Critical Care Nutrition

Provision of an appropriate nutritional recommendation is central to providing excellent veterinary care and is an area where veterinary nurses can use their skills to the fullest. When patients are sick or unwell, provision of optimal nutrition in the veterinary hospital can significantly impact the recovery, the risk of mortality and hospital duration.

This interactive full day session, with quizzes and activities, will broadly cover three main topics areas.

Part 1 will look at the core nutrition skills that are required to ensure all hospitalised patients are provided with sufficient quantities of food to meet the nutrient and energy requirements.

Part two, will consider patients who are unlikely or unable to consume food whilst in the veterinary hospital and how different methods of assisted feeding should be employed for these cases

Part three will finally discuss how optimal nutrition can be maintained when the patient returns home to their owner. Depending on the reason for hospitalisation, the nutritional planning may need to be short term, mid time or lifelong.

u Part 1: Feeding patients in the hospital

u Core nutrition skills

u Creating a nutrition plan

u Monitoring and evaluation of intake and outputs

u Part 2: Feeding critically ill patients

u Initial steps to encourage voluntary consumption

u Assisted feeding

u How to avoid refeeding syndrome

u Intensive care nutrition plans

u Part 3: The nutritional recommendation for patients returning home

u The at home nutrition plan

u Transitioning between diets

u Ongoing owner support and monitoring