A new U of A course will focus on pet nutrition (Photo: Marc Pilo)
Feeding Fido isn’t as simple as slipping a few table scraps under the table, as students at the University of Alberta will soon learn.
In fall 2010 the university is offering a new animal science course, companion pet nutrition, geared towards fourth-year undergraduate students.
The course was created for students studying animal sciences who come increasingly from urban settings, rather than rural.
Instructor Barbara Metzler-Zebeli said, “Many students do not come with an agricultural background anymore. They do not have such a strong connection to livestock animals. However, many of them have pets at home, so they will be automatically more interested in the nutrition of pets like those they own themselves.”
Fifteen students have signed up for the course, and it is expected to “become even more popular in the future,” Metzler-Zebeli said.
(Photo: Seon Park)
Students will learn skills that can be applied to everyday life, as well as future professions, she said.
Companion pet nutrition focuses on dogs and cats, but will also briefly cover the nutrition of other pocket and exotic pets, such as parrots, reptiles and hamsters.
Students will learn the “digestive physiology of dogs and cats, nutrient requirements and life-cycle nutrition of companion animals,” Metzler-Zebeli said.
They will also study current issues in pet food nutrition and manufacturing, she said.
There is a growing field of research and development for pet animals, and Meztler-Zebeli said she expects there will be plenty of job opportunities for students taking this course.
“There are only a few pet nutritionists out there, so the pet food industry is always interested to get well-trained employees that they do not have to train themselves,” Meztler-Zebeli said.