Small Animal: Nutrition
The Nutrition Service provides nutritional recommendations and feeding plans for patients undergoing treatment for and recovering from medical and surgical ailments at the Veterinary Hospital.
![Dr. Saker develops nutritional plan for hospitalized cat.](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/08/Saker_nutrition-1024x597.jpg)
Overview
The Clinical Nutrition Service works closely with the Critical Care Service in ensuring optimal nutrition by designing both voluntary and assisted feeding nutrition support plans.
We specialize in the management of all types of assisted feeding ports and the preparation and delivery of intravenous nutrition as needed. We work closely with Internal Medicine, Surgery, Oncology, the Rehabilitation Service and other specialized services to provide state-of-the-art individualized nutritional plans for patients with various medical conditions.
We provide individual nutrition consultations for dogs, cats and horses. We work in conjunction with both your pet’s specialist veterinarian and family veterinarian. We are not beholden to any particular pet food company and receive no monetary “kickback” for our recommendations. Therefore we are able to provide simply the best dietary options for your pet.
Contact Us
- Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m to 5 p.m
- Phone: 919-513-6999
- Email: NCStateVeterinaryNutrition@ncsu.edu
What to Expect
At the current time we are unable to accept consultations for cases that are not currently patients or already referred into services at NCSU-CVM.
Our Specialties
- Commercial diet recommendations
- Critical care nutrition for inpatients
- Individualized assisted (tube) feeding protocols
- Elimination diet trials for the diagnosis and management of suspected food allergies
- Orphaned neonatal feeding plans
- Customized weight loss programs
- Complete and balanced home-prepared recipe formulations
Appointments and Consultations
Appointment Guidelines
Consults can be completed either by an in-person appointment or via telemedicine (i.e. phone/email). If an in-person appointment is desired, please note on the consult form and a client service representative will call to schedule the 30-minute appointment.
Consultations
All consultations require a consult request from your family veterinarian or veterinary specialist. Veterinarians should submit a Veterinarian Consult Referral Request along with all pertinent medical records.
Resources
We’ve assembled some references that cover common nutritional challenges in companion pets and their solutions.
![Nutrition for mature pets](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Fotolia_113366302_Subscription_Monthly_M.jpg)
Mature Pet Diets
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![Cat with orange food bowl](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Cat-with-orange-food-bowl.jpg)
Evaluating Pet Food
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![BARD diets](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Fotolia_83148379_Subscription_Monthly_M-1.jpg)
Biologically Appropriate Raw Diets
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![older cat with kidney disease](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/older-cat_arthritis.jpeg)
Chronic Kidney Disease
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![dog with red ball](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/AdobeStock_75877842-370x208-1.jpeg)
Weight Management Diets
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![dog having ear examined](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Dog_ear_web-370x208-1.jpeg)
Food Allergies
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![dog and cat looking at food](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/dog-and-cat-looking-at-food-370x208-1.jpeg)
Additional Resources
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![hypoallergenic protein diet for pets](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Hypoallergenic-Protein-Diets-370x208-1.jpeg)
Hydrolyzed Diets
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![Bulldog by a window](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Bulldog_window_web-370x208-1.jpeg)
Obesity
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![cat near a bowl with food looking up](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/cat-near-a-bowl-with-food-looking-up.jpeg)
Interactive Feeding Options
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![A dog checking out a snuffle mat](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/AdobeStock_362005485-e1660682851704.jpeg)
Pet Food Recalls
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![Beaded Dragon](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/Bearded-Dragon-040.jpg)
How To Feed Your Bearded Dragon
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![Michelles puppy](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/170087_Michelles-Puppy-Puffin-009.jpg)
How to Feed and Support a Stray Puppy
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![Frankie Luckring Ortho Kitten](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/19101-Frankie-Luckring-Ortho-Kitten-2x3-059.jpg)
How to Feed and Support a Stray Kitten
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![parrot in a tree](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/parrotnutrition.jpg)
Parrot Nutrition
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![overweight cat](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/fatcat.jpg)
Nutritional Management of Diabetes
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![domesticated rabbit in field of flowers](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/rabbit_nutrition_opti2.jpg)
Rabbit Nutrition
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![siamese cat gets a treat](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/pet_treats_opti.jpg)
Healthy Human Food Treats for Pets
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![dog looks at food bowl anxiously](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/04/pickyeater2-opti.jpg)
Picky Eaters
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Downloadable Resources
Nutrition in the News
- Episode 1 Diet Recommendations For Your Patients
- Unsound Science What Constitutes As Good Or Bad Pet Food
- Episode 3 What Does It Mean For Food To Be Quality Control Tested
- AAFCO Formulated And Tested What You Need To Know
- Episode 5 Label Red Flags What You Should Have Pet Owners Look Out For
- Episode 6 How To Utilize The Whole Veterinary Team For Nutrition Recommendations