Macahl Animal Health, a new veterinary company which took over the manufacture and distribution of Oralade in the summer, is to make its first appearance at the London Vet Show later this month. 

The company will be highlighting its Feed Don’t Fast campaign designed to encourage veterinary professionals to take a much more proactive approach to the early feeding of patients to improve patient outcomes.

Macahl Director Anthony Mackle said, “The Feed Don’t Fast campaign is gathering momentum. We’ve been encouraged by the feedback we’ve had from veterinary practices starting to look at the nutritional needs of their in-patients much earlier than they did before. Rather than waiting to see if a patient will eat or not, they are starting to be more nutritionally-aware, and prioritising feeding in the same way that they prioritise the administration of clinical care or medication. The case studies we’ve received show a clear benefit in early nutrition assisting recovery.

“But we don’t want to sit back and wait for the message to make its own way round: it’s an urgent need. We have to flip the notion of delaying feeding or fasting patients until the gut settles down or they have recovered from whatever condition they were admitted for. Science has moved on. The protocols for human patients recommend early intervention with appropriate nutrition and we need to get this message out to give the same benefits to our pet patients. This is why the educational message of Feed Don’t Fast is so important.”

Macahl says it is making education a key feature of its stand at London Vet Show with technical updates on early feeding of patients and the opportunity to sign up for nutrition and critical care feeding webinars. Staff will be on hand to explain the benefits of early day 1 microenteral feeding to help with the optimal functioning of the gut, and maintenance of the gut-associated lymphoid barrier. The company will be offering a special buy-two-get-one-free LVS promotion on its leading microenteral and rehydration product, Oralade, as well as giving away free dog- and cat-shaped ice cube trays to encourage practice staff to freeze left-over product for further use.

A new website, www.oralade.com will also be launched at London Vet Show which will allow veterinary professionals to access educational materials and videos, and sign up for new and recent webinars.

For more information, visit: www.feeddontfast.co.uk or telephone Macahl Animal Health on (0)28 8778 9245

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