AAVN Newsletter February 2020
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From the President's Desk
Dear Colleagues,
Planning for the
20th Annual AAVN Clinical Nutrition & Research Symposium
is well underway! I hope you will join us in Baltimore on Wednesday, June 10th.
This year, our guest speakers are:
Elizabeth M. Lennon, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Sarah Colby, PhD, RD
Nutrition Department, University of Tennessee
Joe Wakshlag, DVM, PhD, DACV
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
I'm incredibly grateful to our Symposium sponsor,
Royal Canin
, for their ongoing support of this program. This year, we are also lucky to have the support of Luncheon Sponsors,
Purina
and
Hill's
, and our Cocktail Party Sponsors,
Balance IT
and
Just Food for Dogs
. If you - or your company - is interested in sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to our management team, Betsy and Jen, at
aavnexecutive@gmail.com
I would also like to remind all student members that we are accepting submissions for the Pet Nutrition and Equine Nutrition blog contests! First place winners receive a $500 travel award to the 2020 (or 2021) Symposium. For more details,
click here.
For a sample blog, read Vivian Pedrinelli’s 2019 entry, below.
Finally, please share YOUR news with the membership via the e-newsletter! We want to hear about your activities, publications and interests! Send along information to E-Newsletter Editor Dr. Sarah Abood or to
aavnexecutive@gmail.com
As always, thank you for your membership!
Martha G. Cline, DVM, DACVN
AAVN Executive Board – President (2017 – 2021)
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All About
European Society of Veterinary & Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN)
What is ESVCN?
ESVCN is in many ways the European counterpart to AAVN. It is a non-profit organization which aims:
1. to generate interest, stimulate research and disseminate knowledge in veterinary nutrition, comparative nutrition and nutrition-related diseases;
2. to promote pre- and post-graduate education in veterinary and comparative nutrition;
3. to stimulate the application of clinical nutrition in veterinary schools by cooperation between nutritionists and clinicians; and to cooperate with other societies with related interests.
What is the ESVCN Congress?
ESVCN hosts a very social, highly interactive 3 day conference usually in September in a European country. This can cover all species from exotic to companion and the latest research on veterinary and comparative nutrition is presented. In addition, plenary lectures are given on specialist subjects and debates are held on ‘hot’ topics within the field of veterinary and comparative nutrition.
The next congress will take place in Vila Real, at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) in Portugal from the 17th - 19th September 2020. All are welcome to participate.
Who can join the ESVCNN?
ESVCN membership is open to science graduates (worldwide) and students working towards a science graduate degree interested in the topic area. Membership is not restricted to veterinarians.
How can I learn more?
ESVCN would love AAVN members to attend the conference and also welcomes global members. You can find out more at
https://esvcn.org
or chat with Dr. Patricia Harris at the AAVN Symposium in June.
Patricia Harris
Director of Science, MARS Horsecare UK Ltd;
Head of Equine Studies Group, WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition
Mars Pet Nutrition UK
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Member Spotlight: Dr. Jennifer Larsen
I have been faculty at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine since 2007, and also completed my residency and graduate training here. I have a 70% clinical appointment (the rest is for research, teaching, and service activities).
The Nutrition Support Service moved into the current space in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in the fall of 2002. Prior to that time, residents and faculty were housed in a nearby building.
The presence of the Nutrition Center in the very busy VMTH has benefitted the nutritional management of many of the 50,000 cases seen every year. The VMTH has over 120 board-certified specialists and over 100 residents, interns, and fellows engaged in advanced training in over 30 disciplines.
The Nutrition Support Service comprises 2 faculty members, 2 residents who are training for the specialty, a service coordinator, and a student employee. Our residents come from all over the world; our most recent trainees hail from Mexico, Taiwan, Australia, England, and even Iowa! We always look forward to our annual hi-bye party where we bid farewell to the outgoing resident and warmly welcome the incoming resident.
Our service works directly with clients and patients, and we also assist our veterinary colleagues in selecting diets and developing feeding plans for their patients. When pet owners live too far away to see us directly, we can provide recommendations through their veterinarians. I have worked with clients in Canada and all over the US but also with those from around the world including Indonesia, Israel, Australia, and Hong Kong.
We focus on developing customized nutritional management plans to address the needs of individual patients. Most of our work is the development of customized home-cooked diet recipes. Home-prepared diets allow us to precisely set nutrient requirements at concentrations to best meet the patient’s needs. One of the most memorable cases in the past few months was an obese miniature pig, but the majority of our patients are dogs and cats.
The most challenging cases we manage are those patients receiving dialysis for kidney disease, as well as those with both protein-losing nephropathy and obesity. My least favorite diseases to manage are juvenile nephropathies, since we are limited in being able to interpret our usual assessment and monitoring parameters. The majority of our cases have multiple diseases which requires comprehensive assessment and prioritization of sometimes competing strategies as well as ongoing re-evaluation due to the dynamic nature of their conditions. These cases can be very rewarding challenges.
Outside of work my main hobby is dog sports. I am involved in conformation showing and obedience trials but more fun is had with carting and water rescue training with my Newfoundland dogs. I earned my first competition title with my first dog at 8 years of age, and in the decade since I have collected many more. I’ve learned a lot along the way, and dog training definitely keeps you humble and realistic in important ways.
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AAAVN at VMX
January 21, 2020
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The AAVN program at VMX featured speakers Julie A. Churchill, DVM, PhD, DACVN and Deborah Linder, DVM, DACVN.
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Save the Date!
AAVN 2020 Symposium
Wednesday, June 10th, Baltimore, MD
Speakers
Elizabeth M. Lennon, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Sarah Colby, PhD, RD
Nutrition Department, University of Tennessee
Joe Wakshlag, DVM, PhD
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
More information coming soon!
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19th Annual AAVN Symposium Abstracts
Published in Wiley Online Library!
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Student Blog Contest Winner
Bare Necessities... The simple Bare Necessities
Vivian Pedrinelli
S
ometimes we expect nutrition to be the cure to all problems--a change of diet, a new supplement, adding some nutraceuticals, etc. But before we start introducing extras, we must remember what the core of pet nutrition is: meeting basic nutritional needs. Cats and dogs need approximately
40 essential nutrients every day
to keep healthy, including amino acids, minerals and vitamins. If these nutrients are not supplied properly, we can expect signs of nutritional deficiency. Also, animals need to eat enough calories to maintain a stable body condition and weight.
We have to think of nutrition as a wood barrel, and think of the barrel’s staves as nutrients If a stave is shorter than it should be, it means that the requirement for that nutrient is not supplied. So, if we have at least one shorter stave, we can assume the diet is not properly balanced. Holding on to that thought, there is no point in overfeeding all other nutrients if one is below recommendations. This brings us to the main point of this blog: there is no point in supplementing only some nutrients when others are lacking.
As we see an increasing tendency of supplementation in veterinary practices and the pet food industry, especially as nutraceuticals become ‘trendy’, we must not lose sight of the basic nutritional requirements for dogs and cats. The use of dietary supplements has been popular for decades--
over 75% of Americans
use them—and it is estimated that
30% of households with dogs and 20% of households with cats
use dietary supplements for their pets. These include vitamins, minerals and also other supplements, such as turmeric and fish oil.
Take this example: a canine patient with a tumor might benefit from antioxidant supplementation. This same patient, because of the tumor, became a very picky eater and his owner started feeding him a homemade diet. The owner took the dog to their family vet, who had been reading about potential benefits of an antioxidant supplement for dogs with tumors and ended up prescribing it. There was one big problem though: the vet did not assess the homemade diet, which was lacking in some nutrients. In this example, even with supplemental antioxidants, a lack of some nutrients may prevent the dog’s metabolism from making the best use of the supplementation. This can happen because nutrients don’t act on their own--they depend on a series of reactions that are triggered and performed by other nutrients.
A similar analogy can be made regarding calorie needs. If the number of calories consumed is lower than the pet needs to maintain a steady body weight and body condition, then the pet may lose weight. On the other hand, if the pet eats too many calories, it will put on excessive weight, which has
consequences for long-term health
,
ranging from orthopedic disease to endocrine disorders such as diabetes. To achieve balance between what the pet eats and what it needs to maintain weight, we must understand what the dog or cat actually needs.
Calorie needs are mainly influenced by neutering, age and the amount of daily exercise. Most dogs and cats are neutered, and neutering can
reduce metabolism
rate. Therefore, it should be assumed that these animals need fewer calories to maintain weight than animals that are not neutered. In the same way,
as age goes by
, the metabolism of dogs and cats slows down and demands less calories to maintain body condition. As it is thought for humans, common sense applies to pets:
exercise
does help to increase caloric need. However, we should not overestimate a pet’s exercise level. For example: a dog that is active (however, walking around the house does not typically count as ‘exercise’) for less than 3 hours a week is not considered super
active
, and should be fed accordingly.
The nutritional needs of pets, such as meeting daily nutrient requirements and calorie needs, should always come before ‘extras’. Essential nutrient needs should be met before thinking of supplementation of other nutrients, as an unbalanced diet may lead to negative consequences. Along the same line, there are no additional health benefits to feeding extra calories to your pet, as they can gain unnecessary weight. Remember: the bare necessities should be a priority.
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F
ebruary is Nutrition Month!
Click here
for some healthy recipes!
Are you planning on publishing an article or making a nutrition presentation some time in 2020?
We'd love to announce it for you! Please send to the Executive Directors at
aavnexecutive@gmail.com
or the E-newsletter editor
aboodsarah@gmail.com
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Place your ad here!
The AAVN offers both display and classified advertising in the monthly e-newsletter. To learn more about space limitations and fees, please contact
aavnexecutive@gmail.com
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