British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) Congress Gold Partner, Purina is encouraging delegates to have more guided nutritional conversations with clients and supporting this through several initiatives at the October BVNA Congress in Telford.
As well as demonstrating a number of tools from the Purina Institute’s CentreSquare initiative on stand number C1, Purina is also sponsoring a nurse consultation lecture stream on Friday 6 October and an interactive workshop on Saturday 7 October.
The workshop will be led by renowned clinical nutritionist Dr Marge Chandler, DVM, MS, MANZCVS, DACVN, DACVIM, MRCVS. Marge is one of 40 leading experts who have contributed chapters to the new Purina Institute Handbook of Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition, available through signing up on the stand.
Following the workshop, Marge will be available on the Purina stand to answer questions on any aspect of integrating nutrition into everyday practice.
There will also be an opportunity to access a free digital copy of the newly launched Purina Handbook of Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition, a must-have for anyone having nutritional conversations about sick patients.
The workshop is free to access with no pre-booking required.
In this session, Marge will explore how to build nutrition into everyday practice and appointments. She will be sharing tips to save time in consultations and negotiate tricky nutritional topics.
Attendees will be encouraged to share ideas and expertise while exploring ways to support best patient outcomes.
On Friday 6 October, the nurse consultation stream sponsored by Purina will cover topics such as building confidence in consulting in nurse-led weight clinics and feline consultations.
Laura Hughes, RVN, veterinary nurse development manager at Purina, says nutrition is an area where the contribution of a vet nurse can make a real difference.
“Over 50 percent of pet owners look to vets and vet nurses to provide nutrition advice, so having the confidence and practical ideas to set up and initiate nutrition conversations can make a huge difference to patient outcomes,” she says.
“We’re excited to be offering both CPD from a world leading nutritionist as well as practical tools to help put these conversations into action.
“From tackling obesity to supporting the microbiome and gut-brain axis, nurses have a vital role to play in pet nutrition.”
Included in the resources being displayed on the stand and available to all members of the veterinary team, is the Purina Institute’s CentreSquare toolkit.
This is a valuable free resource, providing easy-to-use scoring charts, tips and articles written by experts covering a range of practical nutrition topics.
Laura is encouraging delegates to discuss any complex nutritional issues they find difficult to resolve.
“Marge has so much knowledge to share and is very approachable, so we’re looking forward to having some fascinating conversations on the stand,” she says. “It’s such a valuable opportunity to hear tips from an expert that can be taken back into the practice and actioned straight away.”
