Pet Nutrition at OVC

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Pet Nutrition at OVC

Our mission is to explore innovations in pet nutrition based on a firm foundation of nutritional science.

Our research investigates new ideas in pet nutriton; how changing their food can help to give them longer, healthier lives. Dr. Adronie Verbrugghe graduated as a companion animal veterinarian (DVM) from Ghent University, Belgium in 2005 and continued her education in companion animal nutrition at the same university. She finished her PhD dealing with nutritional modulation of carbohydrate metabolism in cats in 2009 and became board certified for the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN) in 2010. In December 2011, Dr. Verbrugghe joined the Ontario Veterinary College as Royal Canin Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition. The major goals of this position at OVC are to enhance nutrition education, to develop a companion animal nutrition research program and to provide a referral nutrition consultation service.

12/22/2025

REMINDER! The Hill’s Pet Nutrition Pet Weight Care Program at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph are looking to fill the Hill’s Pet Nutrition Internship position starting July 2026! 🐾

Wondering what this internship entails?
Our current intern, Dr. Zahra Sadat Rahimi, shares her experience 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wYyPZ

Dr. Rahimi’s position, sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, offers advanced clinical training in companion animal nutrition and weight management.

For more info, head to our website or check the VIRMP Posting
University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College Hill’s Pet Nutrition
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12/20/2025

🌟 Another Exciting Opportunity! 🌟

The Hill’s Pet Nutrition Pet Weight Care Program at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, is thrilled to announce an opening for a Hill’s Pet Nutrition Internship starting July 2026!

This 1-year clinical position focuses on promoting healthy weight management in pets through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates nutrition, therapeutic care, and client engagement.

Apply now; Applications are only considered through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (https://brnw.ch/21wYwlo)

For more info, head to our website or check the VIRMP Posting
of Guelph veterinary college
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12/18/2025

🚨 REMINDER! We’re hiring! The OVC Pet Nutrition Team at the University of Guelph is looking for a DVSc Student in Companion Animal Nutrition starting August 2026! 🐾

Wondering what our DVSc program is all about?
Our current DVSc student, Dr. Laura Teeger, shares her experience 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wYt1j

Dr. Teeger’s position, supported by an OVC DVSc scholarship, generously sponsored by Royal Canin Canada, offers advanced clinical training + research opportunities and aims to meet eligibility requirements for the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition. 🌍

📌 Learn more on our website!

University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College Royal Canin

12/16/2025

🌟 Exciting Opportunity! 🌟

The OVC Pet Nutrition Team in the Department of Clinical Studies at the University of Guelph is excited to announce an opening for a Doctor of Veterinary Science (DVSc) position in Companion Animal Nutrition beginning August 2026!

An OVC DVSc scholarship generously supported by Champion Petfoods is available for this position. The program is designed to provide advanced clinical training and research experience, aiming to meet the requirements for eligibility for the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition 🐾

Apply now: applications are only considered through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (https://brnw.ch/21wYpb8).

For more info, head to our website (https://brnw.ch/21wYpb9) or the VIRMP posting!

University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College

12/11/2025

🐶 Could your dog benefit from weight loss?
We want to help! A new study from our team seeks to explore how a structured, home-based physical activity program can support weight management and improve mobility in adult dogs with chronic obesity.

Dogs who qualify will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:
1) Diet + exercise: A structured physical activity plan combined with a weight loss diet.
2) Diet only: A weight loss diet only.

🐾Who Can Participate?
• Dogs ≥1 years old
• Healthy apart from chronic obesity (body condition score ≥ 7/9)
• Tolerate wearing an activity monitor
• Sufficient mobility

What’s in it for you?
This study is generously supported by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Pet food is provided by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Dog kibble and treats will be provided for the duration of the study (124 days) at no charge. Participants in the study will receive blood work results, physical examination, urinalysis, range of motion and mobility assessment, DXA scan and a 4-month weight management program for their pet free of charge.

For more information, complete the 15-20 minute online screening survey found at https://brnw.ch/21wYhc1

Disclosure: Dr. Verbrugghe is the Royal Canin Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition at OVC. She also serves on industrial advisory boards and has received research funding and honoraria from pet food industry.

This project has been reviewed by the Research Ethics Board for compliance with federal guidelines for research involving human participants (REB 2156). All experimental procedures for this study are approved by the University of Guelph Animal Care Committee (AUP 5396).
Hill’s Pet Nutrition Ontario Veterinary College University of Guelph OVC Veterinary Clinical Trials

12/04/2025

As the semester wraps up, we are proud to celebrate three undergraduate students who, under the guidance of our graduate students and Dr. Verbrugghe, successfully completed a variety of undergraduate research courses across multiple departments. They explored diverse topics in pet nutrition and shared their findings with peers and faculty in their respective programs. Congratulations on an outstanding semester!

Photos 1-2 showcase each student's research project:
1) Giovanna Fiallos - Exercise based intervention for weight management in obese dogs
2) Isabella Luongo - The role of carbohydrates in commercial cat diets
3) Sheng Wang - The effects of a probiotic on stress behaviour in cats

Ontario Veterinary College University of Guelph

11/25/2025

📍 Symposium CEMI 2025 | St. Hyacinthe, QC

The OVC Pet Nutrition Clinical Team was thrilled to be part of the 2nd annual CEMI Symposium: When Kidneys Meet Nutrition — held at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal. The symposium focused on upper urinary health in cats and dogs and highlighted the critical role of nutrition in treatment and recovery.

🧠 Dr. Sarah Abood delivered two engaging presentations:

1️⃣ Managing Mealtime Without Losing Sleep
2️⃣ When Desires Diverge: Balancing What the Owner Wants with What the Pet Needs

👩‍⚕️ We were also proud to have Dr. Manuela Fischer attend the event, contributing to the collaborative spirit of the symposium.

👏 Thank you to the University of Montreal and the CEMI team for hosting such an innovative and inspiring event!

11/17/2025

⁉️ Did you know November 17th is Take a Hike day - an initiative that encourages people to get outside and explore 🌳

We think this is a great excuse to get outside and find a new trail for you and your pup to explore 🐶 Exercise is an important part of your dog's health and wellbeing, and contributes to maintaining a healthy body condition!

You can learn more about the role of exercise and body condition for dogs in our Before the Bowl blog: https://brnw.ch/21wXzjL 📖

11/12/2025

📍 VET 2025 | Toronto

The OVC Pet Nutrition Clinical Team was proud to attend and present at this year’s VET 2025 conference!

🧠 Dr. Laura Teeger delivered an insightful session on the nutritional management of Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (FHL) — a serious liver disorder affecting cats when they stop eating. Her presentation emphasized the importance of early nutritional intervention, assisted feeding strategies, and patient-specific plans to improve outcomes.
🔍 Learning highlights included:
• Feeding tube options & early assisted feeding
• Prognosis & monitoring strategies
• Nutrient targets for hospitalized cats
• Pathophysiology of FHL & nutrition’s role in recovery

🐾 Shoshana Verton-Shaw & Becky Hunt (RVTs, VTS-Nutrition) tackled the growing challenge of pet obesity, focusing on patients who struggle with weight loss — especially those who are morbidly obese. Their session offered practical tools and communication strategies to support veterinary teams and clients.
🔍 Learning highlights included:
• Feline-specific weight loss challenges
• Nutrition assessment & troubleshooting
• Tools for busy clinics
• Communication techniques for success

📸 Swipe through to see:
1️⃣ Dr. Laura Teeger in action
2️⃣ Shoshana & Becky sharing their expertise
3️⃣ A snapshot of both presentations

👏 Huge thanks to VET 2025 for hosting such a dynamic and educational event. We’re inspired and energized to keep advancing pet nutrition care!

11/07/2025

🎉 Conference Spotlight! 🎉

We’re thrilled to celebrate our post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Hannah Godfrey, who recently represented the OVC Pet Nutrition Team at the Canadian Emerging Veterinary Student Symposium (CEVSS) in Calgary from October 23–26!

Hannah presented her research on how dietary macronutrient composition influences post-prandial insulin and glucose concentrations in lean and obese cats — a vital step toward improving feline metabolic health. 🐱💡

We’re especially proud to share that Hannah was awarded second place for her outstanding presentation! 🥈👏

She was joined by fellow University of Guelph representatives:
🔬 Shannon Wallace (MSc Candidate, Biomedical Sciences)
🐾 Anaya Bhushan (DVM Student)
🩺 Celine Said (DVM Student)

Together, they connected with top DVM and graduate student researchers from across Canada, explored exciting new ideas in veterinary medicine, and even got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Calgary Zoo! 🦁🐧

10/29/2025

That’s a wrap on Pet Obesity Awareness Month!

Throughout October, we explored how to prevent obesity in cats. From kittens to seniors, we presented how simple habits can go a long way in supporting lifelong health.

Here’s what we covered:
🐈‍⬛ Kittens: Growth charts help track healthy development and catch early signs of excess weight.
🐈 Adults: Body condition scoring is an easy at-home tool to check if your cat is at a healthy weight.
🐾 Seniors: With age comes a slower metabolism but portion control, gentle activity, and regular weight checks help prevent sneaky weight gain.

Obesity may be common, but with the right knowledge and tools, it can be treated or prevented.

Thank you for joining us this month and investing in your cat’s long-term health and happiness! Check out our blog post that covers this month’s theme and delves into obesity prevention for cats of all life stages. https://brnw.ch/21wX2dq

Ontario Veterinary College University of Guelph OVC Pet Trust

10/27/2025

Are you heading to the VET2025? You'll see our team members there!

This year at the Veterinary Education Today 2025 Conference, our team members keep the theme of feline obesity going 🐈

Becky Hunt (RVT, VTS (Nutrition)) and Shoshana Verton-Shaw (RVT, VTS (Nutrition) RLAT) will be presenting on "Stubborn Fat". Read on to learn more about their talk: https://brnw.ch/21wWYm1

Dr. Laura Teeger (DVM, DVSc Student, ECVCN Clinical Nutrition Resident) will be discussing "Feeding the Fatty Liver - Nutritional Strategies for Feline Hepatic". Read on to learn more: Lipidosishttps://brnw.ch/21wWYm2

Let us know in the comments if we will see you there! 🐈‍⬛

Address

50 Stone Road E
Guelph, ON
N1G2W1

Website

https://ovcpetnutrition.uoguelph.ca/

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