Nutrition Resources

The NC State Veterinary Nutrition Service supports internal and external companion animal patients undergoing treatment for, and recovering from, a variety of medical and surgical conditions. We also provide individual lifestage and healthy weight management nutritional consultations for dogs, cats, horses and ruminants, and work in conjunction with your pet’s specialty and family veterinarian.

If you are interested in learning more about nutrition for companion animals, there are many excellent resources available for both pet owners and veterinary professionals to enhance their knowledge. These are some of our most recommended resources.

Resources For Pet Owners

• CDC Pet Food Safety https://www.cdc.gov/features/pet-food-safety/ Tips on healthy pet feeding practices for pet owners.
• Consumers – Association of American Feed Control Officials http://www.aafco.org/Consumers Pet food regulations and safety information from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
• FDA Animal Health Literacy Resources https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/default.htm Animal health information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including pet food safety and regulations, and links to the FDA’s veterinary food and drug withdrawals.
• The Horse: Nutrition http://www.thehorse.com/topics/nutrition The Horse Media Group’s guide to equine nutrition for horse owners.
• MedlinePlus Pet Health https://medlineplus.gov/pethealth.html Information from the National Library of Medicine on a variety of pet health topics, including pet nutrition.
• Pet Health Overview – Merck Veterinary Manual http://www.merckvetmanual.com/resourcespages/pet-health-overview Overview of home care for animals specifically designed for pet owners. A User Guide and Glossary help readers navigate content and terminology.
• Tufts Petfoodology http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/petfoodology/ Articles on pet health and nutrition for pet owners from the Tufts University Clinical Nutrition Service

Resources For Veterinary Professionals

General/Broad Resources – Free

• VetFolio Nutrition Resources http://www.vetfolio.com/ Search for nutrition to find continuing education materials, topic overviews, and other communications for practicing veterinarians. This site is primarily focused on small animals, but also includes some equine and exotics information.
• Merck Veterinary Manual – Management and Nutrition http://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition Topic overviews aimed at practicing veterinarians covering nutritional requirements, feeding practices, and nutrition as disease management for an array of diseases and conditions.
• Pet Nutrition Alliance Nutritional Calculators for Cats and Dogs https://petnutritionalliance.org/

General/Broad Resources – Print

• Animal Nutrition Consensus Reports http://dels.nas.edu/Agriculture/Animal-Nutrition/Reports-Academies-Findings The National Research Council Consensus reports on nutrient requirements in a wide variety of species, including dogs, cats and horses.
• Principles of companion animal nutrition https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/record/NCSU3546670 Textbook covering basic biological principles and practices of pet nutrition, including cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, and exotic pets.
• Ann Wortinger and Kara M. Burns. Nutrition and disease management for veterinary technicians and nurses. 2nd ed., 2015. (The ebook is available at https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/record/NCSU3494407).

General/Broad Resources – Subscription

• Clinical Nutrition Issue. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/veterinary-clinics-of-north-america-small-animal-practice/vol/44/issue/4 Literature review articles covering clinical nutrition topics for small animals.
• Canine and feline nutrition: a resource for companion animal professionals. Elsevier, 2011. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=http://www. sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780323066198 An examination of the science of companion animal nutrition and practical feeding management for dogs and cats, aimed at veterinarians and animal scientists.

Diet Specific Resources – Subscription

• Natural pet food: A review of natural diets and their impact on canine and feline physiology. Journal of Animal Science. 2014 Sep;92(9):3781- 91. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1564770893?accountid=12725 Defines natural diets and summarizes the science related them and their effect on pet health.

Diet Specific Resources – Free

• Vegetarian versus meat-based diets for companion animals. Animals (Basel). 2016 Sep; 6(9): 57. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5035952/ Assesses the nutritional soundness of vegetarian and meat-based diets and their effects on companion animal health.
• Raw food diets in companion animals: a critical review. The Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2011 Jan; 52(1): 50–54. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3003575/ Assesses the benefits and risks of raw, meat-based diets for companion animals and their owners.

Species Specific Resources – Subscription

• Nutrition Issue. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/veterinary-clinics-of-north-america-exotic-animal-practice/vol/17/issue/3 Literature review articles covering nutrition topics for a variety of exotic animals.
• Captive Marsupial Nutrition. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice, 2014;17(3):415-447 https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/login?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1094919414000371 Guide to captive marsupial nutrition, covering both captive and companion marsupial diets and information on hand-rearing marsupials
• Nutrition of the chinchilla as a companion animal- basic data, influences, and dependences. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition (Berl). 2003 Apr;87(3-4):129-33. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/login?url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1439-0396.2003.00425.x/abstract Primary study gathering basic information for feeding chinchillas kept as companion animals
• Prescription diet for rabbits. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice. 2014 Sep;17(3):485- 502. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1094919414000401 Literature review examining the dietary management of selected nutritional disorders of pet rabbits, including gastrointestinal (GI) stasis, obstruction and bloat, teeth malocclusion, obesity, urolithiasis and hypercalcinuria.
• Evidence-based equine nutrition. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice. 2007 Aug;23(2):365-84. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749073907000272 Literature review examining the available evidence on a variety of equine nutrition-related topics, including dietary management of horses with a number of diseases and conditions, efficacy of herbal products and nutrition for geriatric horses.

Species Specific Resources – Print

• Equine applied and clinical nutrition: health, welfare and performance. Elsevier, 2013. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780702034220 Textbook of information on the nutrition and feeding management of horses, including basics of equine nutrition, nutritional management by life stage and clinical nutrition.
• Llama and alpaca care: medicine, surgery, reproduction, nutrition, and herd health. Elsevier 2014. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9781437723526 Textbook on llama and alpaca care with information on llama and alpaca nutrition, including nutritional requirements, feeding management systems and feeding behavior.

Age Specific Resources For Small Animals – Subscription

• Nutrition of aging dogs. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 2014 Jul;44(4):741-59 https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195561614000485 Examines the nutritional management of physiological changes in aging dogs and age-related diseases.
• Nutrition of aging cats. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 2014 Jul;44(4):761-74 https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195561614000461 Examines the evidence for nutritional evaluation and requirements in aging cats and age-related conditions.
• Clinical nutrition in gerontology: chronic renal disorders of the dog and cat. Veterinary Research Communications. 2005 Aug;29 Suppl 2:57-63. https://proxying.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php?url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11259-005-0012-6 Literature review examining clinical nutrition in geriatric dogs and cats with chronic renal disorders.