You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

During the history taking, physical examination and general clinical evaluation of a patient clinicians can detect signs that the patient requires nutritional support of one kind or another - in addition to any need for fluid replacement.

There are many situations in which a veterinary patient may require additional nutritional support and it is important to recognise them and take action to ensure that the patient is not nutritionally compromised - because not to do so could jeopardise the success of treatment.

• The presence of starvation, inappetance or anorexia
• Physical inability to eat, or swallow, or retain food
• Rapid body weight loss in excess of 10% of normal weight
• Increased loss of nutrients from the body via :
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • bleeding
  • polyuria
  • discharging abscesses
  • burns
  • wounds
• Inability to digest or absorb nutrients in food
  • malabsorption
    • gastrointestinal disease
    • pancreatic insufficiency
    • bacterial overgrowth
  • short-bowel disease (post-resection)
• Presence of any catabolic disease:
  • renal failure
  • heart failure
  • cancer
  • hyperthyroidism
  • liver failure
  • many others
• Increased energy requirements due to :
  • trauma
  • surgery
  • infection
  • burns
  • pyrexia - whatever the cause
  • most major organ diseases (possible exception of hypothyroidism)
• Prescription of any catabolic drugs :
  • corticosteroids
  • cytotoxic anticancer drugs
  • immunosuppressants
  • some antibiotics
• Any underweight animal
• Hospitalised animals
• Any animal with peripheral oedema
• Any animal with protein-losing disease (egs nephropathy, enteropathy, lymphangiectasia)
• Poor skin quality and condition - most skin diseases
• Many orthopaedic conditions - for repair following trauma, hypervotaminosis A, etc
• Most major organ diseases - hepatomegaly, gastrointestinal disorders, congestive heart failure etc.
• Life-cycle stages - notably Growth, Pregnancy and Lactation

Last updated : October 2013