PET Food Processing - October 2021 - 58

ACADEMIC PARTNERS
UNIVERSITY OF
GUELPH
Research and application of pets' nutritional needs is center stage.
A
The University of
Guelph's involvement
with the pet food and
treat industry centers
around research into
companion animal nutrition
management for
healthy pets and clinical
nutrition management
for pets with diseases.
University of Guelph
At the University of Guelph, Dr. Kate Shoveller, animal
nutritionist at the Ontario Agricultural College, and
Dr. Adronie Verbrugghe, veterinary nutritionist at the
Ontario Veterinary College, collaborate on the application
of research and innovation within the pet food and
products market. They support research into companion
animal nutrition management for healthy pets and
clinical nutrition management for pets with diseases.
Shoveller and Verbrugghe research fundamentals
of pet nutrition including nutrient requirements and
metabolic responses to diets as well as the effect of clinical
nutrition and dietary supplements in the treatment
of disease in dogs and cats. Other areas of research include
the effects of environmental management such
as frequency of feeding, light cycles, and temperature
fluctuations on physiological responses. Overall, the
team works with animal ethologists and behaviorists,
consumer market experts, and veterinary specialists to
conduct such research.
The university has an extrusion facility for human
food, and it collaborates with other universities,
such as the University of Alberta and University of
Saskatchewan, that have product development expertise.
It also works with industrial partners for product innovation.
In these scenarios, the industrial partners donate
the product as a contribution to the research.
Research conducted by the University of Guelph also
explores digestibility, metabolism, body composition,
energy and macronutrient metabolism, behavior and
welfare, and food quality. The university collaborates
with veterinary specialists including gastroenterologists,
cardiologists, oncologists and renal experts. To conduct
all this research, it has cats and dogs bred specifically
for this purpose. Additionally, it uses sporting dogs
through a relationship with a local sled dog kennel and
sometimes uses client-owned dogs. Its patients are recruited
through the Ontario Veterinary College's Health
Sciences Center Small Animal Hospital and through local
veterinary specialty clinics.
An advanced animal nutrition course is available to
all undergraduates who have met the prerequisites.
Comparative nutrition is a graduate level course and
covers all species, but is particularly focused on nonagricultural
animal nutrition. Additionally, canine and
feline clinical nutrition for prevention and treatment of
disease is taught to all veterinary students. The university
is also looking to add a pet food minor in the future.
Currently, graduate students focusing on pet nutrition
have options in a variety of programs including animal
nutrition, food science, animal behavior, clinical studies,
biomedical sciences and population medicine.
The university works closely with the industry in part
due to federal and provincial matching programs that allow
the industry to use federal funds to accelerate innovation
with a team of academics.
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PET Food Processing - October 2021

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