Clinical Nutrition I

Course Master(s):

Dr.med.vet. Stefanie Handl, specialist in veterinary nutrition and dietetics, Dipl. ECVCN (AT)

Course Overview

In this first of three courses in clinical nutrition, we will polish up your knowledge on nutrition physiology. Anatomy and physiology of the digestive tract, digestion and nutrient absorption will be reviewed plus the differences between species explained. Links between digestion, nutritient utilization and other organ systems in health and disease will be shown.
Second, we will focus on the value of the nutritional assessment of your patients. Students will learn how to obtain a complete feeding history, identify common feeding mistakes, educate owners on pros and cons of different types of feeding and resolve common myths and misunderstandings.
To achieve that, we will provide insights into pet food production, ingredients, quality management, and legal regulations. Students will learn how to evaluate commercial diets and help to owners choosing the right product for their pet, depending on breed, size, life stage, activity, etc.
We will further cover the topic of home-made diets, from raw feeding (“BARF”) to vegetarian/vegan feeding. Student will gain basic knowledge on feed science and ration calculation for health dogs and cats.
The second part of the course is dedicated to the dietary principles in most common diseases like renal insufficiency, urolithiasis, gastrointestinal problems, allergies, etc.
Practical exercises and workshops like evaluating the feeding history, Body Condition Scoring, interpretation of pet food labels etc. will be integrated every day. Case studies from various experts will be presented and evaluated with the students.
Also, basic knowledge of feeding rabbits, rodents, pet birds and other exotic patients will be part of the course.

Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, participants will:
• have profound knowledge of nutrient requirements and physiology
• be able to confidently approach a nutritional consultation and evaluate a feeding history
• have knowledge of pet food legislation and pert food production and be able to evaluate pet food labels critically
• be able to consult owners who prefer home-made diets and be familiar with the basics of ration calculation
• be able to choose a dietary treatment for the most common diseases going hand in hand with the medical treatment and to communicate the main points to the pet owner

Topics

• digestive anatomy and physiology
• nutrient requirements in different life stages and with special needs (dogs and cats)
• applied feed science
• obtaining and assessing dietary history
• choosing diet and feeding management
• legislation and labelling
• pros and cons of home-made diets
• basic ration calculation
• finding the right feeding method and product for patients with
o weight problems
o allergies
o acute and chronic gastroenteritis
o hepatic disease
o pancreatitis / pancreatic insufficiency
o chronic renal insufficiency
o urolithiasis
o and other common problems

Course Program (Subject to change)