Animal Welfare Courses

VDPAM 465 students evaluate the Rhino exhibit at Blank Park Zoo

College of Veterinary Medicine Courses Offered

VDPAM 312. Introduction to Animal Welfare.
Cr. 1. S. Prereq: First-year classification in veterinary medicine. Core Course for VM1 students.
A continuation of the Veterinarian in Society series. An introduction to the topics of animal behavior, animal welfare, and the human animal bond.

VDPAM 365. Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment.
Cr. 1. Repeatable. F.SS. Elective Course for VM1, VM2, and VM3 students.
Preparation for competition in the Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging Contest. Development of critical appraisal and oral communication skills in regard to animal welfare. Animal behavior, physiology, health and performance parameters, basic husbandry, housing and preventive care will be explored for select farmed, companion and exotic species. Optional field trips.

VDPAM 465. Animal Welfare Clinical Rotation.
Cr. 2 F. Prereq: Final year of the DVM program. Elective Clinical Rotation for VM4 students.
Two-week course for senior veterinary students to gain skills for collecting and interpreting animal welfare data, aid clients with identifying and achieving welfare goals, and assisting law enforcement with animal cruelty response. Field trips to food animal and companion animal facilities are mandatory.

VDPAM 466X. Preceptorship in Animal Welfare.
Cr. 2. F. Prereq: Final year of DVM program. Elective Clinical Rotation for VM4 students.
Advanced course in animal welfare with emphasis on animal welfare assessment, policy and problem solving. Forty hours practical experience per week. Assignments will include preceptorships with a practicing veterinarian, and animal welfare researcher or an animal welfare organization.

VDPAM496: One Health Uganda.
Cr. 2. SS. Most recent offering 2017. Elective Course for VM1, VM2, and VM3 students.
One Health Uganda: Human, Livestock, & Wildlife interface" (VDPAM 496 UG) is a unique course that will  expose and educate students about "One Health" issues in the context of human, livestock & wildlife interface in communities living within and areas surrounding wildlife conservation areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) and Lake Mburo National Park (LMNP) in Western Uganda. Some of the topics to be explored include (1) zoonotic diseases transmitted between animals and people, (2) relationships between animal welfare, cultural practices and human livelihoods; and (3) non-communicable environmental diseases stemming from mining activities in the area. Students will receive instruction from experts at Makerere University, the local Food and Agricultural Organization and/or USAID staff, and from the faculty of record from ISU while in the field. Because one of the objectives is to expose students to international cultural experiences, students will also be immersed in rich African cultural activities. This unique course will help create a cadre of future veterinarians that is globally aware and comfortable in multinational and interdisciplinary collaborations. 

VDPAM 564X: Welfare Science & Research
Cr. 2. S. Prereq: None.
This course is designed for graduate students interested in understanding animal welfare as a scientific discipline, with primary focus on veterinary, biomedical and animal science disciplines.

BMS 403. Behavior of Domestic Animals.
Cr. 1. F., half semester. Prereq: Classification in veterinary medicine. Elective Course for VM1, VM2, and VM3 students.
Normal and abnormal behavior of domestic animals.

College of Agriculture and Life Science Courses Offered

AN S 537. Topics in Animal Behavior, Welfare.
Cr. 3. Prereq: permission of instructor; M.S. or Ph.D. student
Each semester, the students’ focus is on different topics related to animal behavior, animal welfare and contemporary issues related to animal behavior and welfare. Each topic is separate and distinct, and students may enroll in multiple topics. This is an on-line course only. Each topic may be taken only one time for credit.