Animal Nutrition Course
This course provides an overview of animal nutrition. A variety of experts will discuss the role nutrition plays in their work to keep the animals they care for thriving. All meetings will be hosted on Zoom and all will be recorded for those who are unable to make the Saturday morning class meetings. Discussions about video content will take place in an exclusive Facebook group. If the final project is complete, a certificate of completion will be provided. This course comes with a free membership to my Team Thrive! Avian Nutrition membership program which comes with a great deal of educational content as well. Proceeds go to support Saint Xavier University's Animal Nutrition Laboratory.
Session 1
Review Syllabus and Introduction to Animal Nutrition
Sign-up for your species (Weeklong Diet Plan Project)
Session 2
Animal Nutrition Lab – Digestive Tracts, Dentition, Macromolecule Needs
Daily Dietary Planning Practice
Session 3
Zoo Nutrition: Past, Present, and Future – Elise Franchi, MA Zoology, Zookeeper, Nashville Zoo
Session 4
Nutritional enrichment across an animal collection – Lara Joseph, Curator – The Animal Behavior Center at Indian Creek Zoo
Session 5
The role of nutrition in conservation – Jafet Vélez-ValentÃn, Wildlife Biologist, US F&WS
Director, Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program
Session 6
The Importance of Nutritional Enrichment - Sophie Barnett & David Trebus, UK-based behavior and training consultants
Session 7
Nutrition’s role in maintaining healthy companion animals – Jamie Abete, DVM, Veterinarian, Niles Animal Hospital & Bird Medical Center
Session 8
Final Projects due