Healthy Animals

Obesity is a clinical condition, not a cosmetic one — it strains the joints, cardiovascular system, and quality of life, and weight loss needs to happen at a safe, controlled pace, especially in cats. Specifically: setting a realistic target weight, a safe rate of loss, and preserving muscle mass.

Weight management is the single most impactful intervention — every extra kilo strains the joints — while omega-3s have anti-inflammatory effects and adequate protein preserves the muscle mass that stabilizes the joint.

Gastrointestinal disease covers a wide range, from the esophagus to the intestines and pancreas — the strategy is tailored to the specific condition, from digestibility to microbiome support. Specifically: food trials until the right diet is found, microbiome support.

The link between nutrition and the skin takes three forms:

• Nutrient deficiencies: deficiencies in zinc, vitamin A or vitamin E can present with skin signs.
• Atopic dermatitis: when food sensitivity coexists, nutrition is central; otherwise it plays a supportive role through the gut–skin axis.
• Cutaneous adverse food reaction: the elimination trial is the reference tool.

Specifically: designing an elimination trial where indicated.

The role of nutrition in diabetes varies — central in some cases, supportive in others — and meal composition, portion size, and timing are always coordinated with medication. Specifically: coordination with medication; in cats, a low-carb diet to support remission; in dogs, consistent meal timing; managing concurrent obesity.

These endocrine conditions share common nutritional challenges — weight management, secondary hyperlipidemia, and preserving muscle mass — managed with a low-fat diet and adequate omega-3 intake.

In chronic kidney disease, nutrition is a cornerstone of treatment — limiting phosphorus and protein and managing electrolyte imbalances help slow progression and preserve quality of life. Specifically: staging per IRIS guidelines, with attention to palatability when appetite is reduced.

The role of nutrition depends on the type of stone or crystal — some can be dissolved through targeted diet, others can't, but nutrition remains central to preventing recurrence. Specifically: a nutrition- and hydration-based strategy for preventing recurrence.

Liver disease covers a wide range, from vascular disorders to chronic hepatitis and liver failure — protein restriction isn't appropriate in every case, and in cats, hepatic lipidosis is a distinct challenge where early nutritional intervention is itself therapeutic.

In heart disease, nutrition doesn't replace medication, but supports heart function and helps prevent cardiac cachexia, adjusting sodium, taurine/carnitine and omega-3 intake to the stage of the disease, with the aim of preserving muscle mass.

In oncology patients, nutrition supports the animal through treatment — cancer cachexia and appetite loss are common, and palatability becomes especially important.

When more than one condition is present at once, nutritional needs become more complex — sometimes conflicting — and finding the balance that serves them all requires individualized clinical judgment.