AAVN September E-Newsletter

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AAVN Newsletter September 2021

A Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

Fall is here and that means we are planning our Education programs for the upcoming year!

Both of our 2021 webinar series were extremely popular with members, other nutrition professionals, and students. To date, we have had nearly 400 registrations (combined). We will be offering both again in 2022.

And, of course, we will hold our annual Clinical Nutrition and Research Symposium in June. We have received many inquiries about whether this meeting will be virtual or in-person at the ACVIM Forum. At this time, we are (tentatively) planning to hold a hybrid event on Wednesday, June 8th. We will know more about ACVIM’s plans/ available space early next year and will update the membership as soon as we have details.

Your ideas and input are always appreciated. If you have suggestions for speakers or topics, for a webinar and/or the Symposium, please send along to aavnexecutive@gmail.com

Angela Rollins, DVM, PhD,DACVN

AAVN Executive Board President 2021-2023

Super Zoo

Submitted by Dr. Sarah Wilson

For AAVN members who have never attended (or heard of) SuperZoo, I’d like to share my first-time experience of seeing what this annual event is all about!

Although apprehensive about travel and mingling in highly-trafficked spaces in Las Vegas, Nevada, I was cautiously excited to make the trip. Considered one of the biggest pet industry trade shows in the USA, SuperZoo has been gathering pet industry retailers and professionals since 1950, although there was a hiatus in 2020 due to the global pandemic. This year, the World Pet Association re-opened a more conservatively attended SuperZoo than in previous years, but still hosted well over 7,000 pet retailers across 5 exhibit halls at the Mandalay Bay Resort. The trade show featured 735 exhibitors manning dozens of booths dedicated to pampering dogs and cats. There were also booths promoting the husbandry and nutritional needs of avian, aquatic, small animal, reptile, and livestock species.

Attendees could survey a myriad of products for dogs and cats, and nutrition of all styles was represented, such as extruded kibbles, freeze-dried food, raw food, dehydrated foods, canned diets and treats galore! Not to be outdone by the variety of food products, there were numerous non-food retailers that I saw as I walked up and down the long exhibit halls. Booths featured fun and functional feed bowls, adorable water fountains, pet clothing (including Swarovski crystal adorned collars), durable harnesses for training or rescue work, beautiful furniture, cozy beds, sleek and stealthy cat tunnels, and some truly inspired designs for cat scratching playgrounds. What I found particularly interesting were the various booths that offered products for all the other creatures that we care for. At one point during the event, after having walked miles through the exhibit halls, I was lucky enough to see a beautiful rose-breasted cockatoo, which is fairly common in Australia – but was a first for me.

While food, treats, training supplements, furniture, and toys were displayed as far as the eye could see, there were also networking opportunities for industry professionals to make contacts at booths with manufacturers and distributors. I also knew that this was the time and place to check out new innovations in the pet industry, such as companies selling insect protein sources (complete with wriggling insects on display!), and all the myriad ways to include CBD in treats. As extensive as the exhibit halls were, SuperZoo was not limited to the trade show floor; in fact, SuperZoo boasted over 70 educational sessions related to grooming skills, marketing trends, business operations, motivating employees, and leveraging social media.

The SuperZoo tradeshow ran from Tuesday to Thursday (August 17-19, 2021), with educational hours from Monday to Wednesday. For those interested in the art of grooming, SuperZoo should be on your bucket list for a future trip. With over $35,000 in winnings being awarded to talented, creative pet-stylists, the grooming demonstrations were eye-catching to say the least! I often caught myself checking out the rainbow-coiffed poodles walking proudly down the halls on their way to some competition. Multiple grooming categories were represented: sporting spaniels and setters, wire coats, purebreds and poodles, as well as grooming techniques that featured hand-stripping, scissoring, or clipper work. I had no idea this was such a big part of this trade-show!

Due to concerns regarding COVID-19, some exhibitors pulled out at the last minute, and as a result some booths were unmanned or empty. I learned that crowds were reportedly lower than in previous years, but to be honest, the ease with which I was able to walk the exhibit halls was appreciated as it allowed for better social distancing – and probably allowed me to see much more as a result. Attendees were masked indoors per Clark County COVID-19 regulations, except when eating, and masks were available for attendees who needed one. There were hand sanitizer stations in open areas, first aid stations with Band-Aids and general medications, as well a pet relief area and even a dog spa!

Historically, SuperZoo was held in different cities across the USA, but since 2004, SuperZoo has been held in Las Vegas in order to draw more national and international attendees. Attendance at Super Zoo is limited to pet professionals engaged in the buying of pets, manufacturing or selling pet products, or providing services to consumers; if that sounds like you and your team - I would recommend attending in the future. Next year the event dates are Aug. 23-25, 2022. There is a lot of good information at the website: see superzoo.org for more details. My conclusion was that SuperZoo was an excellent opportunity to network with people in the industry, and I really enjoyed chatting with other pet enthusiasts. I logged at least 4 miles walking the trade floor each day, and I would definitely recommend wearing excellent walking shoes (or at least have Band-Aids ready if you choose high style over comfort).

2nd Place Blog Post

Caitlin Holly, DVM Candidate

University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine

Thoughts on Therapeutic Diets:

Science or Scam?

As our pets age (sometimes even in youth) it is a sad reality that they may develop chronic health conditions requiring long-term management. Luckily, as modern medicine marches forward, the treatment options available continually expand. Astute pet owners may take notice of the ever-growing array of dietary solutions for disease management in companion animals. These diets, available both online with a prescription or directly through veterinarians, provide tailored nutritional support for conditions of the skin, gut, kidneys, and even brain. Par for the course of nutrition information available online, misconceptions and misplaced criticism abound. A common allegation states that these diets are scams because they do not contain specific medications, they use ingredients similar to those of traditional diets, and they’re often expensive. This has led some pet owners to question why a prescription is even necessary! Like with most pet food misconceptions, a bit of background information readily remedies these concerns.

To read the full blog click here

University of Georgia Student Chapter

'By the Numbers'

Plans are underway at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine to form an AAVN Student Chapter during this academic year. A recent survey offered strong support for this fledgling program:

Number of 1st and 2nd year DVM students expressing interest in forming an AAVN Student Chapter = 50

Number of students expressing interest in a leadership position = 27

Number of students interested in attending the 2022 AAVN Research Symposium = 30 (60%)

Number of students interested in virtual consultation shadowing with the Clinical Nutrition Service = 41 (82%)

Number of students interested in nutrition communication training = 44 (88%)

Submitted by Dr. Jackie Parr, University of Georgia

Save the Date for the

Final Webinar in our 2021 Season!

November 9th, 2021, 8 pm EST

Enhancing Working Dog Success Through Nutrition

Eileen K. Jenkins, DVM, MS, DACVIM (SAIM)

Registration will open soon!

If you are a student member, please enter the code AAVNSTUDENT when you register.

Webinars are free for AAVN members but registration is required.

THANK YOU WEBINAR SERIES SPONSORS

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsor

Student Webinar Series Webinars

Tuesday, October 26th, 8 pm

Unconventional Diet Conversations:

Talking to Clients without Losing Your Mind

Martha G. Cline, DVM, DACVN

This program is free for student members but registration is required.

To sign up click here

A recording of Dr. Caitlyn Getty's presentation, Feline Fat Camp: Exploring Weight Management in Cats Through Diet and Exercise, is now available. To view, click here

*While these events are designed for students, all are welcome to attend.

There is no CE credit offered for this program.*

The Student Webinar series is sponsored by

2021 CAVN Webinar Series

Details Announced

We are delighted to share details of the 2^nd annual Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (CAVN) Fall Webinar Series with all AAVN members!

The CAVN has partnered with the AAVN to provide an AAVN-sponsored resident speaker, Dr. Belén Pérez Márquez. The speaker lineup is:

To register for the entire webinar series visit the CAVN VetEducation website: https://veteducation.com.au/cavn-webinar-series-2021/

Classified Ads

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A minimum of a Master’s degree in nutrition or a related science field is required. Professional experience in nutrition related field, including research, laboratory, diet formulation, nutrition center operations and zoo experience desirable. A comparable combination of education, experience, or training that would provide the level of knowledge, skills, and ability required may qualify individuals.

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AAVN Announcements

Are you planning on publishing an article or making a nutrition presentation some time in 2021? 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