry nutrition. Special features of poultry nutrition. Nutrient requirements for meat and • egg production. Formulation of rations for different classes of layers and broilers.

17. 2. Animal Physiology • 2.1 Physiology of blood and its circulation, respiration, excretion. Endocrine glands in health • and disease. • 2.2 Blood constituents.—Properties and functions—blood cell formation-Haemoglobin • synthesis and chemistry-plasma proteins production, classification and properties, • coagulation of blood; Haemorrhagic disorders-anticoagulants-blood groups-Blood • volume-Plasma expanders-Buffer systems in blood. Biochemical tests and their • significance in disease diagnosis.

18. 2.3 Circulation.—Physiology of heart, cardiac cycle, heart sounds, heart beat, electrocardiograms. Work and efficiency of heart-effect of ions on heart function-metabolism of cardiac muscle, nervous and chemical regulation of heart, effect of temperature and stress on heart, blood pressure and hypertension, osmotic regulation, arterial pulse, vasomotor regulation of circulation, shock. Coronary and pulmonary circulation, Blood-Brain barrier—Cerebrospinal fluid- circulation in birds.

19. 2.4 Respiration.—Mechanism of respiration, Transport and exchange of gases –neural control of respiration-chemo-receptors-hypoxia-respiration in birds. • 2.5 Excretion-Structure and function of kidney-formation of urine-methods of studying renal function-renal regulation of acid-base balance: physiological constituents of urine-renal failure-passive venous congestion-Urinary secretion in chicken-Sweat glands and their function. Bio-chemical test for urinary dysfunction. • 2.6 Endocrine glands.—Functional disorders their symptoms and diagnosis. Synthesis of hormones, mechanism and control of secretion- hormonal receptors-classification and function.

20. 2.7 Growth and Animal Production- Prenatal and postnatal growth, maturation, growth curves, measures of growth, factors affecting growth, conformation, body composition, meat quality. • 2.8 Physiology of Milk Production.—Reproduction and climatology – various parameters and their importance. Animal ecology. • Physiology of behaviour. Effect of stress on health and production. • Mammary development, milk secretion and milk ejection, Male and • Female reproductive organs, their components and functions. Digestive organs and their functions. • 2.9 Environmental Physiology.—Physiological relations and their regulation; mechanisms of adaptation, environmental factors and regulatory mechanisms involved in animal behaviour, climatology – various parameters and their importance. Animal ecology. • Physiology of behaviour. Effect of stress on health and production.

21. Animal Reproduction: • Animal Reproduction: • Semen quality—Preservation and Artificial Insemination—Components of semen, • composition of spermatozoa, chemical and physical properties of ejaculated semen, • factors affecting semen in vivo and in vitro. Factors affecting semen production and • quality, preservation, composition of diluents, sperm concentration, transport of diluted • semen. Deep freezing techniques in cows, sheep, goats, swine and poultry. Detection of • oestrus and time of insemination for better conception. Anoestrus and repeat breeding.

22. Livestock Production and Management: • Commercial Dairy Farming—Comparison of dairy farming in India with advanced • countries. Dairying under mixed farming and as specialized farming, economic dairy • farming. Starting of a dairy farm, capital and land requirement, organization of the dairy • farm. Opportunities in dairy farming, factors determining the efficiency of dairy animal. • Herd recording, budgeting, cost of milk production, pricing policy; Personnel • Management. Developing Practical and Economic rations for dairy cattle; supply of • greens throughout the year, feed and fodder requirements of Dairy Farm. Feeding regimes • for young stock and bulls, heifers and breeding animals; new trends in feeding young and • adult stock; Feeding records.

23. Livestock Production and Management: • 4.2 Commercial meat, egg and wool production—Development of practical and economic • rations for sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits and poultry. Supply of greens, fodder, feeding • regimes for young and mature stock. New trends in enhancing production and • management. Capital and land requirements and socio-economic concept. • 4.3 Feeding and management of animals under drought, flood and other natural calamities.

24. 5. Genetics and Animal Breeding • History of animal genetics. Mitosis and Meiosis: Mendelian inheritance; deviations to • Mendelian genetics; Expression of genes; Linkage and crossing over; Sex determination, • sex influenced and sex limited characters; Blood groups and polymorphism; Chromosome • aberrations; Cytoplasmic inheritance. Gene and its structure; DNA as a genetic material; • Genetic code and protein synthesis; Recombinant DNA technology. Mutations, types of • mutations, methods for detecting mutations and mutation rate. Trans-genesis.

25. 5. Genetics and Animal Breeding • 5.1 Population Genetics applied to Animal Breeding—Quantitative Vs. qualitative traits; • Hardy Weinberg Law; Population Vs. individual; Gene and genotypic frequency; Forces changing gene frequency; Random drift and small populations; Theory of path coefficient; Inbreeding, methods of estimating inbreeding coefficient, systems of inbreeding, effective population size; Breeding value, estimation of breeding value, dominance and epistatic deviation; Partitioning of variation; Genotype X environment correlation and genotype X environment interaction; role of multiple measurements; Resemblance between relatives.

26. 5. Genetics and Animal Breeding • 5.2 Breeding Systems—Breeds of livestsock and Poultry. Heritability, repeatability and genetic and phenotypic correlations, their methods of estimation and precision of estimates; Aids to selection and their relative merits; Individual, pedigree, family and within family selection; Progeny testing; Methods of selection; Construction of selection indices and their uses; Comparative evaluation of genetic gains through various selection methods; Indirect selection and correlated response; Inbreeding, out breeding, upgrading, cross-breeding and synthesis of breeds; Crossing of inbred lines for commercial production; Selection for general and specific combining ability; Breeding for thresholdcharacters. Sire index.

27. Extension • 6. Extension: • Basic philosophy, objectives, concept and principles of extension. Different Methods • adopted to educate farmers under rural conditions. Generation of technology, its transfer • and feedback. Problems and constraints in transfer of technology. Animal husbandry • programmes for rural development.