Digestion & Metabolism I

The Digestion and Metabolism block in year 1 of the core curriculum will offer students an understanding of how the body processes nutrients, and how they are utilized to create energy. It will cover the normal development, gross and micro anatomy, physiology, function, and clinical assessment of the digestive tract for the domestic and exotic species as well as core nutritional concepts including nutrient requirements, feeds and feeding, macronutrient and micronutrient metabolism, and fundamentals of ration formulation. Blocks will use a combination of lectures, laboratories, group assignments, seminars, and out of class projects to teach and reinforce the information. Case examples will be used to help the students better understand, research, integrate and think about the concepts taught in the classroom and laboratory. 4-7 Credit Hours