1. Vn117 animal nursing practice Water & nutrition urination & defecation

2. Sick animals frequently anorexic No animal was ever starved into wellness Maintaining appropriate nutrition status is a key nursing role for ill animals It is essential the nurse is able to calculate the calorie requirement for a critical care patient and monitors it is achieved

3. A healthy inappetent animal Offer familiar palatable diet Familiar feed routines and environment Warm moist smelly foods Personalised attention/hand feed Force feed bolus of food short term

4. No sick animal was ever starved into wellness Illness increases metabolic demand and decreases appetite Accelerated malnutrition and lean tissue catabolism follows protien and calorie malnutrition Other affects: delayed wound healing decreased resistance to disease and stress Assisted enteral nutrition is indicated when: Recent weight loss of more than 10% Inappetant /anorexic 2+ days Acute illness injury with high trauma index Acute muscle wasting or protein loosing condition

5. Assisted feeding Force feed bolus/syringe Appetite stimulant (diazepam munchies) Feeding tubes

6. Orogastric tube

7. Nasogastric tube

8. Oesophagostomy tube

9. Gastostomy tube/PEG tube

10. Care of tubes Monitor for blocks, kinks and position Flush with water before and after feeding Administer food slowly over 10-15mins and Monitor for tolerance Start administering smaller amounts than calculated requirements if anorexia prolonged, feed small amounts 4-5 x per day Offer oral feed and remove tube when ¾ daily requirement taken in orally

11. Calculations!!

12. Defecation-frequency and posturing Consistency diet related Horses 12-15x per day faecal ball should just break when hits the ground Dogs may produce 1-2x perday well formed cylindrical material without excess strain(tensemus) Flat faeces with strain may suggest prostate problems, common in old dogs

13. Water requirements Dogs and cats 50ml/kg/day 2-3x dry matter requirements of the animal Horses 25-60L/day Water from food or drinking or metabolism of fats protiens and CHOs

14. Urination frequency and output Dog 20-80ml /kg/day Cat 10-15ml/kg/day Posture varies with sex in dogs Neutered dogs 3-4x per day, entire animals marking FLUTD or blockage is not uncommon-tenesmus =emergency, fatal rapidly Nursing requirement: exercise to assist elimination and allow kennel trained dogs to eliminate Frequent litter tray change so cats will use Disposal according to hygiene requirements