Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus in UPSC CSE

The UPSC Civil Services Examination offers Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science as an optional subject, which is particularly suited for candidates with a background in veterinary science, zoology, or related fields. This optional is divided into two papers, each carrying 250 marks, making a total of 500 marks. Below is a detailed overview of the syllabus for both papers, along with preparation strategies and resources.The UPSC Civil Services Examination offers Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science as an optional subject, which is particularly suited for candidates with a background in veterinary science, zoology, or related fields.

Overview of the Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus

Paper I

Paper I focuses on the following key areas:

1. Animal Nutrition: This includes the study of energy sources, protein nutrition, mineral and vitamin nutrition, and the role of nutrition in animal health and productivity.
2. Animal Physiology: Topics cover the physiological functions of various systems in animals, such as the digestive, circulatory, respiratory, and reproductive systems.
3. Animal Reproduction: This section deals with reproductive physiology, artificial insemination, and embryo transfer technology.
4. Livestock Production and Management: It covers the management practices for different types of livestock, including dairy, poultry, and swine.
5. Genetics and Animal Breeding: This includes the principles of genetics, methods of breeding, and genetic improvement of livestock.
6. Extension Education: This section is integral to Paper I and involves the methods and practices of educating farmers and livestock owners about new technologies and practices in animal husbandry.

Paper II

Paper II encompasses:

1. Veterinary Anatomy and Pharmacology: This includes the study of anatomical structures, pharmacological principles, and therapeutic drugs.
2. Animal Diseases: Topics cover the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and control of diseases affecting various livestock species.
3. Veterinary Public Health: This section addresses zoonotic diseases, food safety, and public health regulations.
4. Milk and Meat Hygiene: It involves the processing, quality control, and safety standards of milk and meat products,
5. Veterinary Jurisprudence: This includes the legal aspects of veterinary practice and animal welfare laws.

Understanding the UPSC Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science optional syllabus is crucial for several reasons, particularly for candidates considering this subject in the Civil Services Examination.

Comprehensive Knowledge Base

1. Subject Familiarity: The syllabus provides a structured outline of topics such as animal nutrition, physiology, reproduction, livestock management, genetics, and breeding.
2. Targeted Preparation: By understanding the syllabus, candidates can prioritize their study efforts on high-yield topics and allocate their time efficiently. This is essential for managing the extensive content and ensuring thorough preparation

Paper-I of Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus

1. Animal Nutrition Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Partitioning of food energy within the animal and Systems for expressing energy value of foods in ruminants, pigs and poultry, Direct and indirect calorimetry and Carbon Nitrogen balance and comparative slaughter methods. 

2. Energy requirements for maintenance, growth, pregnancy, lactation, egg, wool, and meat production, Latest advances in protein nutrition, Energy protein interrelationships and Evaluation of protein quality. Use of NPN compounds in ruminant diets and Protein requirements for maintenance, growth, pregnancy, lactation, egg, wool and meat production.

3. Sources, physiological functions and deficiency symptoms of Major and trace minerals and Toxic minerals and Mineral interactions and Role of fat-soluble and water soluble vitamins in the body, their sources and deficiency symptoms.

4. Feed additives – methane inhibitors, probiotics, enzymes, antibiotics, hormones, oligosaccharides, antioxidants, emulsifiers, mould inhibitors, buffers etc. Use and abuse of growth promoters like hormones and antibiotics – latest concepts.

5. Conservation of fodders. Storage of feeds and feed ingredients. Recent advances in feed technology and feed processing and Anti nutritional and toxic factors present in livestock feeds, Feed analysis and quality control, Digestibility trials – direct, indirect and indicator methods, Predicting feed intake in grazing animals.

6. Advances in ruminant nutrition. Nutrient requirements. Balanced rations, Feeding of calves, pregnant, work animals and breeding bulls, Strategies for feeding milch animals during different stages of lactation cycle, Effect of feeding on milk composition. 

7. Feeding of goats for meat and milk production, Feeding of sheep for meat and wool production, Nutrient requirements of swine. Creep, starter, grower and finisher rations, Feeding of pigs for lean meat production. Low cost rations for swine.

8. Special features of poultry nutrition, Nutrient requirements for meat and egg production and Formulation of rations for different classes of layers and broilers.

2. Animal Physiology Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus

1. Blood constituents – Properties and functions, Blood cell formation, Haemoglobin synthesis and chemistry, Plasma proteins production, classification and properties, Coagulation of blood; anticoagulants, Haemorrhagic disorders, and Blood groups, Blood volume, Plasma expanders, Buffer systems in blood, Biochemical tests and their significance in disease diagnosis.

2. Physiology of heart, cardiac cycle, heart sounds, heart beat, electrocardiograms, Work and efficiency of heart, Effect of ions on heart function, Metabolism of Cardiac muscle, Nervous and chemical regulation of heart, Effect of temperature and stress on heart, Blood pressure and hypertension, osmotic regulation, arterial pulse, Vasomotor regulation of circulation, Shock, Coronary and pulmonary circulation, Blood-Brain barrier- Cerebrospinal fluid and Circulation in birds.

3. Mechanism of respiration, Transport and exchange of gases, Neural control of respiration-chemoreceptors, Hypoxia, Respiration in birds, Structure and function of kidney, Formation of urine, Methods of studying renal function, Renal regulation of acid-base balance, Physiological constituents of urine, Renal failure-passive venous congestion, Urinary secretion in chicken, Sweat glands and their function, Biochemical test for urinary dysfunction.

4. Endocrine glands – Functional disorders, their symptoms and diagnosis, Synthesis of hormones, mechanism and control of secretion, Hormonal receptors classification and function, Prenatal and postnatal growth, maturation, growth curves, measures of growth, Factors affecting growth, conformation, body composition, meat quality.

5. Current status of hormonal control of mammary development, milk secretion and milk ejection, Male and Female reproductive organs, their components and functions, Digestive organs and their functions.

6. Environmental Physiology Physiological relations and their regulation; mechanisms of adaptation, Environmental factors and regulatory mechanisms involved in animal behaviour, Climatology – various parameters and their importance, Animal ecology. Physiology of behaviour, Effect of stress on health and production.

3. Animal Reproduction Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Preservation and Artificial Insemination, Components of semen, composition of spermatozoa, Sperm concentration, Chemical and physical properties of ejaculated semen, 

2. Factors affecting semen in vivo and in vitro, Factors affecting semen production, quality, preservation, Composition of diluents, Transport of diluted semen, 

3. Deep freezing techniques in cows, sheep, goats, swine and poultry, Detection of oestrus and time of insemination for better conception, Anoestrus and repeat breeding.

4. Livestock Production and Management Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Commercial Dairy Farming, Comparison of dairy farming in India with advanced countries, Dairying under mixed farming and as specialised farming, Economic dairy farming, Starting of a dairy farm, Capital and land requirement, Organisation of the dairy farm and Opportunities in dairy farming.

2. Factors determining the efficiency of dairy animals, Herd recording, budgeting, cost of milk production, Pricing policy; Personnel Management, Feeding records.

3. Developing Practical and Economic rations for dairy cattle; Supply of greens throughout the year, Feed and fodder requirements of Dairy Farm, Feeding regimes for young stock and bulls, heifers and breeding animals; 

4. New trends in feeding young and adult stock and New trends in enhancing production and management, Development of practical and economic rations for sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits and poultry, Feeding and management of animals under drought, flood and other natural calamities

5.Genetics and Animal Breeding Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. History of animal genetics. Mitosis and Meiosis: Mendelian inheritance; deviations to Mendelian genetics; Expression of genes; Linkage and crossing over; Sex determination, sex influenced and sex limited characters;

2. Blood groups and polymorphism; Chromosome aberrations; Cytoplasmic inheritance, Gene and its structure; DNA as a genetic material; Genetic code and protein synthesis; Recombinant DNA technology. 

3. Mutations, types of mutations, methods for detecting mutations and mutation rate. Trans-genesis, Quantitative Vs. qualitative traits; Hardy Weinberg Law; Population Vs. individual; Gene and genotypic frequency; Forces changing gene frequency; Random drift and small populations; Theory of path coefficient; 

4. Inbreeding, methods of estimating inbreeding coefficient, systems of inbreeding, Effective population size; Breeding value, estimation of breeding value, dominance and epistatic deviation; 

5. Partitioning of variation; Genotype X environment correlation and genotype X environment interaction; role of multiple measurements; Resemblance between relatives, Breeds of livestock and Poultry. 

6. Heritability, repeatability and genetic and phenotypic correlations, their methods of estimation and precision of estimates; Aids to selection and their relative merits; Individual, pedigree, family and within family selection; Progeny testing; Sire index.

7. Methods of selection; Construction of selection indices and their uses; Comparative evaluation of genetic gains through various selection methods; Indirect selection and correlated response; 

8. Inbreeding, outbreeding, upgrading, cross-breeding, Synthesis of breeds; Crossing of inbred lines for commercial production; Selection for general and specific combining ability; Breeding for threshold characters. 

6. Extension Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Basic philosophy, objectives, concept and principles of extension, Different Methods adopted to educate farmers under rural conditions. 

2. Generation of technology, its transfer and feedback, Problems and constraints in transfer of technology.

3.  Animal husbandry programmes for rural development.

Paper-II of Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus

1. Anatomy, Pharmacology and Hygiene Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Histology and Histological Techniques: Paraffin embedding technique of tissue processing and H.E. staining, Freezing microtomy, Microscopy Bright field microscope and electron microscope. 

2. Cytology-structure of cell, organells and inclusions; Cell division and cell types- Tissues and their classification, Embryonic and adult tissues, Comparative histology of organs-Vascular. Nervous, digestive, respiratory, musculo- skeletal and urogenital systems- Endocrine glands -Integuments-sense organs.

3. Embryology of vertebrates with special reference to aves and domestic mammals, Gametogenesis-fertilization-germ layers- foetal membranes, Placentation and types of placenta in domestic mammals, Teratology-twins and twinning, Organogenesis, Germ layer derivatives-endodermal, mesodermal and ectodermal derivatives.

4. Bovine Anatomy- Regional Anatomy: Paranasal sinuses of OX- surface anatomy of salivary glands, Regional anatomy of infraorbital, maxillary, mandibuloalveolar, mental and cornual nerve block, Regional anatomy of paravertebral nerves, pudendal nerve, median ulnar and radial nerves-tibial, fibular and digital nerves, Cranial nerves-structures involved in epidural anaesthesia-superficial lymph nodes

5. Surface anatomy of visceral organs of thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cavities, Comparative features of locomotor apparatus and their application in the biomechanics of the mammalian body, Anatomy of Fowl- Musculo-skeletal system, Functional anatomy in relation to respiration and flying, digestion and egg production, 

6. Pharmacology and therapeutic drugs – Cellular level of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, Drugs acting on fluids and electrolyte balance, Drugs acting on the Autonomic nervous system, Modern concepts of anaesthesia and dissociative anaesthetics, Autacoids, Antimicrobials and principles of chemotherapy in microbial infections, Use of hormones in therapeutics, Chemotherapy of parasitic infections. 

7. Drug and economic concerns in the Edible tissues of animals, Chemotherapy of Neoplastic diseases, Toxicity due to insecticides, plants, metals, non-metals, zootoxins and mycotoxins.

8. Veterinary Hygiene with reference to water, air and habitation – Assessment of pollution of water, air and soil, Importance of climate in animal health- effect of environment on animal function and performance, Relationship between industrialization and animal agriculture, Animal housing requirements for specific categories of domestic animals viz. pregnant cows and sows, milking cows, broiler birds, Stress, strain and productivity in relation to animal habitation.

2. Animal Diseases Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus

1. Etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, symptoms, postmortem lesions, diagnosis, and control of Infectious diseases of cattle, sheep and goat, horses, pigs and poultry.

2. Etiology, epidemiology, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment of Production diseases of cattle, horse, pig and poultry.

3. Deficiency diseases of domestic animals and birds, Diagnosis and treatment of non-specific conditions like impaction, Bloat, Diarrhoea, Indigestion ,dehydration, stroke, poisoning, Diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.

4. Principles and methods of immunization of animals against specific diseases, Herd immunity- disease free zones- zero disease concept- chemoprophylaxis, Anaesthesia- local, regional and general-preanesthetic medication. 

5. Symptoms and surgical interference in fractures and dislocation, Hernia, choking abomasal displacement, Caesarian operations. Rumenotomy-Castrations, Disease investigation techniques.- Materials for laboratory investigation, Establishment of Animal Health Centers Disease free zone.

3. Veterinary Public Health Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Zoonoses, its Classification, definition, Role of animals and birds in prevalence and transmission of zoonotic diseases, Occupational zoonotic diseases.

2. Principle, definition of epidemiological terms, application of epidemiological measures in the study of diseases and disease control, Epidemiological features of air, water and foodborne infections. 

3. OIE regulations, WTO, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, Veterinary Jurisprudence- Rules and Regulations for improvement of animal quality and prevention of animal diseases, State and central rules for prevention of animal and animal product borne diseases, S P C A- Veterolegal cases Certificate, Materials and Methods of collection of samples for vetero legal investigation.

4. Milk and Milk Products Technology Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Market Milk: Quality, testing and grading of raw milk, Processing, packaging, storing, distribution, marketing, defects and their control, Preparation of the following milks: Pasteurized, standardized, toned, double toned, sterilized, Homogenized, reconstituted, recombined and flavoured milks. 

2. Preparation of cultured milks, cultures and their management, yoghurt, Dahi, Lassi and Srikhand, Legal standards, Sanitation requirement for clean and safe milk and for the milk plant equipment.

3. Selection of raw materials, processing, storing , distributing and marketing milk products such as Cream, Butter, Ghee, Khoa, Channa, Cheese, condensed, evaporated, dried milk, Baby food, Ice cream and Kulfi; by-products, whey products, buttermilk, lactose and casein. 

4. Testing, grading, judging milk products- BIS and Agmark specifications, legal standards, quality control and nutritive properties, Packaging, processing and operational control, Costing of dairy products

5. Meat Hygiene and Technology Veterinary Science Optional Syllabus:

1. Ante mortem care and management of food animals, stunning, slaughter and dressing operations; abattoir requirements and designs; Meat inspection procedures and judgement of carcass meat cuts-grading of carcass meat cuts-

2. Duties and functions of Veterinarians in wholesome meat production, Hygienic methods of handling production of meat- Spoilage of meat and control measures, Post -slaughter physicochemical changes in meat and factors that influence them, Quality improvement methods, Adulteration of meat and detection

3. Regulatory provisions in Meat trade and Industry, Physical and chemical characteristics of meat- Meat emulsions, Methods of preservation of meat-Curing, canning, irradiation, packaging of meat and meat products, processing and formulations.

4. By- products- Slaughter house byproducts and their utilization- Edible and inedible by products, Social and economic implications of proper utilization of slaughter house by-products, Organ products for food and pharmaceuticals.

5. Poultry Products Technology Chemical composition and nutritive value of poultry meat, pre -slaughter care and management, Slaughtering techniques, inspection, preservation of poultry meat and products. Legal and BIS standards. 

6. Structure, composition and nutritive value of eggs. Microbial spoilage, Preservation and maintenance. Marketing of poultry meat, eggs and products. Value added meat products, Rabbit meat production. Disposal and utilization of fur and wool and recycling of waste by products. Grading of wool.

Preparation Strategies

1. Understand the Syllabus: Thoroughly review the syllabus to understand the scope and depth of each topic. This will help in prioritizing areas based on your strengths and weaknesses.
2. Collect Study Materials: Gather standard textbooks, reference books, and previous years’ question papers. Recommended books include “Principles of Animal Nutrition” by D.V. Reddy and “Textbook of Animal Diseases” by Ashok Kumar[1][4].
3. Create a Study Plan: Develop a comprehensive study plan that allocates time for each topic. Include regular revisions and practice sessions in your schedule.
4. Focus on Core Concepts: Ensure a strong understanding of fundamental concepts before moving to advanced topics. This is crucial for subjects like genetics, physiology, and pathology.
5. Incorporate Current Affairs: Stay updated with the latest developments in veterinary science and animal husbandry, and integrate these into your preparation.
6. Practice Diagrams and Flowcharts: Many topics in this optional require clear illustrations. Practice drawing diagrams to explain concepts effectively.
7. Answer Writing Practice: Regularly practice writing answers to previous years’ questions and take mock tests to improve time management and answer presentation[4][5].

Benefits of Choosing This Optional

• Familiarity: Candidates with a background in veterinary science or zoology will find the syllabus aligns well with their previous studies, reducing the learning curve.
• Scoring Potential: The subject is precise and scientific, allowing for high scoring through well-prepared diagrams and structured answers.
• Relevance to Rural Development: The subject’s focus on livestock management and public health makes it relevant for candidates interested in rural development and agricultural policies.

Conclusion of Understanding Veterinary Science optional syllabus

Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science as an optional subject in the UPSC examination offers a unique blend of biological sciences and applied technology. It is particularly advantageous for candidates with a background in related fields, offering high scoring potential and relevance to India’s rural economy. With a structured preparation strategy and thorough understanding of the syllabus, candidates can excel in this optional and enhance their chances of success in the UPSC examination.

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