Page 22 - Creature Companion October Edition

PET CARE

NUTRITIONAL

LIQUID DIET FOR PETS
By Dr. Mangesh Nakade*

enerally, nutritional support balanced clinical nutritional liquid are resulting in liquid blood motion,
should be considered for diet is NOT available for pets which is aggravating the already
Gany animal that has been suffering from convalescence. critical state of respective dogs.
anorexic or has had an inadequate Hence, veterinary surgeons and
voluntary caloric intake for ≥ 3 days, doctors are compelled to provide THE NEED OF THE HOUR:
has lost ≥ 10% of its body weight or high doses of saline and glucose Considering the above-mentioned
has other signs of malnutrition like (through IV) as early enteral problems, there is an urgent need
poor hair coat, muscle wasting, poor treatment. It is to be noted that for a high energy, complete natural
wound healing, hypoalbuminemia, these saline solutions can at the food-based Indian liquid diet, which
lymphopenia etc. best provide and partially satisfy will provide all essential nutrients in
energy requirements of a sick dog, an easily digestible manner and will
In addition, many dogs and but they are unable to provide all the also aid in quickest recovery from
cats don’t get hydrated with essential micro & macronutrients sickness.
balanced electrolytes and energy required for quickest recovery of
supplementation during surgery sick pets at the same time. Completely balanced clinical
and then post-operative recovery nutritional liquid diet for dogs
that is marked by pain, discomfort, Though some mineral liquid diets and cats have been found to
and drug-induced nausea further are available in abroad, they can be decrease complications, prevent
deprives their body of energy. at best used for hydrating a dog; as gut permeability and increase the
they are made up of only minerals, bursting strength of intestinal
In this scenario, a high energy oral they are certainly NOT a completely surgical site and decreased mortality
nutrition is essential for providing balanced diet. chances.
nutritional support to animals, which
are either unwilling or unable to In some instances, recovery tins A veterinary study looked at dogs

consume sufficient calories on their (paste products) are being fed to with septic peritonitis and found
own during convalescence. ICU dogs. But, they cannot be easily that dogs that got a completely
swallowed and digested by sick dogs balanced early nutrition (those that
CURRENT PRACTICES – INDIAN because of their inherently weak ate, had supported enteral nutrition,
VETERINARY CLINICS: digestive tract. In some acute cases, or parenteral nutrition) had a shorter
Currently in India, a completely these improper nutritional practices hospitalization by 1.6 days.

22 Creature Companion | SEPTEMBER 2020 • VOL. XIII • ISSUE 7 • NOIDA