Nutrition Assessment and Consultation

Why Nutrition matters

It is the foundation of health and disease prevention

• Good nutrition = Maximum health

• decreased nutrition consults = increased disease

• Increased Vet Tech Nutrition consults = Increased owner compliance = better health

Diet History - Questions

• Open-ended:

  • “Pretend I’m your pet’s sitter…”

  • “What are your pet’s favorite…”

• Closed-Ended

  • avoid yes/no/leading question

Types of treats

• Rewards

  • What's their favorite treat without adding a whole bunch of calories of things that are bad for them

• Medications

• Emotional feeding

  • Are we feeding our pet when we are feeling different emotions

Risks of treats

• Excess calories

• Not nutritionally complete

  • Is it a complete meal with all the vitamins and nutritional requirements the pet needs

• May interfere with disease management

  • Diabetes

Percentage of treats in the diet

they should only be10% of the diet

Identifying Nutritional Risk Factors

• Historical Indicators

• Physical Indicators

Risk factors - Historical Indicators

• GI dysfunction, existing medical conditions

• Raw/Home/Vegetarian diets

• Treats > 10% of total calories

• Inadequate feeding management

Risk factors - Physical Indicators

• Abnormal BCS/MCS

• Weight loss/gain > 10%

• Poor coat, dental issues

Physical Exam Focus

• Accurate Weight

  • Necessary for correct caloric intake calculation

• Body Composition

  • Fat vs. Lean Mass

  • BCS

  • MCS

• Signs of Malnutrition

  • Skeletal malformation

  • Coat/skin changes

  • Eye health

Body Condition Scoring

• 9 Point system

• Inexpensive

• Semi-quantitative

• Subjective - operator dependent

• Impact of breed and hair coat

• % body fat by species and gender

• Focus on fat, not lean mass

Focus Area for a BCS

• Ribs

• Abdomen

• Pelvis/Hips

• Thoracic/Lumbar region

BCS - Dog

Chart - Dog

BCS - Cat

Chart - Cat

Cats have a primordial pouch

Muscle Condition Scoring

• 4 point system

• Inexpensive

• Semi-quantitative

• Subjective - operator dependent

• Impact of breed and hair coat

  • Overcoat syndrome

    • Fat hides muscle loss

    • Common in sick cats

• % muscle by species and gender

• Focus on lean muscle mass,  not fat

Focus area for MCS

• Temporal muscle

• Scapula

• Lumbar vertebrae

• Pelvis

Boney prominences for MCS

• Sagittal crest

• Scapular spine

• Spinous process

• Wing of ilium

• Greater trochanter

MCS

Chart

Evaluating Pet Food - WSAVA Guidelines

• Does the manufacturer employ veterinary nutritionists?

• Where is the food production facility located

  • USA or Foreign production?

  • Where are the ingredients sourced

• Is the company's contract information readily available?

• Are you able to consult with a nutritionist on staff?

• Are there quality control measures in place?

• What are the quality control parameters?

• Is the company willing to share a full nutrient analysis?

Evaulating Pet food - AAFCO Guidelines

• Questions:

  • Does the manufacturer create diets based on formulations or feeding trials

• Formulation:

  • Follow a recipe

  • Does the diet meet AAGCO nutrient profiles?

  • Label says: "Formulated to meet …"

• Feeding Trial:

  • Fed to actual animals

  • Measured feeding outcomes

  • Was the feeding trial completed for a specific life stage?

  • Label says: "Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures…"

Putting it all together for a nutritional assessment

• Step 1: Assessment and History

• Step 2: Determine Ideal Weight

• Step 3: Calculate food dose

• Step 4: Discuss Plan with Owner

• Step 5: Make specific recommendations

• Step 6: Recheck Monthly

• Step 7: Follow up