Course Description:  As nutrition is the foundation, ensuring a healthy skin and coat must consider the total health of the patient and its nutrition. The skin is a large and metabolically active organ whose primary function is to protect the body from injury and infection. The haircoat will insulate from cold weather but also protect from heat, sunlight or topical irritants. Deficiencies of key essential nutrients can result in abnormal development of skin and hair, changes in the skin barrier, hair color or texture, inflammation or even hair loss. Systemic diseases may also affect skin health and proper medical management of comorbidities must be considered in the total patient care plan. An optimized nutrition plan to support skin and coat health will be reviewed including essential nutrients for skin formation, maintenance and repair such as energy, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, as well as strategic nutrients and supplements used balance inflammatory states or support the skin/gut microbiome.  Nutrients may come from a well-planned diet along with strategic supplements.  This discussion will include nutrients needed to support skin and haircoat along with those that may help patients with challenges such as primary skin disorders or skin conditions secondary to systemic diseases.

Learning Objectives
1) Review the physiology and function of skin and haircoat
2) Learn key nutrients required for proper health of skin and haircoat as well as a healthy inflammatory response that can effect these
3) Understand nutritional interventions that support formation, maintenance and repair of skin and coat, including strategic nutrients to support healthy inflammation, and the skin/gut microbiome.  Specific challenges will be discussed and addressed

NAVTA members, please join us for a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, June 27 at 7:00PM ET. NAVTA President Jamie Rauscher, LVT will provide an update of the latest happenings and initiatives from the last six months. We will also be joined by the AVMA President-Elect candidates who will share highlights of their vision for AVMA and its efforts in continuing to work with NAVTA to improve the veterinary industry.

Description: This program is a continuing education presentation targeted toward a veterinary technician audience and is part of the Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. Tech Champions Program. The goal of the program is to empower veterinary technicians to educate feline pet owners on the importance of year-round protection from endo- and ectoparasites, including the related potential health risks from fleas, ticks, heartworm disease, hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms. By pairing technical information on parasitology with communication tools and techniques, veterinary technicians will leave this presentation with a solid foundation of how these parasites can affect feline patients and a strategy on how to get more cats protected.

Learning Objectives:
1. Learn about the typical feline patient and the current status of year-round parasite protection for US pet cats.
2. Review why pet cats need protection against fleas, ticks, heartworm disease, roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms, with a focus on indoor-only cats and how indoor infestations/infectious can occur.
3. Explore strategies to get more cats into the clinic and more cat owners to leave with a preventative product, including advice on communicating with owners.