Update from the OVC Pet Nutrition Team
From August 12-15th, the University of Guelph was proud to be the first virtual host to the Global Animal Nutrition Summit (GANS). This event was very special to the OVC Pet Nutrition team, as Drs. Adronie Verbrugghe and Sarah Abood were two of the co-chairs of this summit. Additionally, all the members of the OVC Pet Nutrition team worked hard behind the scenes to make this event a success.
Although GANS was originally scheduled to be hosted at the University of Guelph, the current global pandemic forced the event to a virtual format. Despite these changes, GANS had close to 300 attendees for the scientific program and almost 250 for the Fuelling Wellness Symposium.
The scientific program featured many excellent posters and oral mini-reviews. Topics varied widely, and included the emerging ingredients, sustainability, protein quality, and microbiome and energy balance; just to name a few!
Of the oral mini-reviews, two were presented by members of the OVC Nutrition Team: Dr. Sarah Dodd (PhD candidate and ECVCN resident) and Alex Rankovic (PhD candidate). Sarah’s presentation was a review focused on the current knowledge surrounding plant-based food for dogs and cats. Alex presented the current knowledge surrounding dietary choline and its relationship with obesity and fatty liver in companion animals.
Alex’s presentation, which was co-authored by Hannah Godfrey (MSc Student), placed third overall in the Best Mini Review competition.
Apart from the mini-reviews, there were several posters which presented research from our lab. Bianca DiSabatino (past MSc student) presented data regarding the degradation of thiamine in extruded feline diets during storage. Taylor Richards (MSc student in the Shoveller lab) discussed how gastric emptying may be affected by total starch and resistant starch in sled dogs. And lastly, Leah Wellard (past undergraduate research student) brought forward the results of a survey on Canadian veterinary teams regarding the determination of energy requirements for dog.
Congratulations to both Taylor and Leah for winning Best Poster Presentation within their respective categories!
As a team, we are thrilled with both the success of GANS, and with the individual accomplishments of our lab members for their excellent presentations. We look forward to having numerous members of our lab presenting again soon at the virtual congress by the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN). Be sure to check back here in September to hear about Sarah Dodd, Alex Rankovic and Hannah Godfrey’s presentations from ESVCN!
Written by Alex Rankovic, BScH, MSc, PhD Candidate