Royal Canin today announced the launch of its new range of ICU liquid diets specifically designed for tube feeding. The ICU liquid diet range is the first of its kind in South Africa, and is perfect for meeting the nutritional needs of critically ill, hospitalised patients.

At CPD evenings around the country recently, Dr. Stanley Marks BVSc, PhD, DACVIM (Internal Medicine, Oncology), DACVN and a professor in the Medicine and Epidemiology department at the University of California Davis, delivered an impressive presentation on “What to do when cats and dogs won’t eat. Appetite stimulants, feeding tubes and dietary options”. Professor Marks expanded on the benefits of enteral feeding, placement of feeding tubes and practical application of appetite stimulants and proton pump inhibitors in everyday practice.

Before the launch of the Royal Canin ICU Liquid diet range, veterinarians and veterinary nurses needed to emulsify a canned diet in hopes of getting it liquidised enough to travel through a small diameter feeding tube.  This process requires a 1:1 dilution with water, which has proven to be time- consuming, messy, and often results in blocked enteral tubes. Further diluting the diet to fit through said tube would result in a belly full of fluid for the patient and a far cry from meeting the animal’s caloric requirements.

“When critically ill pets need to be fed, no time can be wasted,” says Dr Michelle Harman, Scientific Communications Manager Royal Canin South Africa. “We’ve heard from many of our veterinary colleagues and customers that the process for feeding critically ill patients needs to be improved. For the first time, South African veterinarians have access to a complete range of diets that provides tailor-made nutrition for hospitalised canine and feline patients in a preparation that is much easier to use.”

The products were tested in 12 small animal referral centres throughout South Africa with excellent feedback in terms of palatability, practicality and ease of use.  An adapted viscosity of all 5 liquid diets facilitates easy tube feeding no matter the tube size (this includes tubes with a diameter less than 10Fr). The special cap is designed to allow the charging of syringes directly from the bottles. Able to be kept for up to 48 hours in a refrigerator after opening, the 200ml bottles are sold in packs of 3.

During hospitalisation, malnutrition will worsen the metabolic status of patients, slowing the rate of recovery. Beyond simply offering a more convenient tube feeding option, Royal Canin’s ICU liquid diet range has formulas manufactured to suit a patient’s specific nutritional needs based on disease and physiological condition.

The ICU Liquid range consists of 5 distinct formulas:

• Recovery Liquid for Cats and Dogs –formula for generalised conditions in a critically ill patient
• Renal Liquid for Cats – formula for cats suffering renal disease or any condition requiring protein and/or phosphorus restriction
• Renal Liquid for Dogs – formula for dogs suffering renal disease or any condition requiring protein and/or phosphorus restriction
• GI Low Fat Liquid for Dogs – Formula for dogs suffering a disease or condition requiring dietary fat restriction
• GI High Energy Liquid for Dogs – a highly digestible, energy dense formula for dogs suffering digestive disorders and/or requiring high energy in smaller meal volumes

“Royal Canin is dedicated to creating a better world for pets,” said Charles Nuez, General Manager Royal Canin South Africa. “These new liquid formulae are the nutritional answer for hospitalised patients and will inevitably improve the lives of cats and dogs in South Africa”

The new ICU range is available for immediate ordering by veterinarians.