The current VIN date & time: Eastern

VIN NUTR116-1222: Nutritional Management of Senior Dogs and Cats

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Presenter: Rae Sires, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Course Open: December 5-22, 2022
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Monday, December 12, 2022; 8:00-10:00 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 2
RACE Category: 2 hours Medical


Enrollment is closed.  

Tuition: Member $46 ($41 early bird special if enrolled by November 21, 2022)
Non-Member $110 ($99 early bird special if enrolled by November 21, 2022)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


Course Information:
Senior dog and cat nutritional requirements may differ from those of healthy, younger animals. The purpose of this course is to discuss these changes and how they can be addressed through nutritional assessment, diet selection, and client education. What constitutes a food marketed for a “senior”? Should I recommend all older pets be fed a food marketed for seniors? Are these foods safe to feed younger housemates? When is a commercial senior diet not recommended for a senior pet? At the end of this course, participants should gain knowledge and tools to evaluate commercial pet foods marketed for senior dogs and cats and feel comfortable providing recommendations to pet owners wanting to feed these products.


Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • discuss nutritional assessment focusing on senior dogs and cats
  • discuss formulation of senior dog and cat foods relative to NRC requirements and AAFCO regulations
  • compare commercial dog and cat foods marketed for healthy adult versus healthy seniors
  • discuss example feeding plans


Level and Prerequisites: This intermediate VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary support personnel interested in canine and feline senior nutrition.
Accreditation: This course is approved for 2 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-943908)


Course Agenda:

Week 1 (Real Time Session December 12, 2022): Nutritional Management of Senior Dogs and Cats
Presenter: Rae Sires, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Senior dog and cat nutritional requirements may differ from those of healthy, younger animals. The purpose of this course is to discuss these changes and how they can be addressed through nutritional assessment, diet selection, and client education.


Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.


Enrollment is closed.  

Tuition: Member $46 ($41 early bird special if enrolled by November 21, 2022)
Non-Member $110 ($99 early bird special if enrolled by November 21, 2022)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on December 5, 2022 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.


Enrollment qualifications:
  1. VIN CE Courses:
    1. VIN CE courses are open to VIN member, VIN student member, and non-member veterinarians.
    2. Veterinary support staff must be VSPN members in order to enroll in a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. VSPN CE Courses:
    1. VSPN CE courses are open to veterinary support staff and veterinarians.
    2. Only VIN and VSPN members can enroll in a VSPN CE course.
    3. Veterinarians will only receive credit for those VSPN CE courses that specify in the Accreditation statement that the course is accredited for veterinarians.
  3. Please check the course Level and Prerequisites, Accreditation, and Tuition before enrolling.
  4. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses.
    1. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  5. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN@vin.com. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.


Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services: CEonVIN@vin.com
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357