Due to the limited number of seats each year in the 33 veterinary schools in the continental US, the admission into veterinary school is very competitive.1 Each applicant must strive to have a unique application that will stand out amongst the rest. Having explored the many aspects of the veterinary field and discovering an area of interest can truly enhance a prospective student’s application. It is then the responsibility of the applicant to thoroughly research each program to find which veterinary program will be the best fit for their goals.

If animal nutrition is the passion of the aspiring veterinarian, there are only a few veterinary programs that require nutrition courses as a part of their curriculum with most of these nutrition courses being general courses that often focus mainly on feedlot nutrition for livestock and even fewer programs that offer nutritional services within their teaching hospital.  

The seven veterinary programs listed below all have veterinarians that are board certified in the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN)

Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine not only offers both Veterinary Nutrition and Applied Dairy Nutrition for Practitioners classes, but also has a nutrition services component within the teaching hospital. Students work directly with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to formulate specific diets to promote healing and recovery of their patients. They also assist pet owners with the formulation of balanced whole food diets for their pets to maintain health and optimal weight.

The University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine requires all the veterinary students to complete a Veterinary Nutrition course and offers an elective in Small Animal Nutrition. Within the teaching hospital, the students are taught obesity management and how to assist owners with the preparation of homemade diet formulations.

The University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine offers a small animal nutrition residency program. Residents spend over 70% of their time within the teaching hospital focusing on clinical nutrition of the hospital patients.

Tuft University, School of Veterinary Medicine offers Clinical Nutrition Services though their teaching hospital where students learn to provide the proper nutrition for hospitalized animals. Students are taught to formulate diets in accordance with the animal’s specific health needs. A two-year fellowship in small animal nutrition is available.

Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine requires Veterinary Clinical Nutrition course during the students’ second year of study and have elective courses available in equine, farm animal and small animal nutrition.  They have both nutritional consultation services and a clinical nutrition residency program within the veterinary teaching hospital.

University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine requires the veterinary students to complete a Veterinary Nutrition and offers other nutrition electives, including a small animal nutrition. A two-year residency program in clinical nutrition is available.

The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine has nutrition support services that assist pet owners with formulating homemade diets for animals suffering from cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, obesity, and other ailments.

Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, and North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine also offer some nutritional services for patients in their care but do not have board certified veterinary nutritionists on staff and do not list that they offer assistance in the formulation of homemade whole diets. 

Pet owners must lead the charge in making changes in the health care of their dogs. As nutritional consultation is requested more often by owners during their pets’ annual veterinary visits, it should become more common for small animal veterinarians to delve deeper into this essential part of animal health. Veterinary services at the veterinary teaching hospitals should continue to change at the demand of pet owners. It is likely that more programs will be offering more comprehensive nutritional consultation services as pet owners recognize the benefits of whole food, real food diets for their dogs. References 

AVMA Accredited Colleges of Veterinary Medicine https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Accredited-Colleges-June-2021.pdf

School List-7 Great Schools with Vet Nutrition Programs https://www.vettechcolleges.com/blog/7-great-schools-with-vet-nutrition-programs

Nutrition | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Nutrition Services | College of Veterinary Medicine (tennessee.edu)

Nutrition Service | School of Veterinary Medicine (ucdavis.edu)

Nutrition Support Service | Veterinary Medical Center (osu.edu)

Nutrition & Obesity - Cummings Veterinary Medical Center (tufts.edu)

Nutrition | Veterinary Teaching Hospital | Virginia Tech (vt.edu)

Nutrition Studies for Aspiring Veterinarians

Feed Real Institute

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