Pet Nutrition at OVC

Dr. Verbrugghe and Shoshana weighing a large dog.

Introducing the CAVN!

The OVC Nutrition Team is so pleased to introduce the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (CAVN) to all of our readers! The CAVN is a group of veterinarians and veterinary technicians with a passion for nutrition. It’s 12 fellows include board certified veterinary nutritionists, veterinarians who have completed a residency in nutrition, residents in training to become board certified, as well as veterinary technicians who have received their specialty training in nutrition –in Canada! To say this group loves nutrition is an understatement and it was this shared passion that brought the founding members together in August 2018 to form the CAVN.

Before you fill the bowl…

When you go about cooking dinner for yourself, do you first wash down the surface before prepping food to make sure it’s clean? How about when you go out to eat, do you check to see if your plate and utensils are clean? When it comes to feeding your pets, do you do the same with their food and water bowls?

Program for the Global Animal Nutrition Summit (GANS) is now live!

The Ontario Veterinary College and Ontario Agricultural College of the University of Guelph are proud to be hosting the Global Animal Nutrition Summit (GANS). A conference designed to bring leaders in animal science, comparative nutrition and veterinary nutrition together for the first time ever. This global nutrition summit is a collaboration between eight international animal nutrition organizations.

A Sheep(dog) in Wolf’s Clothing

Should dogs be fed a wolf diet?

More Room at the Table: Unconventional Diets on the Rise

Pet food is no longer just about kibbles and cans, as more owners are exploring different avenues to feed their canine and feline companions. This was recently demonstrated by Dr. Sarah Dodd's recent publication in the British Medical Journal Veterinary Record, An observational study of pet feeding practices and how these have changed between 2008 and 2018 .

2020 AAVN Symposium

From June 10th – 11th the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (AAVN) hosted its 20th annual meeting and first virtual AAVN Clinical Nutrition and Research Symposium. While the event was originally scheduled to be held in Baltimore (USA), the global pandemic with COVID-19 forced organizers to change to a virtual format. Fortunately, this did not detract from a great program with excellent research presented on a wide variety of topics: feeding methods in horses, renal care in senior cats, dietary interventions on the canine microbiome, and obesity prevention, treatment, and communication.

The Garfield Syndrome

Have You Heard of The Garfield Syndrome? June 19th is National Garfield Day!

Thinking Outside the Bowl

In the Before The Bowl Blog, we will aim to share two to three new posts per month, something which can be used by veterinary team members and pet caregivers alike. We will try to bust myths, share new information on veterinary and pet nutrition as it becomes available and explore new feeding trends.

When a Little Means a Lot

Our team's work was recently showcased at the Canadian Nutrition Society's Annual Conference, hosted virtually this year. MSc student, Hannah Godfrey, had the opportunity to present her study, Choline supplementation lowered body weight, body condition score, and daily food intake compared to a control in post-gonadectomized kittens. Despite it's potential health and behavioural benefits, spay and neuter surgery has been demonstrated to increase the risk of obesity. By supplementing growing kittens with choline after their neuter surgeries, dietary choline might provide a preventive effect against obesity.

A Growing Problem

Some may consider a few extra pounds on our furry…

Leaving No Bowl Unturned

In a recent study published in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, our team surveyed owners of pets undergoing treatment for cancer to evaluate the prevalence of unconventional diets and supplements, finding a greater number of pet owners with pets undergoing cancer treatment were exploring alternative options as part of their treatment program. The abstract, Unconventional diets and nutritional supplements are more common in dogs with cancer compared to healthy dogs: An online global survey of 345 dog owners, was published and studied by our gradate, Adriana Bianco and our own Dr. Adronie Verbrugge, Dr. Sarah Abood, OVC's Dr. Jason Coe, Dr. Paul Woods, and Dr. Anthony Mutsaers.

It’s What Inside That Counts

Research previously conducted on mice concluded differences in microbiota in obese vs. lean mice. This feline study, recently published in BMC Veterinary Research by our own Dr. Adronie Verbrugghe and our prior DVSc student, Dr. Moran Tal, along with OVC's Dr. Scott Weese, sought to investigate the microbiome of obese cats who embarked on a weight loss program. Entitled, Bacterial fecal microbiota is only minimally affected by a standardized weight loss plan in obese cats, the study concluded that little change was demonstrated in microbial populations following a successful weight loss program.

Ask, And You Shall Succeed!

In a study recently published in the Journal Of Veterinary…

My Cup Runneth Over

Congratulations to our team members, Alexandra Rankovic and Dr. Jackie Parr, who coauthored a published study investigating the inaccuracies of measuring cups for preparation of a pet's daily food ration. Along with the Ontario Veterinary College's Dr. Jason Coe as the lead author, their paper entitled, Dog owner's accuracy measuring different volumes of dry dog food using three different measuring devices, was published in the BMJ Journals Vet Record.

Essential Reading

Do you need some summertime reading material?

Before the Bowl