Obesity in Dogs 

Nutrition is the fifth vital assessment when dealing with patients, it is vital to get this correct throughout the animal’s life in order to maintain a good quality of life, prevent nutrition related diseases and increase longevity. There is a myriad of nutritional complications that can occur differing between the species and breeds, with varying nutritional requirements needed dependent on the signalment of the animal. The importance of nutrition has a large impact on the animals life and one of our roles as nurses is to educate our clients on the best diets for their pet, therefore it is important to know not just what is the preferred diet but what can go wrong if the diet supplied has inadequate nutritional value for that animal. Studies have shown that feeding the correct diet can increase QOL and longevity for the patient therefore reducing medication requirements; consequently it is important to get this correct from the beginning. This webinar will discuss the nutritional requirements of healthy dogs and cats from birth, growth until adult maintenance.

As nutritional support is now considered an integral part of managing critically ill patients, this presentation will focus of assessing patient’s needs for nutritional support and strategies for introducing feeding in hospitalised small animals.

No other organ system is so immediately and profoundly affected by diet than the gastrointestinal tract, and there are few acute or chronic diseases where dietary manipulation is not an important component of the diagnostic approach and management. This webinar will provide an update on feeding trials as a diagnostic tool, how key dietary components interact with the GI tract, the impact of diet on the bacteriome, and will discuss the specific management of some key diseases including pancreatitis, constipation, and severe gastroenteritis.