Latest news with #TamilNaduVeterinaryandAnimalSciencesUniversity
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Application forms for veterinary science programmes to open today
The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University has called for applications to its undergraduate veterinary programmes for the academic year 2025-26. The forms will be available on the university website from 10 a.m. on Monday till 5 p.m. on June 20, the admissions committee chairman has said. Candidates may log in to to apply. For online applications, guidelines, number of seats reserved for NRIs (Non-Resident Indians)/wards of NRIs/NRI sponsored and foreign nationals quota, candidates may visit There are 660 seats in seven colleges across the State. Admission to the programme is based on marks scored in Class 12. Aspirants must have taken biology, physics, and chemistry in Class 12. The marks scored in these subjects are used to calculate the cut-off for 200 marks. The university allocates 15% (60 seats) of the total seats to the Veterinary Council of India for students from other States. The university also sets aside 7.5% of the total seats for students who studied in government schools in the State. Students can opt for BVSc, Food Technology, Dairy Technology, and Poultry Technology. The duration of the course is five-and-half years for BVSc, including one year of internship, and four years for programmes. BVSc is offered in Madras Veterinary College (120 seats); Veterinary Colleges in Orathanadu, Namakkal, and Tirunelveli will admit 100 students each, The veterinary colleges in Salem, Theni and Tiruppur will each admit 80 seats, subject to approval by the Veterinary Council of India. A total of 100 seats are available in programmes of which 7.5% of seats are reserved for students from government schools. As much as 15% of the seats for (Food Technology - 40), Poultry Technology - 40) and (Dairy Technology 20) are reserved for candidates selected by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. To be eligible for B Tech programmes students must have stunned mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Help, my dog needs a therapist
CHENNAI: When freelance writer Lakshmi P's cat Ammu developed patches of wounds, she took her to four vets. All of them prescribed antibiotics and anti-allergens. But the wounds kept coming back. It was the fifth vet who asked the right questions and found the cat was self-harming – from separation anxiety. Lakshmi had left her with a friend with a dog when she moved abroad, which was causing the stress. Lakshmi later decided to take Ammu abroad with her. 'Most vets in India treat the physical symptoms. I have started consuming content by internationally known animal behaviourists now and understand the issues of my family dog better. Also, cats do get attached to humans, unlike the popular myth,' she says, adding that Ammu is the 'happiest girl now.' You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai In the UK, when pets appear to suffer from a non-physical ailment, the veterinarian refers them to a qualified animal behaviourist. And if something happens to the animal at the hands of the behaviouralist, the licence is cancelled. But no such system exists in India. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sudden Ringing in Your Ears? This Spray Might Help Stop Tinnitus Now Learn More Undo While mental health is a specialisation in human medicine, the govt veterinary science syllabus is mostly focused on livestock, and at most, there are a few sessions on how to handle animals ethically. Vets at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas), Chennai, agree that there isn't much in the syllabus about animal behaviour but there is a ''lot of scope'' for it. 'Mostly, we get cases of dog-to-human or dog-to-dog aggression. If the aggression is directed against every stranger, it's difficult to treat. We try anti-anxiety drugs, tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors which take eight weeks to start showing results, but more important is early socialisation,' says Dr K J. 'Whatever we learn on small animals such as dogs and cats and their behaviour, is from books and training programmes,' says Dr V Arun, a veterinarian from Chennai. It was during such a programme conducted by the veterinary association that vets like him learned to handle dogs and cats, he says. The trainers in these programmes are invariably from the west, and their insights have been eye-opening, says Dr Arun. 'Cats, for example, get stressed in vet clinics by the presence of dogs. It was this learning that made me decide to open a facility exclusive for cats in Chennai.' Psychological issues in pets are more pronounced now than a few decades ago as people are constantly moving cities, especially post-Covid, says Dr Yamini P Suresh, a Bengaluru-based vet. While animal psychology should ideally be a subject, 'animals can't communicate, and hence pet psychology isn't easy'. 'We do our best to learn their behaviour case by case once we start practising. Each animal is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all treatment.' What helps her detect signs of depression or anxiety in pets, she says, is that she had dogs and cats growing up. Yamini also refers her patients to qualified behaviourists when she senses there are no major medical issues. Ethology or the science of animal behaviour is still an emerging field in India, and while some vets such as Yamini are open to referring their clients to them, others aren't. 'I'm not against them, it's just that very few are qualified,' says Dr Arun. 'Vets are invariably pressed for time, dealing with 50-60 animals a day, and it is difficult for them to form a personal bond with each dog or cat, and remember their past behaviour, hence many refer them to me,' says Nivedita Prabhukumar, a Bengaluru-based canine behaviourist. But things have progressed a lot, she says. When she started out in 2013, 'animal training' was only about teaching dogs obedience, which often involved punishment, and the use of tools such as shock collars, she says. 'There are still trainers who still do that but in the past decade, the focus has started shifting to the animal's happiness.' For example, an extra five minutes at the vet clinic for the animals to settle down makes all the difference, as it's a highly stressful environment for them, she says. 'I also suggest wellness visits to the vet for puppies for no reason to reduce anxiety.' Dr Sonika Sathish, a former govt vet from Kerala says, in India, 70% of pets need muzzling at vet clinics. When she moved to Canada recently, she found only 5% of the pets there wore muzzles. 'Even cats are calm in clinics here. The vets draw blood from the jugular vein, unthinkable in India because the animal will be thrashing around in fear,' she says. 'Pet parents in the west train the animals from birth or send them to puppy school. They walk them, socialise them and familiarise them with humans, all of which are crucial for their adult behaviour.' In Nivedita's view, the information explosion has gone to the other extreme. 'Earlier I had to request people to take their pets with them outdoors, but now there are many who take them along on every weekend, for every trip. I have to beg them to give the animal some stability.' Dogs and cats manage to survive in most circumstances, but for them to thrive, and live their best life, you need a combination of the pet parent, the doctor, the behaviouralist, even the groomer working together, says Dr Yamini. 'Like for a child, you need a village to raise a pet too. If one misses a sign, the other can spot it and address it.'
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Nilgiri tahrs recover lost habitats in Tamil Nadu: Survey
Nilgiri tahr UDHAGAMANDALAM: Nilgiri tahrs have been sighted in Periyattumalai in Coimbatore division after a decade, according to the second synchronized survey of Nilgiri tahrs in Tamil Nadu which concluded on Sunday. Also, new colonization was confirmed in the Pasumalai block in Chinnamanur range in the Megamalai division, an indication of habitat recovery . Under the Project Nilgiri Tahr (launched in 2023), the four-day synchronized survey of Nilgiri tahr -- the state animal -- was conducted in 176 survey blocks of 14 forest divisions across the state. Herds were sighted with kids, according to a press release. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai The survey included the collection of tahr pellets for parasitic and carnivore's scat for understanding the parasitic species presence and its life cycle in association with Nilgiri tahr. Seven tahrs were sighted in the lowest elevation (240 m MSL) survey block in Peyanar Varaiyattu Mottai. This is one of the finest cliff and escarpment terrain blocks where tahr is using a dry thorny landscape. 'In the Mangaladevi survey block in Megamalai division, where the species was believed to have moved out, pellets of tahrs were recorded. Thus, the presence of the species is ascertained with evidence,' said M G Ganesan, project director, Project Nilgiri Tahr, who led the survey. The collected pellets and carnivore scat samples in ethanol vials are to be sent for laboratory analysis, especially parasitic analysis in the Wildlife Division at TANUVAS (Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University). Good population was sighted at Grass Hills National Park in Valparai and Mukurthi National Park in the Nilgiris. These two meta populations are vital for maintaining these fragile grasslands, said Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary, department of environment, climate change and forest. She said, 'Pavetta oblanceolate, a critically endangered flora species, was recorded in Anamalai during the survey.' Ganesan said, 'After digitization, processing and interpretation of data will be done with research personnel and experts'. Experts from TANUVAS, project scientists and a team from WWF participated in the survey with 800 field staffers covering a 2,000km distance.
