The AAVN E-News is now being distributed to all of our friends and contacts.

Learn More About AAVN Membership Here

Message from the President

Megan Sprinkle,

DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)

Dear Colleagues,

Happy Spring! 

A very exciting event took place earlier in April -the inaugural AAVN Technician Nutrition Workshop! After over a year of preparation, 28 technicians gathered in Pittsburgh for an intense 13 CE hour program, provided by an amazing team of speaker/organizers: Kara Burns, Robin Saar and Ashley Self (pictured above). We are so grateful to Ashley, Robin, and Kara and to our sponsors and partners for making this come to life. Interest in the program exceeded our expectations and attendee feedback has been incredibly positive. We look forward to offering it again in the future and are already adding interested parties to a waitlist.

In the AAVN community we are proud to engage people with a wide variety of nutrition skills, experiences and credentials. Every year we anticipate bringing us all together to learn and share knowledge at the annual AAVN Clinical Nutrition & Research Symposium, now in it’s 25th year! To register or learn more about this event, happening in Louisville, KY on June 21, click here. I hope to see you there!

Finally, a reminder that AAVN membership renewal notices will begin going out in May. We hope you will continue your involvement with the organization in 2025-2026.

Best,

Megan Sprinkle, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)

President

AAVN 2025-2027 Executive Board Candidate Information

Open Positions on the AAVN Executive Board include President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Members-at-Large. Nominees are listed below.

President Elect: Ashley Self

Secretary: Robin Saar

Treasurer: Lisa Weeth

Members at Large: Maria Cattai deGodoy, Laura Motsinger, Dan Su

Voting will open on May 23 and end June 6.

Please note that all Active and Life Members of the AAVN are eligible to vote in Board elections. Retired and Student Members are NOT eligible to vote. 

Active and Life Members will be required to enter their email address used for contact with the AAVN when voting.

Veterinary Technician Nutrition Workshop Highlights

Twenty-eight veterinary technicians gathered in Pittsburgh, PA on April 4-6 for the inaugural AAVN Veterinary Technician Nutrition Workshop. They spent three days learning from our three speaker/program planners, Kara Burns, Robin Saar and Ashley Self, and making connections in the technician and veterinary nutrition communities.

Thank you to our sponsors: Hill's, Purina Institute, Blue Buffalo, Phileo LeSaffre and Wellness Pet Company and to our partner, AVNT.

We hope to hold this program again next year! Look out for more details.

Pet Nutrition Alliance (PNA) extends heartfelt thanks to Kara Burns for her outstanding leadership as the outgoing President of PNA. Her dedication to advancing veterinary nutrition has left a lasting impact.

PNA is thrilled to welcome Dr. Camille Torres-Henderson as the new PNA President. Dr. Torres-Henderson will begin her term on January 1, 2026.

** IMPORTANT REMINDER: If you are planning to attend both the AAVN Symposium and the ACVIM Forum, sign up for AAVN first! You will receive a code for a 15% discount on Forum registration. **

The AAVN's 25th Annual Clinical Nutrition and Research Symposium will take place on Saturday, June 21 at the Omni Louisville Hotel in Louisville, KY. 

Join us for a full day of lectures, oral and poster abstract presentations, student programs and networking opportunities. 

This program has been RACE approved for 3.5 CE credits.

While the Symposium will be an in-person event, audio recordings with slides will be available to registered attendees and AAVN members for a limited time after the live event. Please note that the registration fee is the same whether you are planning to attend in-person or view the virtual sessions.

The following abstracts were selected for oral presentation at the 2025 Clinical Nutrition & Research Symposium.

Laura Amundson, PhD

Amino acid-complexed trace minerals support improved mobility and metabolic response in Labrador Retrievers

Robert C. Backus, MS, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)

Plasma betaine concentration of dogs as an indicator of dietary matrix methionine adequacy

Sophia Löffelmann ESVCN Waltham Award Recipient

Does canning as a common processing step for moist food affect the solubility of phosphate

Pedro H. Marchi

Lipidomic Insights: Important Shifts in the Serum Lipid Profile of Obese and Weight-Loss Dogs

Sara E. (Belchik) Martini, MA

Effects of dietary and fecal microbial transplant treatments on fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota of adult cats treated with an antibiotic

Patricia Massae Oba

In vitro fermentation characteristics of dietary fibers using fecal inocula from cats treated with antibiotics

Lucas B. Scarpim

Extrusion and Hydrolysis on Maillard Compound Formation and Protein Utilization of Poultry Meal in Dogs

Alyssa Toillon, PhD

Taurine and Symmetric dimethylarginine status of healthy kittens fed food containing 20% rice protein concentrate

Reed E. Wixon Richard R. Weiss Memorial Student Research Award Recipient

Retrospective Investigation of the Relationship Between Nutrition Support Plan and Outcome in Hospitalized Dogs

Thank You Party Sponsors

What Have You Been Listening To Lately?

Submitted by Sarah Abood

If you've been reading our E-newsletter over the past 8 months, you know that our current AAVN President, Dr. Megan Sprinkle, has been deep into the world of podcasting for more than a year with her podcast "Vet Life Reimagined". There's also a veterinary-related podcast at the Ontario Veterinary College, called "Vet Sessions" that some readers might find interesting.  

I have been curious about other podcasts and webinars -- especially those that have a nutritional angle or theme, and after an hour or so of running down rabbit holes, I decided I should ask my network. Dear AAVN members, please share your favorite webinars and podcasts! If you have one or two that focus on diet, health and fitness, that would be great. However, if you like podcasts to utilize other parts of your brain (like I do), share those, too!  

My favs are as follows:

Revisionist History hosted by Malcolm Gladwell

Hidden Brain hosted by Shankar Vedantam

The Ted Radio Hour hosted by Manoush Zomorodi

Freakonomics hosted by Stephen Dubner

AAVN Funding is Available for Student Chapters

Student chapters can apply for grants of up to $500 annually to support chapter activities.  

Only active student chapters may apply. 

Active student chapters are those who have submitted a list of current officers and faculty advisors with contact information by October 15 of this calendar year. New student chapters who have submitted their draft constitution to the AAVN Student Committee for review are also eligible for funds, if a list of officers and faculty advisors with contact information has been submitted to AAVN.

Requests for funding must include: 

• Date of the request
• Student chapter name
• Primary student contact and faculty advisor, with email and phone number 
• Date(s) of the activity/event
• Amount requested and budgeted expenses
• Description of the activity including goal(s) and anticipated outcome(s)

There is no deadline for funding requests.

Please submit to aavnexecutive@gmail.com. 

Student Chapters receiving funds are required to: 



• Submit a write up (250 words MAX) of the event or activities, including pictures, for the AAVN e-newsletter. This summary is due within 1 week concluding the event/activity and can be sent via email to aavnexecutive@gmail.com

• Create a social media post that includes photos. This post must be shared within 1 week of the event/activity. This event can be shared on Facebook or Instagram by the student chapter or sent to AAVN at aavnexecutive@gmail.com.

• Provide receipts to the AAVN Executive Director following the event.

Upcoming CE Opportunities

ACVIM On Demand Course

A Comprehensive Approach to Enteral Feeding: When, Why, How

For more information and registration click Here

Classified Ads

Faculty Position in Clinical Nutrition, Kansas State University. Assistant/Associate/ Full Professor (Tenure Track). For more details click here.

Veterinary Nutrition and Medical Manager, Virbac

Full details here

Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine is seeking a full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty member in clinical nutrition at the assistant, associate, or full professor level, starting Spring/Summer 2025. The position splits time between research (35%), clinical instruction and patient care (40%), classroom teaching (15%), and service (10%). The role involves managing nutrition cases, teaching veterinary students, and mentoring interns/residents within the Clinical Nutrition Service of the Gastrointestinal Laboratory. Candidates must have a DVM degree and be an ACVIM-Clinical Nutrition diplomate or have completed a relevant residency and be board-eligible. The position offers extensive research collaboration opportunities across Texas A&M's medical and scientific departments, access to state-of-the-art facilities, and a generous start-up package. The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital features 60 board-certified specialists and comprehensive support staff. Located in Bryan-College Station, Texas A&M is the nation's largest single university with 78,000 students, offering a growing college town environment with good quality of life and reasonable living costs. Applications must be submitted online at apply.interfolio.com/160586.

The University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has launched a search for an Assistant/Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Molecular Biosciences (tenure track; includes a 50% clinical appointment in the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH)). Fully accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association, the VMTH comprises 40 services with more than 150 specialists, 130 house officers, 335 staff, and a caseload exceeding 75,000/year. The current base pay range is $174,500-$226,300. Other components of pay may be offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience. Click Here for more details.

Click on the pup below to start shopping at our Spreadshop.