ACVN Nutrition Notes

Wound healing requires the body to have sufficient energy stores to rebuild tissue. Without these resources, the animal’s body begins to break down endogenous protein in an attempt to meet its needs for the “building blocks” of healing. A strategy to provide adequate nutrients should be created for every wound patient.

Angela Witzel, DVM, PhD, DACVN The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine Nutritional management of gastrointestinal disease is a broad topic incorporating both acute and chronic diseases of the stomach, small intestines, pancreas, gallbladder, and colon. As such, this article introduces the types of gastrointestinal diets available to help the clinician decide which one …

Deborah E. Linder, DVM, MS, DACVN Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University The American College of Veterinary Nutrition (acvn.org) and Today’s Veterinary Practice are delighted to bring you the Nutrition Notes column, which provides the highest-quality, cutting-edge information on companion animal nutrition, written by the ACVN’s foremost nutrition specialists. The primary objectives of …

Unless you’ve been living under a rock in the United States for the past 2 or 3 years, you’ve likely heard about the push for veterinary wellness in our profession…

Dermatologic patients are often managed with topical and systemic pharmacologic therapies, but nutrition should be evaluated in all animals presenting with skin disease. Nutritional deficiencies…

Understanding the different types of fiber—and when to implement fiber in a nutrition plan for dogs and cats—can be challenging and complicated. In addition, some cats and dogs that present with gastrointestinal conditions can be managed with diets or supplements that contain particular levels and types of fiber.

nutritional management of pancreatitis continues to be guided primarily by the human literature and clinical experience due to lack of controlled clinical trials. Any…

The type of fatty acids fed to a patient, as well as the total amount of fatty acids in the diet, have the additional potential to improve or impair health. This review discusses basic properties of fatty acids; sources of essential fatty acids; therapeutic modifications of dietary fatty acids, fish oils, and other fatty acid supplements; and areas of caution in clinical practice when supplementing fatty acids.

Kirk J. Breuninger, VMD, MPH Banfield Pet Hospital As clinicians, we have the responsibility to practice veterinary medicine based on complete, objective, and up-to-date scientific evidence. But what happens when we do not have relevant evidence available to completely support our medical decision-making? The Example of Gonadectomy A specific example of this challenge is the …