Veterinary Nutrition Course

Lesson 1 • Digestion and Absorption Mechanisms

Explains enzymatic digestion, microbial fermentation, and nutrient transport across the gut wall. Links digestive efficiency to dietary formulation decisions.

Lesson 2 • Basic Metabolism and Energy Utilization

Introduces metabolic pathways for energy production from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Establishes energy terminology used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Digestive System Anatomy Across Species

Compares monogastric, ruminant, and hindgut-fermenter digestive anatomy. Connects structural differences to nutrient absorption capacity and dietary requirements.

Lesson 4 • Nutritional Terminology and Units

Defines caloric units, dry matter basis, and nutrient concentration expressions. Ensures accurate interpretation of diet labels and research literature.

Lesson 1 • Dietary Fat and Essential Fatty Acids

Examines omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid roles, fat digestibility, and species differences in fat metabolism. Connects lipid nutrition to skin, coat, and inflammatory health.

Lesson 2 • Macronutrient Interactions and Balance

Explores how protein, fat, and carbohydrate ratios affect palatability, body condition, and metabolic health. Reinforces the concept of diet balance rather than single-nutrient focus.

Lesson 3 • Energy Requirements and Life Stage Adjustments

Applies resting energy requirement formulas and life stage multipliers to calculate daily energy needs. Prepares students to set caloric targets for individual patients.

Lesson 4 • Carbohydrate Nutrition and Fiber

Distinguishes digestible carbohydrates from dietary fiber and their roles in energy and gut health. Addresses species-specific tolerance and fiber fermentation outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Electrolytes: Sodium, Potassium, and Chloride

Explains electrolyte roles in fluid balance, nerve conduction, and acid-base status. Connects electrolyte management to hydration and clinical nutrition support.

Lesson 2 • Trace Minerals: Iron, Zinc, Copper, and Selenium

Details trace mineral functions, antagonisms, and safe supplementation ranges. Prepares students to identify trace mineral imbalances in clinical and production settings.

Lesson 3 • Macrominerals: Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium

Addresses calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, magnesium homeostasis, and their roles in skeletal and muscular function. Emphasises ratio management in diet formulation.

Lesson 4 • Water-Soluble Vitamins

Examines B-complex vitamins and vitamin C, focusing on coenzyme roles and species-specific synthesis capacity. Highlights deficiency syndromes in clinical practice.

Lesson 1 • Comparing Diet Types and Formats

Evaluates dry, wet, raw, freeze-dried, and fresh-cooked formats for nutrient density, safety, and practicality. Prepares students to match diet format to patient and client needs.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory Framework for Pet Food

Introduces the roles of regulatory bodies, nutritional adequacy standards, and labelling requirements for commercial pet foods. Provides the compliance context for all label evaluation skills.

Lesson 3 • Guaranteed Analysis and Nutrient Profiles

Converts guaranteed analysis values to dry matter basis and compares them against established nutrient profiles. Bridges label reading to practical diet adequacy assessment.

Lesson 4 • Ingredient List Interpretation

Teaches ingredient splitting, by-product evaluation, and ingredient quality assessment from label data. Enables accurate communication with clients about ingredient concerns.

Lesson 1 • Homemade Diet Design for Companion Animals

Guides complete and balanced homemade recipe creation, including supplement selection and client instructions. Addresses common deficiencies in owner-designed diets.

Lesson 2 • Quality Control and Recipe Verification

Covers proximate analysis, feeding trials, and periodic recipe review to ensure ongoing diet adequacy. Closes the formulation loop with monitoring and adjustment protocols.

Lesson 3 • Manual Formulation Techniques

Teaches Pearson square, simultaneous equations, and iterative adjustment methods for diet balancing. Builds quantitative formulation skills applicable without software tools.

Lesson 4 • Software-Assisted Diet Formulation

Demonstrates use of linear programming and nutrition software to optimise multi-ingredient diets. Accelerates formulation accuracy and enables complex therapeutic diet design.

Lesson 1 • Gastrointestinal Disease Nutrition

Selects dietary strategies for acute gastroenteritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Applies fibre and protein digestibility concepts to GI case management.

Lesson 2 • Urinary Tract Disease and Urolith Management

Designs dissolution and prevention diets for struvite and calcium oxalate uroliths and manages feline idiopathic cystitis nutritionally. Integrates mineral and hydration management into urinary health plans.

Lesson 3 • Renal Disease Dietary Therapy

Covers phosphorus restriction, protein moderation, omega-3 supplementation, and hydration strategies for chronic kidney disease. Balances slowing disease progression with maintaining adequate nutrition.

Lesson 4 • Nutritional Management of Diabetes Mellitus

Addresses low-carbohydrate diets for cats and consistent carbohydrate feeding for dogs with diabetes. Connects macronutrient composition to glycaemic control and insulin dosing.

Lesson 1 • Poultry Nutrition and Feed Formulation

Covers broiler and layer nutrient requirements, feed form effects, and metabolisable energy systems for poultry. Addresses the unique digestive physiology of birds in formulation decisions.

Lesson 2 • Transition Cow Nutrition

Addresses the dry period, close-up diet, and fresh cow management to prevent metabolic diseases at calving. Connects periparturient nutrition to herd health and production outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Swine Nutrition by Production Phase

Formulates phase-feeding programmes for sows, nursery pigs, growers, and finishers based on amino acid and energy requirements. Applies least-cost formulation principles to swine production economics.

Lesson 4 • Ruminant Nutrition and Ration Balancing

Covers rumen microbiology, bypass protein, non-protein nitrogen use, and forage quality assessment for cattle and small ruminants. Builds on ruminant digestion anatomy to enable practical ration balancing.

Lesson 1 • Building a Practice Nutrition Programme

Guides development of clinic-wide nutrition protocols, staff training, and client communication systems. Translates individual clinical skills into a sustainable, team-based nutrition service.

Lesson 2 • Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition Support

Covers feeding tube selection, enteral formula choice, parenteral nutrition compounding, and complication management for hospitalised patients. Applies energy and protein calculations to critical care feeding plans.

Lesson 3 • Nutrition in Cancer, Cardiac, and Hepatic Disease

Designs nutritional support for cachexia, cardiac muscle loss, and hepatic encephalopathy using targeted macronutrient and micronutrient modifications. Extends therapeutic diet skills to complex multi-system disease.

Lesson 4 • Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice

Teaches critical appraisal of nutrition studies, hierarchy of evidence, and translation of research into clinical recommendations. Equips students to evaluate emerging nutrition claims independently.