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The research also found that 80 per cent of dog owners would be willing to change their pet’s diet if it would improve their digestion, highlighting the perfect opportunity for veterinary professionals to speak to clients about the best course of action with regards to pet nutrition. To help veterinary professionals approach the subject of nutrition with owners, PURINA® has launched a range of services and support materials, including a GI book, lunch and learn sessions, a free smartphone app and a veterinary toolkit containing information sheets.
The launch of this new GI support pack from PURINA® follows advice from the WSAVA, whose nutritional guidelines encourage vets to consider nutrition as the fifth vital assessment after temperature, pulse, respiratory rate and pain.
Esther Rawlinson, PURINA® UK Veterinary Affairs Manager comments: “GI upsets and associated ‘accidents’ can be really distressing for both owner and pet but are seemingly suffered as ‘just one of those things’ by many. This needn’t be the case though, as a lot of GI related conditions could be prevented or at least managed by the correct nutritional advice and a specially formulated veterinary diet. By addressing nutrition at every consultation, vets can better identify those patients who suffer regular GI disturbance but whose owners do not feel it worthy of mentioning when in the clinic. The survey results show that there is a huge opportunity for vets to improve the health of many more of their patients and this is why PURINA has introduced a range of GI services and support materials. We aim to help vets to include a nutritional assessment in all of their consultations.”
The variety of different causes of GI upset in pets can sometimes leave vets feeling a bit queasy themselves as they try to establish the best recommendation for each patient. PURINA VETERINARY DIETS© consists of just six products that cover all GI indications in dogs and cats. This concise range simplifies the practitioner choice of prescription, allows a better management of the clinic pet food store, while ensuring client satisfaction.
For more information or to request a GI support pack, call PURINA PetCare team on 0800 212 161. A dedicated team of vet nurses, pet care professionals and customer service experts will be available to help. To download the GI APP, visit www.purinavets.eu/giapplication.
[1] PURINA consumer research 2013, commissioned by One Poll