[Animal nutrition in veterinary science]

In the past, emphasis was on deficiencies in relation to nutrition and animal health, but nowadays it is more on the relevance of nutrition (or nutrients) to the aetiology and prevention of disease. This is illustrated by an outline of the association between the (over)feeding of dairy cattle before and around calving and the incidence of diseases that frequently occur post calving. The nutritional management of clinical diseases and the application of enteral or tube feeding is nowadays part of modern pet animal practice. The difference between a nutrient and a medicine is becoming vague and the application of recombinant DNA-technics offers new and interesting possibilities to increase the medicinal value of certain feeds. These trends in animal health care together with the wish of clients to be informed of the feeding of their animals, either pet animal of farm animal, greatly increase the demand for knowledge and skill of animal nutrition. The current veterinary medicine curriculum does not allow sufficient time for students to gain the necessary knowledge and skill in animal nutrition. Therefore specialists in veterinary nutrition are needed who can advice the providers of veterinary nutritional and other health care services in order to use optimal the nutritional support possibilities in animal health care as well as in improving productivity.