Download Intense efforts should be made to educate practicing veterinarians to

Intense efforts should be made to educate practicing veterinarians to include a
nutritional assessment into every clinical examination.
V. Vandendriessche1*, P. Picavet2, M. Hesta1
¹ Laboratory of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium
² Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium
*[email protected]
Introduction: As a direct result of a large survey performed by the AAHA in 2003, the
AAHA published nutritional assessment guidelines in 2010 (1). These guidelines were further
adapted and expanded by the WSAVA which resulted in the publication of new guidelines in
2011(2). The 5th Vital Assessment (VA) guidelines are designed to help veterinarians include
a nutritional assessment into their clinical evaluation for every patient, every time it comes
into their clinic and make an individual nutritional recommendation based on the findings of
this evaluation. The aim of this survey was to determine the importance of applying these
guidelines.
Material and methods: In the period of May 2014 till April 2015, one hundred surveys were
performed in the Clinic of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University,
Merelbeke, Belgium. Participants were all owners referred to the clinic for further clinical
investigation by their own veterinarians. Surveys were completed using a tablet. The survey
consisted of thirty six questions concerning nutrition, body condition, activity, feeding
management and housing of their animal(s).
Results: 85% of the participants were dog, 15% cat owners. Ages ranged from 2,5 months till
18 years. 45 different dog breeds and 8 cat breeds were included. 60% of the animals were
neutered. 30%, 20% and 12% of animals were referred for internal, orthopedic or neurological
problems respectively. Body Condition Scores (BCS) ranged from 2 till 9/9, with 37% having
a BCS ≥ 6/9 and 51% having a normal BCS. 95% of animals received a commercial diet,
21% of these diets were bought at the veterinary clinic. Only 29% of owners indicated their
current food was advised by their veterinarian and most rely on self-knowledge acquired from
different sources (53%) for choosing a specific food. 91% of animals received extras,
consisting of a large variety of sources and 43% received them several times a day. 14% of
animals received nutritional supplements, mostly chondroprotectors. Only 10% received a
specific clinical diet to support their medical treatment.
Discussion: The % of animals having a BCS ≥ 6/9 is lower in this survey than in some other
studies (3,4), which can be explained by the fact that most animals being referred have a
chronic condition and might have lost weight. In contrast to another recent study in Belgium
(5), fewer animals had a normal BCS. The low % of diets being bought at the veterinary
clinic; owners receiving diet information from their veterinarian and animals receiving a
specific clinical diet, indicates that still few veterinarians are aware of or apply the 5th VA
guidelines and ongoing intense efforts should be made to educate practicing veterinarians to
include a nutritional assessment into every standard clinical examination.
References: 1. Baldwin K. et al (2010). AAHA nutritional assessment guidelines for dogs and cats. J Am Anim
Hosp Assoc.; 46(4): 286-96. 2. Freeman L. et al (2011). 2011 nutritional assessment guidelines. J S Afr Vet
Assoc.; 82(4): 254-63. 3. Courcier E. et al (2010). An epidemiological study of environmental factors associated
with canine obesity. J S Anim Prac.; 51:362-367. 4. Colliard L. et al (2009). Prevalence and risk factors of
obesity in an urban population of healthy cats. J Feline Med and Surg.; 11(2):135-140. 5. Diez M. et al (2015).
Health screening to identify opportunities to improve preventive medicine in cats and dogs. JSAP;epub.