Shelter Medicine

Code: MVT14000I

3 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours

Scientific Area: Veterinary Medicine

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Presentation

Sustainable Development Goals

Saúde e bem-estar - Assegurar uma vida saudável e promover o bem-estar para todos, em todas as idades.

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Redução das desigualdades - Reduzir as desigualdades dentro dos países e entre eles.

Vida terrestre - Proteger, recuperar e promover o uso sustentável dos ecossistemas terrestres, gerir de forma sustentável as florestas, combater a desertificação, deter e reverter a degradação da Terra e deter a perda da biodiversidade.

Learning Goals

The curricular unit aims to familiarize the student with the different aspects of shelter medicine, namely providing him with the necessary skills to design suitable facilities; knowledge about the prophylaxis, diagnosis and therapeutic management of the most prevalent contagious diseases, enabling you to develop adequate vaccination and deworming plans; provide the student with knowledge about population control measures, inside and outside the shelter institution and ensure contact with their implementation in a real context; provide the student with the necessary knowledge of behaviour in shelter animals, making him able to implement plans to promote animal welfare; address mistreatment and forensic veterinary medicine, promoting knowledge about procedures and adequate coordination with the different entities with responsibilities in this matter.

Design of facilities for housing dogs and cats in shelter institutions. Relevant infectious and parasitic diseases: prophylaxis, diagnosis, and therapeutic plans. Population control measures. Feline and canine social behaviour, welfare promotion. Mistreatment, cruelty toward animals and forensic veterinary medicine.

Teaching Methods

After theoretical introduction, with explanation to the students of the tasks to be performed, different projects of facilities and plans for disease control are developed by students in small groups. The issue of population control and available solutions are discussed. Articulated with the surrounding municipalities the organization and participation of students in campaigns to sterilize stray animals and residents with economic difficulties. Issues of ill-treatment and forensic medicine are addressed through problem cases. The continuous assessment regime consists of assessing the attitude, plans for the development of facilities, prophylaxis and treatment, promotion of animal welfare and intervention in case of ill-treatment (equal parts constitute 60%, final grade), and a written test (40%, final grade). Evaluation regime by final exam consists of two parts, elaboration of a plan on one of the themes (60%), selected by lot, and a written exam (40%).