Program Overview

ASC450 Animal Health

This subject extends the knowledge of students in the principles of health and disease in farm production animals and horses. It covers topics such as immunology, epidemiology, parasitology, exotic diseases, stress, pharmacology, and animal health economics. Within these topics, the subject allows specialisation for either horses or farm animals.

Subject Overview

The focus of the subject content is from a herd health perspective, which promotes prevention of disease in the herd as well as the individual through sound management and husbandry. This subject is clearly differentiated from the paired subject, ASC350, in that the learning objectives and assessment clearly reflect the higher level offering appropriate to Master level learning.

Availability

• Offering has a residential school.
• Session 1 (30)
  • On Campus: Wagga Wagga Campus
  • Online: Wagga Wagga Campus

Subject Information

Grading System

• HD/FL

Duration

• One session

School

• School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Enrolment Restrictions

• Master of Animal Science (articulated set)

Incompatible Subjects

• ASC350

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:

• Be able to recognise and explain the differences between normal and unhealthy animals within an animal enterprise.
• Be able to describe and discuss the key concepts involved in herd or collection health, including biosecurity, vaccination, strategic treatments, and disease epidemiology.
• Be able to discuss important examples of endemic and exotic infectious animal diseases and the causative agents, including prions, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, and zoonotic agents when important.
• Be able to discuss examples of non-infectious animal diseases, including metabolic and genetic conditions, that could be significant with regard to herd or collection health.
• Be able to describe and discuss the impacts of stress on animal health, and how to recognise and remediate stressed animals.
• Be able to conduct extensive economic analysis of animal health decisions.
• Be able to communicate effective animal health strategies to a range of next user and end users.

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:

• Herd health as a concept.
• Disease in the individual animal and the disease process.
• Immunology, vaccination.
• Epidemiology.
• Parasitology.
• Exotic and Zoonotic diseases.
• Applied Pharmacology.
• Animal Health Economics.
• Stress in Animals.

Residential School

This subject contains a 3-day Compulsory Residential School. Residential School activities will focus on teaching a hands-on approach to theory taught in the DE structure.