Duration
98h Th
Number of credits
| Veterinary surgeon | 10 crédits |
Lecturer
Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux, Calixte Bayrou, Valeria Busoni, Hélène Casalta, Isabelle Dufrasne, Hugues Guyot, N...
Substitute(s)
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The various contents of the course concern the internal medicine, surgery, theriogenology, imagery, nutrition, genetics and socio-economy of ruminants' health. They begin at birth (neonatal period) and continue by PUBERTY, PARTURITION, POSTPARTUM REPRODUCTION PERIOD and PREGNANCY. It begins with individual cases and ends with a herd approach.
The course emphasizes the reasoning at the expense of factual knowledge. It is conceived as a set. Are essential overlap between its different parts. Links will be established with other courses given in both bachelor and master.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The general objectives of this course are (1) to describe, as comprehensively as possible, the various pathologies related to internal medicine, surgery, and reproduction, using both individual and herd-based approaches, including their economic impacts (knowledge objectives). Additionally, (2) the course aims to help learners understand the potential relationships between these pathologies and their mechanisms of action on ruminant health, as well as their causes and consequences in zootechnical and economic terms (comprehension objectives). Finally, (3) it seeks to inform learners about the preventive and curative actions to take when diagnosing these pathologies (application objectives), while considering socio-economic contexts and challenges. Specific objectives, where applicable, are detailed in the respective chapters of the course.
The more specific content related to herd medicine is designed to raise awareness about (1) strategies for collecting individual or herd-level information and (2) analyzing it to (3) quantify the significance of the problem, (4) identify its origin, and (5) understand the relationships between the various responsible factors. This analysis enables the formulation of (6) practical recommendations to improve the profitability of the production unit. In animal production, productivity is often regarded as an alternative measure of health status. Therefore, the presence or absence of disease is typically less important than its frequency of occurrence or its impact on productivity. In herd medicine, the clinician examines individuals but bases conclusions on observations made across the entire population.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The prerequisites consist of the following courses:
VETE2061-1 - Semiology of Production Animals,
VETE2064-1 - General Pathology of Domestic Animals,
VETE2065-1 - Veterinary Pharmacology,
VETE2066-1 - Toxicology of Domestic Animals,
VETE2071-1 - Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (IPD) of Production Animals and Wildlife, including zoonoses,
VETE2073-1 - Special Nutrition and Feeding of Domestic Animals,
VETE2074-1 - Quantitative Genetics: Selection of Domestic Animals.
Additionally, knowledge of biochemistry, physiology, embryology, and general and topographical anatomy of ruminants is required. Furthermore, the information provided in the Semiology of Production Animals course constitutes essential elements for a proper understanding of the teachings in this course.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The in-person course is supplemented by the organization of clinical activities (see individual case clinics and herd medicine clinics, each totaling 17.5 hours of training) and paraclinical activities.
It should be noted that the clinical and paraclinical training sessions are not absolutely essential for a proper understanding of the theoretical course. Indeed, only half of the students will have been able to attend these clinical or paraclinical sessions before the theoretical course assessment takes place in the January session.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The theoretical teachings are delivered in person in as interactive a manner as possible, including through clinical case-solving. Additional information is made available to learners via the eCampus platform. Attendance at the course is highly recommended.
The detailed schedule for these courses is provided to students at the beginning of the term.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Lecture notes are available through the eCampus platform.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
Further information:
The course is subject to an exam in January 2025. The assessment will consist of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) of knowledge, understanding and application, questions with short open answer (QROC) or long open answer questions (QROL).
The terms of the second session of examination will be the same as those of the first session.
Work placement(s)
The theoretical contents are completed with clinical and paraclinical training: Clinic of production animals, 2 weeks. (Clinic for Ruminants, 17,5h; 17,5h ruminant flocks of Medicine);
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Students are strongly encouraged to review the supplementary information available on the eCampus platform.
Students who failed to pass this course in 2025-2026 or earlier are reminded that, since the 2026-2027 academic year, new instructors have been teaching the surgery module (Hélène Casalta) and the genetics module (Keith Durkin) and internal medicine module (Calixte Bayrou et Justine Eppe).
These students are therefore urgently advised to update their previous course materials.
Contacts
Prof. Calixte Bayrou, course coordinator
E-mail : calixte.bayrou@uliege.be Tél secrétariat : 04/366.40.20
Prof. Hugues Guyot
E-mail : hugues.guyot@uliege.be
Prof. Sylvie Chastant
E-mail : sylvie.chastant@vet-alfort.fr
Dr Hélène Casalta
E-mail : hcasalta@uliege.be
Prof. Valéria Busoni
E-mail : vbusoni@uliege.be
Prof. Isabelle Dufrasne
E-mail : isabelle.dufrasne@uliege.be
Prof. Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux
E-mail : nantoine@uliege.be
Prof. Keith Durkin
E-mail : kdurkin@uliege.be
Dr Justine Eppe
E-mail : Justine.Eppe@uliege.be