Nutritional Support for GI Conditions

GI distress is a major source of worry and concern for pet owners. They want professional advice - and quickly! They also want information on all aspects of treatment and prevention in order to give their pets the best care possible, and that includes nutrition. And while sometimes in a busy clinic setting nutrition coaching isn’t possible with Vetster, you have more time to educate your clients on  the important role therapeutic diets can play in the successful management of a variety of GI conditions.

Virtual care appointments are the perfect medium for clients to get accurate information about the role of diet in managing GI disorders. Clients are eager to hear your opinion on:

• When fasting is appropriate
• When emergency care is indicated
• Home-cooked bland diets vs. commercial GI diets
• When and how to use common home remedies like canned pumpkin
• The role of probiotics

Misconceptions about what/how to feed a pet experiencing GI distress are common, and you play an important role in connecting pet owners to accurate information. They want to make good choices about food so their pets get better quickly, but may not know the best plan.

For example, 95% of home cooked recipes resulted in at least 1 nutrient deficiency and homemade chicken/rice bland diets are often lacking in fiber, prebiotics and other nutrients.

VesterRx makes it easy for you to connect clients with the products they need. Look for new in-app features to remind you about the important role therapeutic diets can play in managing GI disease.  Remember to also consider a nutritional recommendation when you find yourself using VetsterRx to recommend GI products like these:

• Purina Fortiflora
• Nutramax Proviable
• Fast Balance GI Paste
• Drontal
• Panacur
• Profender
• Metronidazole
• Tylosin

It’s easy to search VetsterRx for nutritional recommendations while you’re in your appointment. Just type in what you’re looking for to access VetsterRx’s large inventory of diets, prescription medications, and OTC products, then click the “Nutrition” tab to filter your search results accordingly.  We currently carry several options of GI therapeutic diets to help your patients with both acute and chronic GI conditions.

When you provide virtual care to cats and dogs experiencing vomiting and diarrhea on Vetster, you’re able to engage in a 2-way exchange of information with the owner, provide valuable client education, and connect clients to the products they need. You can also provide your clients with a top-tier virtual experience and drive value with the nutrition coaching they desire.

Keeping informed and up-to-date about your options for nutritional therapy for GI issues is a great way to build client satisfaction. GI appointments also lead naturally into requests for follow-up appointments. Progress checks are important for both acute and chronic GI issues, and features like discount codes make it easy to meet regularly with clients who want your ongoing support.

Overall, appropriate nutritional management of GI conditions is critical for helping pets recover quickly, and clients are grateful you’re available to provide the help and information when and where they need it.

Still hungry for more nutrition information? Check out these great stats and sources curated by our own  Dr. Matt Spiegle:

• 50 - 66% of pets with chronic GI issues will show a strong positive response to a hypoallergenic diet.
• There is sufficient strong evidence to recommend the use of therapeutic GI diets, glucocorticoids, enrofloxacin, or some combination of these in dogs with chronic enteropathies.
• Therapeutic GI diets and glucocorticoids are the most useful strategies for cats with chronic enteropathies.
• Mandigers PJ, Biourge V, van den Ingh TS, Ankringa N, German AJ. A randomized, open-label, positively-controlled field trial of a hydrolyzed protein diet in dogs with chronic small bowel enteropathy. J Vet Intern Med. 2010;24(6):1350-7.
• Waly NE, Biourge V, Day MJ et al. Use of a hydrolysed soya isolate-based diet in management of chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease and dietary hypersensitivity in cats. Assiut Vet Med J. 2010;56:158-169.
• Makielski K, Cullen J, O’Connor A, Jergens AE. Narrative review of therapies for chronic enteropathies in dogs and cats. JVIM 2019;33-11-12
• Volkmann M, Steiner JM, Fosgate GT, et al. Chronic diarrhea in dogs – retrospective study in 136 cases. J Vet Intern Med. 2017;31(4):1043-1055.
• Allenspach K, Wieland B, Gröne A, Gaschen F. Chronic enteropathies in dogs: evaluation of risk factors for negative outcome. J Vet Intern Med. 2007;21(4):700-708.
• Guilford WG, Jones BR, Markwell PJ, et al. Food sensitivity in cats with chronic idiopathic gastrointestinal problems. J Vet Intern Med. 2001;15(1):7-13.