Julie A. Churchill DVM, PhD, DACVN
University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine, Saint Paul, MN USA
“Gero-nutrition” is a term Julie Churchill uses for the nutritional needs of senior dogs and cats. In this presentation, Churchill outlines a clinical approach for assessing the nutritional status of older patients and prioritizing how to meet the sometimes conflicting needs for nutritional care in senior pets.
Mark E. Peterson DVM, DACVIM
Animal Endocrine Clinic, New York, NY/Bytown Cat Hospital, Ottowa, Canada
This presentation reviews studies that show that old cats, like dogs and humans, also develop muscle wasting due to sarcopenia, cachexia and metabolic diseases such as hyperthyroidism and diabetes.
Karin Allenspach DVM, PhD, DECVIM-CA
Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, USA
University of London, Royal Veterinary College, Research Support Office, Hertfordshire, U.K.
Low serum concentrations of vitamin D are prevalent among dogs with protein losing enteropathy (PLE). This presentation describes a retrospective study of 43 dogs that shows, for the first time, low serum concentrations of vitamin D and iCa are highly prevalent in a cohort of PLE dogs, and that low serum vitamin D is significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes.
Gail Czarnecki-Maulden PhD
Nestlé Purina Research, Saint Louis, MO USA
Changes in fecal bacteria in aging pets and people have been linked with changes in immune function, the gut-brain axis and other health issues. While many studies have evaluated changes in the aging microbiome, few published interventional studies have looked at how nutritional changes can improve health. This presentation reviews the changes in gut microbiota with aging, and results from a Nestlé Purina long-term dietary intervention study with elderly cats in which cats fed a prebiotic-supplemented diet lived significantly longer and had a slower health decline than cats fed other diets.