Clinical nutrition counselling service in the veterinary hospital: retrospective analysis of equine patients and nutritional considerations.
Authors: Vergnano D, Bergero D, Valle E
Journal: Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Summary
# Editorial Summary Nutritional mismanagement remains widespread in equine practice despite clear evidence linking inappropriate feeding to significant disease, prompting investigation into whether formalised clinical nutrition counselling (CNC) services could bridge the gap between current practice and evidence-based recommendations. Vergnano and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 61 horses referred to the University of Turin's CNC service, documenting feeding history, body condition, current dietary composition, and clinical outcomes over a follow-up period. Chronic weight loss, chronic diarrhoea, and equine gastric ulcer syndrome were the predominant presentations; notably, older horses (>19 years) showed significantly lower body condition scores than brood mares or other adults, whilst young stock received proportionally more hay and concentrate than aged animals. The structured dietary protocols developed for common nutrition-related pathologies achieved 'good' follow-up outcomes in 92% of cases, with veterinarians accounting for 72% of referrals—suggesting both professional recognition of nutritional complexity and potential owner compliance when recommendations come through established practitioners. These findings indicate that centralised CNC services represent a valuable resource for refining herd-level feeding strategies and generating epidemiological data on nutritional disease prevalence, whilst emphasising that individualised assessment according to age, condition, and pathology is essential rather than adopting uniform feeding protocols across diverse equine populations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Establishing a dedicated clinical nutrition counselling service improves outcomes: 92% of referred cases achieved good follow-up results, demonstrating the value of formalised nutritional management protocols
- •Age-specific feeding adjustments are critical—older horses require modified concentrate levels and careful monitoring of body condition, while young horses tolerate higher forage intake
- •Nutritional diagnosis matters: horses with chronic weight loss need higher forage intake while those with chronic diarrhoea require different dietary management, indicating one-size-fits-all feeding plans are ineffective
Key Findings
- •61 horses referred to clinical nutrition counselling service; 92% achieved good follow-up outcomes
- •Old horses (>19 years) had significantly lower body condition scores than brood mares or other adults (p<0.01)
- •Young horses (<2 years) received higher hay as percentage of body weight than old horses or adults
- •Hay intake as percentage of body weight was statistically higher in horses with chronic weight loss compared to chronic diarrhoea (p<0.01)