Nutritional Support

Question 1

What does convalescence mean?

Answer 1

time spent recovering from illness or medical treatment

Question 2

which nursing considerations should be taken?

Answer 2

TPR
holistic- whole patient
grooming
wound management
owner visits while in hospitalisation

Question 3

What are the types of feeding tubes?

Answer 3

naso-gastric
oesophagostomy
gastrotomy
jejunostomy

Question 4

What will happen if an animal does not eat?

Answer 4

body will use up all of its glucose and when it runs out goes into fat storage for nutrients

Question 5

How can we provide nutritional support?

Answer 5

warming up/mashing/liquidising food to syringe.

identifying and placing feeding tubes

Question 6

What is parenteral nutrition?

Answer 6

iv feeding of a solution providing nutrients and calories to patients that cannot tolerate enteral nutrition or may not be fed by mouth

Question 7

What are disadvantages to parenteral nutrition?

Answer 7

hyperglycaemia, sepsis rate, high infection rate

Question 8

What are indications that a patient would need nutritional support?

Answer 8

anorexia: poor BCS, loss of muscle mass
malnutrition cases from treatment or refusal to eat
injury or damage to structures the patient requires
blood glucose levels

Question 9

How do we care for patients with naso-gastric feeding tubes?

Answer 9

flushing to ensure placement and patency before and after
changing dressings and cleaning area
grooming

Question 10

What is the ideal diet for convalescence?

Answer 10

palatable and highly digestible
high fat/protein/carbohydrate
small, manageable meals

Question 11

What is the difference between diazepam and mirtazapine?

Answer 11

Diazepam- extreme hunger,

• possible pancreatitis or renal problems
• sedation effects may have a negative effect on appetite

Mirtazapine- anti-sickness for cats with renal problems

• weight gain
• tablet form: difficult for anorexic or unwilling to eat