One Size Won’t Fit All: Tailoring Weight Management Plans For Cats

Despite the knowledge that unhealthy weight gain contributes to comorbid conditions, reduced mobility, comfort, quality of life and lifespan, the prevalence of overweight cats continues to rise in the US feline pet population. The complex nature of this problem can challenge the success of treatment plans. Taking an individualized approach to weight management by partnering with cat owners and engaging and empowering the whole team are keys to successful preventive actions as well as successful weight loss and maintenance. Individualized nutritional plans will not only improve the health of the patient but also the relationship and satisfaction of clients. After participating in this session, attendees will be able to discuss the prevalence of overweight obesity in cats, be able to use communication tips to help the veterinary healthcare team build better relationships to engage and empower cat owners to part in their cat’s care, and develop an individualized nutritional treatment plan to optimize the health and quality of life of overweight cats.

Speaker Bio

Julie Churchill, DVM, PhD, DACVN

Dr. Churchill is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition and member of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition. Dr. Churchill developed a small animal clinical nutrition service that was financially self-sustaining within 5 years. She is currently Professor, and director of the Nutrition Service and the Associate Medical Director for Specialty, Primary and Urgent Care Services at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Churchill is passionate about all aspects of small animal clinical nutrition including the role of nutrition in maintaining wellness and preventive care, obesity prevention and treatment, the nutrition needs of geriatric patients, nutritional management of kidney diseases, and critical care nutrition. She is also interested in teaching and improving client communication to successfully integrate nutrition into the care of every patient. She served on the task force to develop the AAHA guidelines for weight management. She serves as president of the Pet Nutrition Alliance (PNA) and on the educational tools committee of PNA working to develop a ”Go-to” website for credible nutritional information for veterinary practice teams and consumers. Dr. Churchill also serves on the Board of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and is advocating for a global pet obesity initiative.

RACE Credits 

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This program 249-44275 is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 1.00 CE Credits (1.00 max) being available to any one veterinarian: and/or 1.00 Veterinary Technician CE Credits (1.00 max). This RACE approval is for the subject matter categorie(s) of: Medical using the delivery method(s) of: Non-Interactive Distance. This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board's CE requirements.