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Global Nutrition Guidelines
The Global Nutrition Committee (GNC) began life in 2010 with the initial task of developing global nutrition guidelines, which were first published in 2011. The goal of these guidelines is to help the veterinary healthcare team and pet owners ensure that dogs and cats are on an optimal nutrition plan tailored to the needs of the individual dog or cat.
The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee offers expert, evidence-based nutritional information for companion animals to support the veterinary healthcare team. The committee does not endorse, approve, recommend or support specific products or companies.
Toolkit
Following on from the launch of the WSAVA’s Global Nutrition Guidelines in 2011, its Global Nutrition Committee (GNC) has developed a suite of tools.
These include practical aids for the veterinary healthcare team to make Nutritional assessment and recommendations more efficient, such as a diet history form, hospitalized patient feeding guide, body condition score charts, and calorie recommendations for dogs and cats. In addition, educational materials for pet owners have been developed. More tools are in development and will be added to this site. These tools are designed to help the veterinary healthcare team address Nutrition at every patient visit and to advance the central role of the veterinary healthcare team as the expert source of Nutrition information.
Nutritional Assessment Tools for the Healthcare Team
As the 5th vital assessment - after temperature, pulse, respiration, and pain assessment – Nutritional assessment should be performed on every patient at every visit. These tools have been developed to help to effectively incorporated into every visit.
Charts, Checklists and Guidelines
These charts and videos can help the veterinary healthcare team to accurately assess body condition, a measure of fat stores, at every visit.
Body Condition Score - Cat (ES, CH, FR, PT)
Body Condition Score - Dog (ES, CH, FR, PT)
Pet Nutrition Assessment video. Courtesy of Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA)
Quick one page charts listing starting points for calorie needs of the healthy dog and cat.
Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Cats (PT)
Updated July 2020
Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Dogs (PT)
Updated July 2020
This Nutritional Assessment Checklist is a tool to help ensure that all parts of the Nutritional assessment are performed – the quick Nutritional screening on every patient at every visit, and the extended evaluation for patients in which risk factors are identified.
Nutritional Assessment Checklist (ES, CH, FR, PT)
A 2‐page summary of the WSAVA Nutrition Guidelines – what do they say, how can Nutritional assessment be incorporated into the standard physical exam, and quick tips for implementing the Guidelines in your practice.
Tips! Incorporating the WSAVA Nutritional Guidelines into your practice (ES, CH, FR, PT)
Implementing the WSAVA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines
This resource provides ideas for incorporating the Nutrition Guidelines into practice, including communication tips, ideas for using the guidelines effectively, and other ways to ensure that every patient gets a Nutritional assessment at every visit.
Implementing the WSAVA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines (ES, CH, FR, RU) PT)
For dogs and cats in the hospital, providing optimal nutrition and careful monitoring is key to recovery.
The Feeding Guide for Hospitalized Dogs and Cats can help the veterinary healthcare team select the appropriate patients that require Nutritional support, the optimal route, and to quickly determine calorie goals.
Feeding Guide for Hospitalised Cats and Dogs (ES, CH, FR, PT)
In some cases, nutrition for the hospitalized patient is best accomplished using either an esophageal feeding tube or a nasogastric feeding tube. How to place each of these is demonstrated in the following videos.
Canine NG Tube Placement
Esophagostomy Tube Placement
These videos have been generously provided by the Dove Lewis Memorial Emergency and Critical Care Hospital (atdove.org), for use by the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
The Feeding Instructions and Monitoring Chart provides a step-by-step approach to determining appropriate calorie needs and writing effective feeding instructions, as well as a comprehensive Nutrition monitoring chart for hospitalized patients.
Raw Meat Based Diets for Pets
Raw meat based diets for dogs and cats are increasingly popular. This infographic sums up the potential risks associated with their use
Raw Meat Based Diets for Pets - (ES, PL, PT)
Tools for Pet Owners
Information on the Internet can be confusing and there is lots of myth and misinformation on the topic of pet Nutrition. These guides (one for cat owners and one for dog owners) provide tips on effectively and objectively using the Internet. In addition, both include a list of useful and accurate Internet resources on pet Nutrition.
The Savvy Cat Owner's Guide to Nutrition on the Internet (ES, CH, FR, PT)
The Savvy Dog Owner's Guide to Nutrition on the Internet (ES, CH, FR, PT)
Nutrition on the Internet: most pet owners consider the ingredient list to be the most important factor in choosing a pet food. However, the ingredient list gives no information on the quality of the ingredients and can be very misleading on the overall quality of the food. The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee tool provides owners with recommendations on how to use more important information from the label to select a food for pets.
Selecting a Pet Food - (ES , PL, PT, RU)
Are you confused by food labels? With so much information offered, it can be hard to find the data you need. These handy guides highlight the most important nutritional information to check to ensure that you feed your pet an appropriate and high quality diet.
Check out our nutrition label guides for North America (ES) (PT)
Check out our nutrition label guides for Europe (ES) (PT)
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs and Myths (ES) (PT)
Standard Operating Procedures
The information below is kindly provided by the Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations , whose mission is to support the health and wellbeing of dogs and cats, and the benefits of living with them
Endorsement
The global nutrition guidelines have been endorsed by the following associations:
- Argentina - AVEACA.
- Australia - Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia.
- Belgium - SAVAB.
- Brazil - ANCLIVEPA-Br.
- Bulgaria - Bulgarian Association of Small Animal Veterinarians BASAV.
- China - Beijing Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- China - Shanghai Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- Denmark - DSAVA.
- ECVCN - European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition.
- Finland - Finnish Association of Veterinary Practitioners.
- France - AFVAC.
- International Society of Feline Practitioners (ISFM).
- Iran - Iran Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- Korea - KAHA.
- LAVECCS - Latin American Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society.
- LSAVA - Lithuanian Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- Mexican Association of Veterinary Medical Specialists in Small Species: AMMVEPE.
- Netherlands - Netherland Association for Companion Animal Medicine.
- New Zealand - Companion Animal Society of the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
- New Zealand - New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association.
- Nigeria - Small Animal Veterinary Association of Nigeria.
- Norway - Norwegian Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- Peru – AMVEPPA.
- Poland - Polish Small Animal Veterinary Association
- Portugal - Associacao Portugesa de Medicos Veterinarios Especialistas em Animais de Companhia (APMVEAC)
- Russia - RSAVA.
- Singapore - Singapore Veterinary Association.
- Spain - Asociacion de Veterinarios Espanoles Especialistas en Pequenos Animales (AVEPA).
- Sri Lanka – Small Animal Practitioners Association of Sri Lanka.
- Sweden - Swedish Society of Veterinary Medicine.
- Switzerland - Schewizerische Vereinigung Fur Kleintiermedizin SVK-ASMPA.
- Taiwan - Taipei Veterinary Medical Association.
- Thailand - Veterinary Practitioner Association of Thailand.
- UK – British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- USA – American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition.
- USA - American Animal Hospital Association.
- USA - American Association of Feline Practitioners.
- UK & Ireland - International Veterinary Students' Association.
Join our global veterinary community now!
Members who wish to have their country or association endorse the guidelines can download this form and send to yourwsava@wsava.org.