Page 218 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

220 Small Animal Clinical Nutrition

Veterinarians should always: 1) offer to have a homemade ENDNOTE
VetBooks.ir recipe evaluated by a nutritionist and 2) recommend the feed- a. Balance IT Supplements, DVM Consulting Prof. Corp.,
ing of a consistent complete and balanced commercial product
as often as possible.This is especially true if the pet has a med-
ical condition for which dietary management depends on the Davis, CA, USA.
highest level of diet consistency and quality assurance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES
The authors and editors acknowledge the contributions of Drs. The references for Chapter 10 can be found at
Bernard-Marie Paragon and Jacques Debraekeleer and Mr. www.markmorris.org.
Christopher Cowell in the previous edition of Small Animal
Clinical Nutrition.

CASE 10-1

Lethargy and Vomiting in Three Cats
Rebecca L. Remillard, PhD, DVM, Dipl. ACVN
MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Patient Assessment
Three cats were examined for lethargy and occasional vomiting.Two cats were at their optimal body weight and condition (weight
= 4.5 kg, body condition score = 3/5); one cat weighed 5.5 kg and had a body condition score of 4/5. All three cats were icteric, had
elevated hepatic enzyme levels and were diagnosed as having hepatic lipidosis.
Assess the Food and Feeding Method
The owners read about pet food manufacturing in a popular cat publication and decided they no longer wanted to feed a commer-
cially produced food to their three cats. They discarded all pet food products in the house, chose a recipe suggested in the text that
suited them and began feeding the homemade food exclusively for two weeks. Two cats reluctantly ate a little food almost every
day, whereas one cat refused food completely.
Questions
1. How should the veterinarian advise these clients about making food changes in the future?
2. These owners did not want to feed a commercially produced cat food because they were convinced the ingredients used were
making their cats subclinically but progressively ill. What food recommendations should be made for these cats?

Answers and Discussion
1. When making food changes for cats, a gradual transition schedule that decreases the old food and increases the proportion of
new food is highly recommended (Chapter 1). Generally, cats should eat daily and should not go more than three days without
eating a sufficient quantity of food to meet their resting energy requirement. Hepatic lipidosis can occur in normal and over-
weight cats. The condition occurs more commonly when cats are completely anorectic, but can also occur in cats that have been
partially anorectic for weeks to months.
2. Because the owners are convinced they should feed a homemade food, they should be offered a nutritionally adequate generic
recipe or should be referred to a nutritionist who could formulate a recipe that takes into consideration their particular concerns.

Progress Notes
The three cats were fed a complete and balanced liquid feline formula for three days (30 ml every three hours) by nasogastric tube.
Moist kitten food was offered free choice. Two cats began eating on Days 4 and 5 and were discharged. The third cat progressive-
ly deteriorated and was euthanatized on Day 5.