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

Dear Colleagues,

As many of you know, I love learning more about my friends and colleagues and hearing about the many things you do!

My favorite parts of the AAVN e-newsletter are the Member Spotlight and the Member Research section. These are great ways for us to learn more about one another and learn from all of the interesting work!  

I enjoy reading about the different nutrition conferences. What better way to learn more about different CE programs than from all of you?! Please look out for a report on a recent event I attended in Kansas City in next month's e-newsletter!

Do you have a story to share? A project to highlight? Please be in touch!

We also welcome your thoughts, suggestions or questions about AAVN.

Please do not hesitate to be in touch at aavnexecutive.org

Best,  

Megan Sprinkle, DVM

p.s. It's the spookiest season and I live in one of America's most haunted cities, Savannah! Happy Halloween!

for a wonderful webinar - focused on Technician Utilization - on Tuesday, September 12.

This session was recorded. AAVN members can request the recording link - email us at aavnexecutive@gmail.com

3rd Place Blog Competition Winner

Amanda Murdock, DVM

University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine

We all love our pets and many of us feed them (perhaps too much) to show them that love; but how much food should they get? Does it matter what kind of food? How do we know if they are too thin or too heavy? There are many resources available on the topic of pet nutrition and it can be difficult to sift out the important details to best provide for our companions.

In this post we will give you an easy how-to guide to choose an appropriate diet for your pet and feed them an appropriate amount. 

Join Drs. Laura Eirmann and Lisa Weeth for a discussion of common questions they receive from clients and veterinary professionals, including students, technicians, and veterinarians. This program is FREE for members and $20 for non-members. Student members, contact us at aavnexecutive@gmail.com for the promo code.

Laura Eirmann, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition) received her veterinary degree from Cornell, completed an internship at the Animal Medical Center in NYC, then returned to Cornell as an instructor in molecular biology and a clinical instructor in the Community Practice Service. She moved to NJ in 1997 to join the staff of the Oradell Animal Hospital.

The following year her interest in nutrition led her a position at Purina for where she served as a veterinary communications manager for 23 years. While concurrently working at Oradell Animal Hospital and Nestle Purina, she completed an alternative track nutrition residency and became a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist®. She currently works as a clinical nutritionist at the Oradell Animal Hospital providing nutrition consultations for Oradell patients and their families.

Lisa Weeth, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition) received her veterinary degree from University of California, Davis, in 2002, and after 2 years in general practice, went back to UC Davis to complete a residency in Clinical Nutrition. She completed her specialty training and became a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist in 2007 and has been in specialty practice offering in-person or telemedicine nutrition consultations ever since. Since 2018 she has been the head of the Nutrition Department at Metropolitan Animal Specialty Hospital in Los Angeles, California. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Weeth is a frequent lecturer at regional, national, and international veterinary conferences. She serves on the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee and is a member of the Executive Board of AAVN.

Member Spotlight:

Catherine Ruggiero, MS, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)

By Ashley Self

How long have you been a member of the AAVN?

Proud member since 2017!

What company or organization do you work at right now? Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

Area(s) of interest in animal nutrition: I am interested in all things canine and feline.

What has been your biggest professional achievement? My biggest professional achievement was getting board certification! I’ll be living off of that high for a long time. I also had the opportunity to help with this year’s Hill’s Global Symposium in Lisbon, Portugal. That was pretty amazing!

So far in your career, what has been the best animal nutrition related experience? I recently received an email from a client I worked with during my residency. Somehow he tracked me down years later to thank me for helping his dog, who had recently passed. The patient was a 12 year old lab mix with an oral tumor that ended up living 4+ more years after a glossectomy. Boy, was it hard to re-train that dog to eat! It shows how impactful our nutritional interventions can be, not just for the specific pet, but also the entire family.

What do you hope to see as part of the future for animal nutrition?

More! More research, more training, more education for vet students and house officers! I am excited to see what our ACVIM partnership will bring!

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why? Dr. Mark Morris, Sr. – obviously! Mark Morris, Jr. is a close second. What a legacy!

Member Research in the News

A number of AAVN members made editorial and/or chapter contributions to the recently released Applied Veterinary Clinical Nutrition, Second Edition. Book editors are Drs. Andrea Fascetti, Sean Delaney, Jennifer Larsen, and Cecilia Villaverde.

Chapter contributors include:

Dr. Richard Hill – Nutritional and Energy Requirements for Performance (Chapter 4)

Dr. David Dzanis – Pet Food and Supplement Regulations: Practical Implications (Chapter 5)

Dr. Kathryn Michel and Dr. Robert C. Backus – Nutritional Management of Body Weight (Chapter 9)

Dr. Tammy Owens – Nutritional Management of Skin Disease (Chapter 14)

Dr. Yann Queau – Nutritional Management of Kidney Disease (Chapter 15)

Dr. Joe Bartges and Dr. Ronald Corbee – Nutritional Management of Lower Urinary Tract Disease (Chapter 16)

Dr. Lisa Freeman – Nutritional Management of Cardiovascular Diseases (Chapter 18)

Dr. Jonathan Stockman – Nutrition for Small Mammalian Companion Herbivores and Carnivores (Chapter 23)

We’re glad to recognize AAVN members who have successfully published an original research article, textbook chapter, case report, or review paper. Do you have research to share? Contact us at aavnexecutive@gmail.com

Nordic Pet Food 2023

By Dan Su, MS, DVM, DACVIM (Nurition)

The Nordic Pet Food Conference, one of the best attended technical networking events in the European pet food industry, held its 9th annual meeting from September 25-27, 2023. It was a great opportunity for the approximately 230 participants, ranging from manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and academics, to learn from each other and to network.

The conference was held in the Danish port city of Aalborg. Aalborg is Denmark’s fourth-largest city, and its location at the narrowest point of the Limfjord made it an important harbor and large industrial center. Nowadays, the city has transitioned from an industrial center to an innovation hub, but its historic architecture style can still be seen mixed in with more contemporary buildings.

The conference started with an afternoon session on dry pet food processing, followed by two full-day events featuring technical presentations, the exhibition hall, and networking opportunities. And of course, meals and refreshments to keep the attendees well-fed and well-caffeinated. Sustainability and environmental impact were the focus of the conference, with technical presentations and exhibitors focusing on insect and plant-based proteins, algal DHA, sustainability of raw pet food, sustainable packaging, and even microbial fermentation proteins that use no arable land, plant, or animal products.

Presentations from a veterinary perspective focused on how the industry can help with concerns of extending “healthspan” by appropriate growth and maintenance feeding, and aiding chronic pain in companion animals. Ingredients like trace minerals and post-biotics that support skin and coat health, immune function, and gastrointestinal health were also interesting topics to learn about since they offer benefits for commonly seen clinical presentations. Personally, I found the most memorable talk to be an avian nutrition presentation. Before the presentation, I wasn’t particularly interested in it because I typically don’t work with birds. However, I was reminded that utilizing basic science (anatomy, physiology) and applying skills in animal behavior observation, we can extrapolate what feeding modalities and nutrient requirements are required for a less well-researched class of animals. This was a great lesson and reminder in the application of basic sciences.

Nordic Pet Conference is a pet food industry meeting and not a strictly veterinary or nutrition focused conference. This makes it different from meetings generally attended by veterinary nutritionists or residents in training. However, it is important that those in the profession have exposure to industry trends, new products, and the science behind them. Learning more about the pet food industry from different perspectives will allow veterinary professionals to be more open minded about evaluating products, instead of automatically dismissing anything that is not from more familiar brands. 

The conference was held in the Danish port city of Aalborg. Aalborg is Denmark’s fourth-largest city, and its location at the narrowest point of the Limfjord made it an important harbor and large industrial center. Nowadays, the city has transitioned from an industrial center to an innovation hub, but its historic architecture style can still be seen mixed in with more contemporary buildings.

The conference started with an afternoon session on dry pet food processing, followed by two full-day events featuring technical presentations, the exhibition hall, and networking opportunities.

And of course, meals and refreshments to keep the attendees well-fed and well-caffeinated. Sustainability and environmental impact were the focus of the conference, with technical presentations and exhibitors focusing on insect and plant-based proteins, algal DHA, sustainability of raw pet food, sustainable packaging, and even microbial fermentation proteins that use no arable land, plant, or animal products.

Presentations from a veterinary perspective focused on how the industry can help with concerns of extending “healthspan” by appropriate growth and maintenance feeding, and aiding chronic pain in companion animals. Ingredients like trace minerals and post-biotics that support skin and coat health, immune function, and gastrointestinal health were also interesting topics to learn about since they offer benefits for commonly seen clinical presentations. Personally, I found the most memorable talk to be an avian nutrition presentation. Before the presentation, I wasn’t particularly interested in it because I typically don’t work with birds. However, I was reminded that utilizing basic science (anatomy, physiology) and applying skills in animal behavior observation, we can extrapolate what feeding modalities and nutrient requirements are required for a less well-researched class of animals. This was a great lesson and reminder in the application of basic sciences.

Nordic Pet Conference is a pet food industry meeting and not a strictly veterinary or nutrition focused conference. This makes it different from meetings generally attended by veterinary nutritionists or residents in training. However, it is important that those in the profession have exposure to industry trends, new products, and the science behind them. Learning more about the pet food industry from different perspectives will allow veterinary professionals to be more open minded about evaluating products, instead of automatically dismissing anything that is not from more familiar brands. 

Save the Date for the 2024 Nordic Pet Food Conference!

October 7-9, 2024

On the Menu:

Veterinary Nutrition Facts

from the Experts



Calling veterinary nutrition specialists, PhDs in animal nutrition, industry experts and VTN (Nutrition) colleagues!. We have started a new initiative to collect tidbits of nutrition advice from all of you. 

Share a tiny piece of your expertise here

From there, our social media team will curate a graphic for your submission. We soft launched this program earlier this summer and cannot wait to see YOUR entry!

Please take a moment to complete this form!

Volunteer Your Time with AAVN

Several AAVN committees are seeking new members!

For more details or to sign up email aavnexecutive@gmail.com

The Education Committee plans the Clinical Nutrition & Research Symposium, held in conjunction with the ACVIM Forum each year. This group selects keynote speakers and manages the abstract review process. The Education Committee also chooses speakers and topics for the annual webinar series. Meetings are held every 4-6 weeks via Zoom.

The Outreach Committee is focused on member recruitment and retention and our communications strategies, including the e-newsletter, social media, the list serve and the website. The committee includes the e-newsletter editor(s). Meetings are held every 4-6 weeks via Zoom.

The Student Chapter Committee organizes events and activities for AAVN student chapters and student members, including the student webinar series, a virtual Town Hall & Trivia Night and a student session at the annual Symposium. The committee oversees the approval of new student chapters and ensures that existing chapters are in compliance with AAVN policies. This group also serves as reviewers for student representative applications and the blog competition. Meetings are held every 6-8 weeks via Zoom.

WSAVA has a FREE 4-module course focused on key aspects of WSAVA’s Global Nutrition Guidelines.

This course is available in four languages: English, Spanish, Russian and Mandarin Chinese.

To learn more click here

CAVN 4th Annual Live Webinar Series

Each Wednesday in October at

7 pm EDT join a CAVN expert as they discuss a variety of topics in veterinary nutrition.

For speakers and topics click here

Registration is Now Open!

To sign up click here

CGS Monthly Virtual Rounds

Comparative Gastroenterology Society Webinars offers monthly webinars the First Thursday of each month 4-5PM ET (excluding February, July & August)

For more details click here

Save the Date!

European Workshop on Equine Nutrition

July 1-4, 2024

Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway

Look out for information on abstract submission, conference schedule and registration in Autumn 2023 on the EWEN website.