Use of Therapeutic Diets not Related to Weight Loss

When the nutritional assessment indicates a patient may benefit from consuming a purpose-formulated therapeutic diet, the clinician needs to focus on specific nutrients of concern (Table 8). When a patient has a single disease condition and no additional nuanced feeding or diet requirements, it may be adequate to simply choose a therapeutic diet designed for the disease. In diseases in which diagnostics and staging affect nutrients of concern (e.g., CKD) or when patients have multiple disease conditions and/or additional feeding or diet requirements, consider all nutrients of concern before selecting a diet. Otherwise, it is easy to overlook a nutrient of concern and inhibit or negate the treatment plan for the patient’s condition. For example, if a dog receiving a low-fat diet to manage chronic pancreatitis is diagnosed with CKD, a dietary change to address the CKD may result in recurrent pancreatitis symptoms if both disease conditions are not considered.