Calls for more focus on clinical nutrition
Research shows more than 90 per cent of pet owners want nutritional advice but fewer than 15 per cent feel they receive it.
WSAVA is urging veterinary schools to include more training on clinical nutrition, and vets to include nutritional assessments in every client visit.
The organisation’s Global Nutrition Committee (GNC) aims to improve awareness of the importance of nutrition, and to advance the role of veterinary surgeons and nurses as the source of expert information for pet owners.
GNC co-chair Dr Marge Chandler said: “Based on its importance to overall health, we continue to remind veterinarians that a nutritional assessment should be the fifth vital assessment in a standard physical examination and that the veterinary healthcare team should provide nutritional recommendations for each animal as an integral component of patient care.
“The role of nutrition in optimum health and in alleviating the impact of disease is increasingly recognised yet, while there are excellent nutrition programs in some veterinary schools, many still struggle to offer sufficient training in small animal nutrition. As veterinarians and students continue demand more knowledge and, as owners expect more information from their veterinarians, we expect the situation to improve and are already working with some schools to facilitate this.”
According to co-chair Dr Gregg Takashima, research shows more than 90 per cent of pet owners want nutritional advice but fewer than 15 per cent feel they receive it.
“The GNC Global Guidelines and Nutrition Toolkit help the veterinary healthcare team to address nutrition at every patient visit and to counter inaccurate and misleading information available online,” he added. “We are delighted that our resources are now so widely used within the profession and that they are one of the most frequently downloaded resources on the WSAVA website.”
Last year GNC members presented and published articles on various aspects of clinical nutrition around the world. The committee also took part in a One Health Symposium on Obesity in Humans and Companion Animals. This year, GNC has another ambitious programme of presentations and publications to keep nutrition high on the profession’s agenda.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
