12. Multiple Conditions
246,00 €
This is the twelfth module of Vet Clinical Nutrition Academy.
The full bundle of 60-hour program (12 modules) is available here: Vet Clinical Nutrition – 60-hour course
In this final module, we focus on nutritional decision making in patients with multiple concurrent conditions, where dietary recommendations may conflict. Participants learn how to structure their clinical reasoning, set priorities and design practical feeding plans for complex cases.
A strong emphasis is placed on real-world application: composite clinical cases, hands-on decision frameworks and the opportunity for participants to discuss and consult their own clinical cases during live sessions.
Key topics include:
• Real-life composite cases involving overlapping conditions
• Step-by-step decision-making frameworks for setting dietary priorities
• Balancing macronutrient and micronutrient targets across comorbidities
• Integrating nutrition into multimodal treatment plans
• Strategies for clear communication of complex recommendations to pet owners
• Applying EBVM principles to justify chosen nutritional approaches
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Prioritise nutrition goals in patients with multiple comorbidities, making evidence based trade-offs where necessary.
• Justify your chosen management plan to colleagues using EBVM principles and structured clinical reasoning.
• Apply practical frameworks to real cases, including those submitted by participants during the course.
Schedule:
17 Sep 2026 – Pre‑recorded material (2 h)
24 Sep 2026 – Live: cases + Q&A with all experts (2 h)
Total ~4 h
(Live sessions take place at 7:30 p.m. CEST via Google Meet.)
Live meetings include case discussions and small-group workshops. The course also includes supporting literature, practical tools, knowledge-check quizzes, and access to a private Facebook community.
It is conducted in English.
This is a fully online program that you can complete from anywhere, at your own pace.
This module provides an advanced, highly practical exploration of nutritional management in multimorbid patients. Participants work through complex real-life scenarios where conditions such as kidney disease, pancreatitis, diabetes, obesity, GI disease or urinary stones overlap, creating conflicting dietary requirements.
The module introduces a step-by-step prioritisation framework, helping clinicians determine which nutritional goals must come first, which can be modified and how to safely balance macronutrients and micronutrients when managing multiple competing needs. Emphasis is placed on integrating nutrition into a multimodal treatment plan, considering medications, lifestyle factors, monitoring and owner capabilities.
Participants then apply this framework to a variety of composite clinical cases, reflecting the complexity of real practice. A key feature of this module is the opportunity to discuss and consult participants’ own clinical cases, strengthening practical skills and providing real-time feedback from course instructors.
Communication strategies are also covered in depth, focusing on how to clearly explain complex dietary plans, negotiate feasible solutions with owners and document shared decision making.
By the end of this module, participants will feel confident navigating nutritional conflicts in patients with multiple diseases, designing structured, evidence based feeding plans and justifying their decisions using robust clinical reasoning.
Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition
She has a multidisciplinary background that spans clinical practice, public health, academic research, and the pet food industry. She is first and foremost passionate about supporting pets and their families, striving to create nutrition strategies that improve health and quality of life. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Science (DVSc) from the University of Guelph, where her research focused on feline obesity and the gastrointestinal microbiome. Her academic work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and she continues to serve on advisory boards supporting graduate student development. After several years with Royal Canin in a global role focused on nutritional product development and international regulatory advocacy, Dr. Tal-Gavriel returned to clinical practice in 2024. She first served as a Veterinary Nutritionist at Central Toronto Veterinary Referral Clinic, supporting specialists with nutrition strategies for complex medical cases. She then founded VetWell Nutrition, an independent platform providing expert nutrition services to veterinarians, pet owners and the pet food industry. Most recently, Dr. Tal-Gavriel joined Open Farm as Head of Veterinary Nutrition, expanding her impact in the pet food industry by driving evidence-based product innovation and nutritional excellence. Through her dual roles at Open Farm and VetWell Nutrition, she delivers individualized nutrition plans for pets with medical or wellness needs, offers clinical support to veterinarians through direct case collaboration, and consults for pet food companies on science-based formulation, innovation, and compliance. Above all, Dr. Tal-Gavriel’s approach blends clinical expertise, scientific evidence, and regulatory insight with a heartfelt commitment to improving pets’ lives. She is dedicated to empowering veterinary teams and pet owners alike with practical, impactful nutritional solutions that truly support the health and wellness of the animals she serves.
Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist®, EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition
She obtained her veterinary degree in 2000 and her PhD in animal nutrition in 2005 by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) She completed a residency in small animal clinical nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis, California and is board certified in veterinary nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition) and by the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN) since 2010. After working as the chief of service of the veterinary teaching hospital nutrition service in UAB for 6 years, she is now a consultant in clinical nutrition for Expert Pet Nutrition (www.expertpetnutrition.com) and Veterinary Information Network (VIN). She is a member of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee and has written several articles and book chapters on the topic of companion animal nutrition.
Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition
She obtained her veterinary degree by the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany in 2009. Her doctoral thesis – at the Institute of Veterinary Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland (“Disturbed eating at high altitude”, Dr. med. vet., 2012) was followed by one year as a postdoctoral research assistant. She was the first resident completing a standard residency program of the European College for Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition at the Institute of Animal Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Zurich (EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition, 2018). As a research assistant at the Institute of Animal Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Zurich until 2021 Kerstin focused on clinical nutrition provided by the veterinary nutrition consultation service, was involved in teaching of students, veterinarians as well as pet owners and was part of various research projects. From 2022 Kerstin follows her passion in clinical nutrition and dietetics, spreading scientifically based knowledge to support pet’s health by healthy, individually suitable nutrition as veterinary specialist in Marigin Zentrum für Tiermedizin, a big veterinary clinic and referral centre in Feusisberg, Switzerland. “My daily motivation is to impart scientifically based specialized veterinary knowledge in order to support our pets with balanced nutrition as an essential basis for life and health. It fascinates me that even with more than 10 years of experience in this field, every day brings something new, no two cases are the same and every animal benefits from an individually adapted diet.”
The VCNA course has been designed primarily for veterinarians who wish to deepen their expertise in the dietary management of canine and feline diseases.
It is also suitable for veterinary technicians, animal nutritionists, veterinary students, and pet food professionals interested in the clinical application of nutrition.
