SMALL ANIMAL CLINICAL NUTRITION
About me
I'm Vasiliki — or Vicky, as most people call me. I studied veterinary medicine at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and graduated in 2020. In my first years in Athens, working at a veterinary clinic, I realized that internal medicine — the diagnostic reasoning, the search for the cause behind each case — was the area I wanted to focus on.
In September 2021, I began postgraduate training in companion animal internal medicine at the Companion Animal Clinic of the AUTH School of Veterinary Medicine. There I worked with a wide range of cases and — just as importantly — developed my methodology for an evidence- based clinical approach: diagnostic algorithms, targeted literature searches, and clinical decisions grounded in data. Six months followed in the same clinic's Diagnostic Laboratory, with a focus on cytology — a skill set that significantly strengthens diagnostic ability in internal medicine.
In June 2023, I returned to Athens, where I worked in internal medicine at veterinary clinics. During the same period, I completed IMPROVE International's PGCert in ultrasound — a tool I consider integral to the diagnostic approach in internal medicine.
Through clinical practice, nutrition took on an increasingly important role in my thinking. In animals with chronic kidney disease, nutrition is a cornerstone of treatment. In some enteropathies, dietary intervention alone can be a sufficient therapeutic approach — particularly in the early stages. In other cases, even when medication is at the core of treatment, the right nutrition can meaningfully improve the animal's quality of life.
It became clear: nutrition isn't a generic recommendation — it's a clinical decision that depends on each animal's individual history, health status, and needs.
Internal medicine laid the foundation — that's where my interest in nutrition began and where my clinical perspective on it took shape. From there, I invested in going deeper: my education in clinical nutrition is active and ongoing. Since 2024, I have been pursuing continuing education in clinical nutrition through a certificate program, alongside systematic study and participation in seminars, conferences, and webinars.
In December 2025, I decided to dedicate myself fully to nutrition and to Vetalthea.
What Sets Me ApartLearn more
Nutritional consulting gains clinical value when it isn't treated as a standalone intervention, but as part of the animal's overall clinical picture. This is the approach shaped by my years of clinical work in internal medicine — and it's what defines how I work in nutrition today. My background in internal medicine allows me to assess clinical history, interpret laboratory findings, and understand the mechanisms behind a disease — and to translate that knowledge into nutritional decisions tailored to each animal's actual needs. Not protocols applied generically — plans designed individually. For animals under veterinary care, working together with their personal veterinarian is an integral part of the process. The nutrition plan is always designed with the animal's overall treatment in mind — so that it works alongside it, not independently of it.
My PhilosophyLearn more
The foundation is science — not trends adopted uncritically, not a one-size-fits-all approach. Every plan starts with the animal itself: its age, its activity level, its clinical history. Two animals of the same breed with the same condition may need different approaches. The caregiver matters too: their capabilities, their lifestyle. The best solution isn't the theoretically ideal one — it's the one that can actually be applied and maintained. For animals with medical conditions, working with their personal veterinarian isn't optional — it's a prerequisite.
With TransparencyLearn more
As a veterinarian, I have both the right and the training to offer nutritional guidance. In the interest of transparency: I do not hold diplomate status from a veterinary college of nutrition.
The NameLearn more
Vetalthea: "vet," from veterinarian, and "althea," from the ancient Greek althaino — to heal, to tend, to care for. A word that carries what I believe: that caring for animals happens through nutrition too — that the right food sometimes heals, and sometimes supports and strengthens. Thriving, not just surviving.
