Array of vegetables

Before the Bowl

Stimulating Appetite

Stimulating Appetite

Even when a patient is willing to eat, they may not be eating enough. Ensuring that the needs of our patients are met nutritionally is vital to a good outcome. If you are a veterinary professional, follow these tips and tricks for stimulating appetite in your patients while they are in hospital.

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Hidden Risk: Aflatoxins in Pet Food

Hidden Risk: Aflatoxins in Pet Food

Recently in the news, there has been a large concern in the pet industry with dog foods potentially contaminated with aflatoxin. An international recall of pet food products was issued in December 2020, as many dogs became ill after eating contaminated dog food. According to the FDA, the recalled products contained potentially fatal levels of these toxins. In September 2020, a pet food sample was found to contain unsafe levels of aflatoxins, resulting in Sunshine Mills to announce a recall of the tested pet food product and other products made with the same corn. 

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Congratulations, Hannah!

Congratulations, Hannah!

Hannah’s thesis is titled, “Effects of additional dietary choline on food intake, body weight and body composition, respiratory quotient, serum lipid profile, and serum metabolic signature in post-gonadectomy kittens.”

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Feeding Your Pet Bunny

Feeding Your Pet Bunny

The digestive physiology and diet of the bunny differs significantly from that of the dog or cat. Believe it or not, bunnies' gastrointestinal (GI) tracts most resemble the GI tracts of horses rather than cats, dogs or even rodents. This is important to recognize as an inappropriate diet can significantly contribute to the development of dental or GI disorders.

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Tooth be Told

Tooth be Told

Dental health is an incredibly important part of your pet’s health, whether they are small or large! It is important that gums and teeth are examined by your veterinarian at least once yearly. This will help to ensure early signs are detected and addressed to help maintain good oral health in addition to providing an opportunity to discuss prevention such as tooth brushing and regular dental cleanings. About 90% of patients will develop periodontal disease in their lifetime and this can cause mild to extreme discomfort. Additionally, dental disease will cause oral infections, thus leading to daily production of harmful bacteria that can enter the blood. This causes the release of inflammatory mediators into the bloodstream and subsequently negatively affects the vital organs, including the heart, lung, kidney, and liver. 

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The Potato as an Ingredient in Pet Foods

The Potato as an Ingredient in Pet Foods

St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner and the celebrations paying homage to Ireland will soon begin! While the majority of these traditions will rely on clovers, leprechauns, pints, and green-themed everything, we also see new recipes popping up favouring the almighty potato. And so, now is a good a time to start the conversation around the use of potato as an ingredient in pet food!  

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New Year’s Resolutions: Plant-Based Diets

New Year’s Resolutions: Plant-Based Diets

In some cultures, it is tradition to ring in the New Year in January with an opportunity to grow and develop and make resolutions to be a new you. Quite often, these resolutions will revolve around health, with new goals being to go to the gym more, cut down on fatty snacks, or give your body a detox with a “dry January”. One organization in particular has made good use of this “new” mentality to propose a particular adaptation for the month of January, with diet being a very large component. That organization is Veganuary, a non-profit organization taking would be New Year resolutions to the next level, bringing people, brands, restaurants and supermarkets together for the ultimate goal of eating a plant-based diet. 

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Welcome back, Dr. Caitlin Grant!

Welcome back, Dr. Caitlin Grant!

The entire Ontario Veterinary College Nutrition team is thrilled to welcome back Dr. Caitlin Grant to our team as an Assistant Professor and as the recipient of the Nestlé Purina Professorship in Companion Animal Nutrition!

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Check the List Twice – Find Out What’s Naughty or Nice

Check the List Twice – Find Out What’s Naughty or Nice

It’s the holiday season! This may be a time of year where you get to enjoy your favourite foods and treats, and start to decorate your homes, and maybe include your fur-babies in all the fun! However, it is important to remember that not all human foods are appropriate for our pets. We have a developed a short list of holiday-themed items to avoid giving to your pets over the holidays, and some resources to contact if you are worried that your pet may have consumed something they shouldn’t have.  

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Cut the Fat But Support the Cat

Cut the Fat But Support the Cat

When treating and preventing obesity in our companion animals, it is not uncommon for caregivers and members of the healthcare team to question: How low is too low when restricting calories for weight loss? Are our cats meeting their nutrient requirements during weight loss?

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Understanding Nutrients and Ingredients

Understanding Nutrients and Ingredients

It can be confusing to navigate pet food labels and determine whether a diet is appropriate for your pet or not. Often, the presence or absence of particular ingredients are prominently displayed, while the nutritional content of the diet may take second stage. It’s important to determine the difference between ingredients and nutrients in order to evaluate pet foods. 

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Introducing…Olivia Chiu!

Introducing…Olivia Chiu!

With a new school year starting, we are excited to introduce you to our new team members who have joined us this fall! We will be interviewing our new team members to help you become acquainted with them as professionals, students and people.

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Tricky Treats

Tricky Treats

We are in that beautiful time between Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween, where many of our human family members are treating themselves to a multitude of tasty snacks! With all this snacking and indulgence, we of course want to include our pets in the family fun. It’s important to note that treats can be tricky, as there are many ways treats can be a bane rather than a boon to our pets! 

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Introducing…Brooklynn Liversidge!

Introducing…Brooklynn Liversidge!

With a new school year starting, we are excited to introduce you to our new team members who have joined us this fall! We will be interviewing our new team members to help you become acquainted with them as professionals, students and people.

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Introducing…Dr. Erico Ribeiro!

Introducing…Dr. Erico Ribeiro!

With a new school year starting, we are excited to introduce you to our new team members who have joined us this fall! We will be interviewing our new team members to help you become acquainted with them as professionals, students and people.

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Reflections on the Summer CORE Program

Reflections on the Summer CORE Program

The Ontario Veterinary College offers summer student researchers an opportunity to explore some of the exciting research being conducted here at OVC. This program, the Summer Career Opportunities and Research Exploration (CORE) Program, runs from May until August

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What’s the Scoop on Dietary Supplements?

What’s the Scoop on Dietary Supplements?

Dietary supplements for dogs and cats (also referred to as nutraceuticals = nutrition + pharmaceutical) have been growing in popularity for over 30 years in Canada and the USA.  It’s estimated that between 30% and 50% of pet parents are using one or more of these products for their dog or cat, and that 90% of veterinarians across North America recommend some type of nutraceutical or dietary supplement.  It’s interesting to note that while the dietary supplement industry for both pets and humans has grown into the billions-of-dollars, there is no standardized or legal definition for what is allowed (or isn’t allowed) as a nutraceutical.  

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GANS: Fuelling Wellness Symposium

GANS: Fuelling Wellness Symposium

The Fuelling Wellness Symposium was the final day of the Global Animal Nutrition Summit. This event was to provided a platform for open and inclusive pet nutrition and collaboration, open to all skilled pet professionals. To optimize attendee’s educational opportunities, three streams were offered; the veterinary, paraprofessional and equine streams. Attendees were able to attend multiple streams and even return to view other streams after the recorded live sessions were posted.

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8 Things I Learned From The Global Animal Nutrition Summit 2020

8 Things I Learned From The Global Animal Nutrition Summit 2020

From August 11-15, I had the pleasure of attending the virtual Global Animal Nutrition Summit. This event highlighted valuable nutrition research from incredible people all over the world. Although I wish I could highlight every presentation given, below are a few things I learned during this international conference, more to follow later this week!

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Introducing the CAVN!

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. 

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Before you fill the bowl…

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? 

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2020 AAVN Symposium

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.   

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Thinking Outside the Bowl

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.

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