Welcome!

Companion Animals | YAS32306 | 10 February 2025

Guido Bosch | Course leader | Associate professor Animal Nutrition

About me

Ecology &
Evolution

Animal Sciences 98-04 PhD 05-09 Researcher and teacher 09-now

 Sabine Caspers

BSc Applied Biology at HAS University of

Applied Sciences

Internship at Jonker
Petfood

MSc in Animal Sciences at ANU

Internship at Massey University in NZ

Thesis about fat stability in dry pet food

Overview today

▪ What to expect from this course

● Why this course?
● Learning outcomes, course material, grading
▪ Lecture Introduction to companion animals
▪ Afternoon
● Read 4 scientific articles
● Start case work

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 We love pets!

Pets are part of society

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Pet numbers

Small mammals Europe

Song/ornamental birds
Reptiles
Ornamental fish/aquaria
Dogs Households
Cats

0 20 40 60 80 100
88 million ≥1 pet
25% cats | 25% dogs
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FEDIAF Facts and Figures 2014/9 & 2023
Pet spending

Accessories
Food
products €6.5 billion
€15 billion
Services
Veterinary €8.5 billion
Breeding
Training
Grooming
... 7
FEDIAF Facts and Figures 2014
Why keep pets?
Why keep pets?

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Why keep pets?

▪ Bad for our health and well-being!

● Zoonoses
● Fear, injury and death
● Sorrow when a pet dies
▪ Bad for our environment!
● Ecology
● Resource use

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Why keep pets?

▪ Biophylia
● Innate tendency of humans
● Sources of information on safety and danger

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Why keep pets?

▪ Biophylia
Social
▪ Social companionship Companions interactions
▪ Lecture ‘Human-animal
relationship’!

Outdoor
Activity
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Understand pets?
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Companion animal statements

▪ Course warming-up and teasers

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A rabbit is suited to be housed alone

▪ Do we understand the
social needs of pets?

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Societal views on breeding

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Syringomyelia in the Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel is caused by inbreeding

▪ Do we understand the
origin of pet welfare
problems?

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Cats are carnivores and cannot digest starch
from a dry kibble

▪ Do we understand the
nutritional needs of pets?

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Dogs copy mental states underlying yawning
from humans

▪ Do we understand the
emotional capacities of
pets?

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Cats can feel ashamed

▪ Do we understand the
emotional capacities of
pets?

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An owner should be able to decide to euthanize
its (healthy) pet if he/she wants

▪ What are ethics of pet

keeping? What about the
law?

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Watching Dog TV is soothing to lonely dogs

▪ What is the science behind

pet products?

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Fiction or fact? Alternative facts?

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Understand pets?
How to support welfare?
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From society to a Animal Sciences course

Animal Sciences’ themes Welfare Quality principles

Animal health Good health
Animal nutrition Good feeding
Animal welfare Appropriate behaviour
Human-animal interaction Good housing
Biodiversity

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Our aim with this course

We need you!
Ask questions
Share thoughts
Help each other Understand the animal’s perspective

▪ Move away from anthropomorphism

● Learn about and from their biology
▪ Increase your critical attitude
● Learn to discriminate between fiction | facts (science!) 27
Course set-up

Animal Animal
Domestication

Natural New domestic

environment environment

Conflicts: species-specific needs?

Unwanted behaviours, nutrient deficiencies,
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(in)breeding?
Learning outcomes

▪ To understand the biological background and associated species-

specific needs, including how domestication has affected these
▪ To analyse how current lifestyle conditions conflict with species-specific
needs and result in challenges sometimes leading to poor welfare
▪ To evaluate the scientific basis for a claim or urban legend regarding
keeping of pets
▪ To apply scientific facts from research on behaviour and training,
nutrition, sociality, breeding and genetics, housing and health and
welfare of companion animals
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Learning outcomes | teaching methods

Lectures+tutorials by experts

Case work by you + peers

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Practical work by you + peers
Overlap course?

▪ Some overlap with lectures other courses, but functional

● Required for refreshment
● Variety in background knowledge audience
● Biology
● Non-WU educational programmes
● More in-depth!

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My main Companion Animal of interest is...

1. Dog
2. Cat
3. Horse
4. Rabbit
5. Ornamental fish
6. Other

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Species covered

▪ Not all companion animals species covered

● Dogs, cats and horses are discussed in scientific detail,
various disciplines (e.g. behaviour, nutrition, genetics)
● Matches with average interest Animal Sciences’ students
▪ Biological principles and mechanisms in dogs, cats and horses,
can mostly be extrapolated to other species
▪ MSc phase opportunity to study your (exotic) pet of interest!

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Learning outcomes | teaching methods

Lectures+tutorials by experts

Gain knowledge! Get challenged & inspired!

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 Programme and lecturers

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

Introduction to Companion Animals | GB Companion animals have guts | GB (practical assignment)
Human-animal relationship | GC/JN Animal athletes | DvD Extreme breeding | BD
(case assignment) (excursion to AAP) Ornamental reptiles | DO
Socialisation and training | GC/JN Ornamental fish | BP Legislation & animal protection | IB
Companion animal cognition | GC/JN Scientific conference | YOU! Cat science@wur | YOU!, GC, JN, INS

Dr. Giulia Cimarelli Jori Noordenbos David van Doorn Bart Pollux Bart Ducro Dennis Oonincx Iaira Boissevain
Behavioural Ecology Group Behavioural Ecology Group Clinical Nutrition Experimental Zoology Group Animal Breeding & Genetics Animal Nutrition Group SKE advocaten +
Wageningen University Wageningen University Utrecht University Wageningen University Wageningen University Wageningen University Utrecht University

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Structure lectures+tutorials

▪ Lectures+tutorials morning
● Experts in their field
● Generally 40 min- -40 min- -40 min
● 10:55-13:15
● Recommended to join lectures!
▪ Each lecture+tutorial has a supplementary scientific article

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Locations lectures+tutorials

▪ Check TimeEdit
▪ Some recorded... some not or fail

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Live sessions versus recordings?

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Learning outcomes | teaching methods

Case work by you + peers

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Claims and urban legends

Nr Title
1 A DNA-test a day keeps the horse diseases away
2 DNA tests in dogs, how effective are they?
3 Breeding for better health in cats – sense or nonsense
4 Cats don’t empathize
5 Pets mirror their owners
6 Don’t overstimulate your puppy!
7 Be the pack leader!
8 Only positive dog training!
9 Natural horsemanship revolutionizes horse training
10 ‘Natural’ dog foods
11 Processed pet foods are killing our dogs and cats
12 Stop killing animals and ruining the planet for pet foods – Go vegan!
13 Complete gecko feed
14 Snakes do not need enrichment

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Case work

▪ Unravelling the science behind claims

● Week 1 and 2 | 14.00-17.10 h + 1 morning
● Groups of 5-6 students, 1 supervisor
● Outcomes presented at scientific conference end of week 2
(group)
● Abstract of case work submitted
after week 3 (individual)
Fiction | facts
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Case work

✓See Brightspace for your case and group

● Today: contact your supervisor for a meeting on Tue
✓Create a working document similar to a report
● Background and aim (problem), methods (approach), results,
discussion, conclusion
✓Work as a team, help each other; ask critical questions
✓Use Scopus, Google Scholar, Pubmed, WU library books
✓Supervisor discussions to guide you
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Case work

▪ Scientific abstract
● Important & challenging!
● Use guidelines & format
● Deadline: Tuesday 4 March 12:00
▪ Group: present at a ‘scientific conference’
● Friday 21 February 10:00-13:15
● Presentation 10 min + discussion 2 min with audience
● Deadline: Thursday 20 February 17:30
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Learning outcomes | teaching methods

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Practical work by you + peers
Practical

▪ Cat science
● Week 3 | 14:00-17:10 + 1 morning
● Same groups as for case work
● Cat data from a
● behaviour-related tests & nutrition-related cat test
● Process data and prepare two 10-min presentations on aim,
methods, results, discussion and conclusions
● Deadline: Thursday February 27 at 17:30
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Practical

▪ Presentations Friday February 28 at 10:00-13:15

● Presenting groups (two) selected by Giulia and me
● Grading all presentations based on content (slides + notes),
emphasis on discussion
▪ After the two group presentations
● Presentation on current cat/dog behaviour and nutrition
science by Jori, Giulia and Ilva Noa Stellingwerf (PhD
candidate)

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Group work = collaboration

▪ Shitty groups make shitty products!

▪ In a 3-wk course there is no time to waste!
▪ Peer assessment
● End of week 1 and of week 3
● Score your team members using the rubric

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Skills academy

Brightspace: YAS21400_Portfolio for YAS21303 SkAc and PersAss

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Overview today

▪ What to expect from this course

● Why this course?
● Learning outcomes, course material, grading
▪ Lecture Introduction to companion animals
▪ Afternoon
● Read 4 scientific articles &
start case work

49
Course material

▪ All material digital on Brightspace

● Course guide
● Lectures
● Hand-outs (before or after lecture)
● Scientific articles
● Bonus material
● Interesting & fun science

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How you will be graded

▪ Minimum of 5.50 for each part

▪ Remains valid for 2 academic years

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How you will be graded

▪ Friday 7 March, 8:30-11:30, digital|BYOD

▪ ~50 multiple choice questions
● Exception: Legislation and animal protection
▪ Lecture contents, supplementary scientific articles
▪ Relevant facts, scientific concepts, definitions, biology
● See course guide for examples

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Course evaluation

▪ Why?
● To keep the course in shape and inspiring
● We value your opinion!
▪ When?
● Thursday 6 March
▪ What?
● Matching expectations*, clear learning outcomes*, understand-
able course material*, stimulation active participation, positively
challenged, workload, course level, clear assessment strategy*
*Covered in this lecture and course guide 53
Questions?

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Bio-break

Start again in … min

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