Animal Nutrition (ABIO 365) – 3 credits
Spring 2013
Instructor:
Dr. Michelle Vieyra
Phone: (803)641-3608
Meeting Place/ Time:
Office: SBDG 209
Email: michellev@usca.edu
SBDG 103: MW 2:30-3:45
Course Description and Objectives: This course was designed to satisfy the animal
nutrition requirement for admission to many veterinary colleges and will focus on
companion animal nutrition to include exotics but exclude large agricultural mammals.
Topics will include: 1) the primary macromolecules, vitamins and minerals required in an
animal’s diet including how the body uses these molecules in biochemical pathways and
specific conditions that arise if there are nutrient deficiencies, 2) the comparative
anatomy and physiology of companion animal digestive, urinary and metabolic
processes; i.e. how nutrients are obtained, digested, stored and used, 3) analysis and
comparison of the commercially available feeds including source, additives, supplements,
and labeling, 4) specific nutrient requirements for companion animals of different
species and life stages.
Many of the topics covered can be applied to human nutrition and processed food
formulation. I encourage those of you interested in human health to write about a human
nutrition topic for your final paper.
Why is there no textbook? In my humble opinion, there isn’t a decent undergraduate
level textbook on animal nutrition. The information for this course was taken from
several graduate level animal nutrition texts, comparative anatomy and physiology texts,
human nutrition texts, journal articles and government documents. Use the PowerPoint
slides provided on Blackboard as your reference materials.
Evaluation:
Exams: There will be four lecture exams throughout the semester as noted on the
calendar. They will only cover the material given since the previous exam and be worth
100 points each. Expect a combination of multiple-choice, fill in the blank, short answer
and essay questions on each exam.
Research Paper: Your assignment will be to write a research paper on any topic in
animal or human nutrition. You will be graded on three things: 1) content, 2) use and
proper citation of references and 3) how well you get the point across (does your paper
make sense). More information can be found in the course pack. 50 points.
Presentation: You will give a very brief (5 minute) summary of your researched topic at
the end of the term. This will allow you to share your area of expertise with the class.
Everyone must have a unique topic which must be cleared with me early in the semester.
25 points.
Label Analysis Project: This will serve as your final exam in the class. To demonstrate
your understanding of the nutritional needs of animals and a competency in critically
assessing the nutritional qualities of commercial pet foods you will be given two labels to
compare. You will then write a “recommendation” of which food is best taking into
consideration everything you have learned throughout the semester. More information is
available in the course pack. 50 points.
Short Write-ups: There will be many opportunities throughout the semester to do short
write-ups on movies, news articles or books. Point values for each write-up will vary but
you can earn up to 30 points total. More information can be found in the course pack.
Possible book and movie titles are listed on Pg. 3 of this syllabus.
Course Calendar:
Date
1-14
1-16
1-21
1-23
1-28
1-30
2-4
2-6
2-11
2-13
2-18
2-20
2-25
2-27
3-4
3-6
3-11
3-13
3-18
3-20
3-25
3-27
4-1
4-3
4-8
4-10
4-15
4-17
4-22
4-24
4-29
5-8 at 2pm
Lecture Topic
Introduction
Carbohydrates & Fats I
NO CLASS – MLK DAY
Fats II & Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Phytochemicals
EXAM 1
Energy needs
Amino Acid and Nitrogen needs
Water & Kidney Physiology I
Kidney Physiology II
Digestive Anatomy and Physiology I
Digestive Anatomy and Physiology II
EXAM 2
Metabolism I - Paper topics due
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
Metabolism II
Preparing food I
Preparing food II
Diet analysis I – Research Paper Due
Diet analysis II
Exam 3
Dog Nutrition – Labels distributed
Cat & Ferret Nutrition
Horse & Llama Nutrition
Rabbit, Rodent & Bird Nutrition
Reptile & Fish Nutrition
Exam 4
Short Presentations
Label Analysis Paper Due – Short
Presentations cont.
Grade Breakdown:
Exams: 100 pts each
Research Paper:
Short Presentation:
Label analysis project:
Short write-ups:
Total:
Grading Scale:
A
495-550
B+ 470-494
B
440-469
C+ 415-439
C
385-414
D+ 360-384
D
330-359
F
Below 330
400 pts
50 pts
25 pts
50 pts
25 pts
550 pts
Additional Comments:
If you have questions or need help with anything in this course please email me and set up an
appointment to meet with me. I will generally be available every Monday and Wednesday
between 10-2 but I can not guarantee I will be in my office unless you set up an appointment.
You are expected to follow the honor pledge on every assignment:
“On my honor as a University of South Carolina at Aiken student, I have neither given nor
received any unauthorized aid on the assignment/examination. To the best of my knowledge, I
am not in violation of academic dishonesty.” This includes plagiarism which will be covered in
more detail when I assign papers. Violation of the honor code will result in a grade decrease and
letter to the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
If you have a physical, psychological and/or learning disability which might affect your
performance in this course please contact the Office of Disability Services, 126A B&E, (803)6413609 as soon as possible.
From the USCA student handbook: “It is the instructor’s right to remove from the classroom any
student who disrupts or disturbs the proceeding of the class. Disruption of the class includes but is not
limited to the use of any portable electronic devices, including cell phones, MP3 players; iPods, etc. unless
prior approval has been given to a student or unless required for the course. In extreme cases the faculty
member can request assistance from University Police. If the student who has been ejected causes similar
disturbances in subsequent meetings of the class, he/she may be denied admittance to the class for the
remainder of the semester and assigned a grade of F.”
What this means for this class: Allowing yourself to be distracted by texting and facebook while
in class is a poor decision. You might as well stay home where you can give your BFF your full
attention. While I may not notice cell phone use while I am lecturing, IF I SEE A CELL
PHONE IN YOUR HAND DURING AN EXAM I WILL TAKE YOUR EXAM
AND GIVE YOU A ZERO – NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!! I encourage you to take notes on
your laptops if you wish but please do not visit disruptive and distracting websites during class.
Possible books to read:
In Defense of Food: Michael Pollan
Omnivore’s Dilemma: Michael Pollan
Fast Food Nation: Eric Schlosser
Good Calories, Bad Calories: Gary Taubes
Food Politics: Marion Nestle
Pet Food Politics: Marion Nestle
The Queen of Fats: Susan Allport
Rethinking Thin: Gina Kolata
Possible Movies to watch:
Food Inc.
King Corn
Killer at Large
Forks over Knives
The Weight of the Nation (HBO series)
I may host afternoon screenings of these movies if enough people are interested.