The current VIN date & time: Eastern

VIN Canine and Feline Nutritional Tools (NUTR110) Self Study

This course is a self-paced, non-interactive course.

Presenter: Catherine Lenox, DVM, Diplomate ACVN
Course Open: July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022
Total CE Credit: 2.5
RACE Category: 2.5 hours Medical

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Course Information:
This course is intended to review tools used in nutrition practice, as well as basic principles of canine and feline nutrition. This two-hour course will focus on nutritional assessment tools, differences between canine and feline nutrition, a brief overview of pet food label interpretation, and a discussion of dietary options for dogs and cats.

To earn a certificate of completion the participant must complete all learning modules and score 80% or better on the end-of-course test. Completion of the course will take a minimum of 146 minutes. Participants must complete the participation requirements by December 31, 2022 to be eligible for a certificate.

To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • Review the importance of nutrition in canine and feline practice
  • Discuss the importance of the nutritional assessment process
  • Discuss methods of assessing the nutritional status of a patient
  • Review calculations that assist in making a nutritional recommendation
  • Discuss dietary options for dogs and cats
  • Review the unique nutritional specificities of cats
  • Discuss the basics of pet food labeling
  • Understand the limitation of the information on a bag or can of pet food

Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE self-study course is open for enrollment to veterinarians actively interested in canine and feline nutrition. This course is open to VIN only.
RACE Accreditation: This non-interactive course is approved for 2.5 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians. (RACE 22-42306)

Course Agenda:

Module 1: Introduction
Total Time: 32 minutes
Video: 32 minutes
Polls: 1

Module 2: Nutritional Status
Total Time: 32 minutes
Video: 32 minutes
Polls: 4

Module 3: Dietary Options
Total Time: 30 minutes
Video: 30 minutes
Polls: 3

Module 4: Pet Food
Total Time: 31 minutes
Video: 31 minutes
Polls: 2

Module 5: End of Course Test
Total Time: 20 minutes
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.

Module 6: Course Evaluation

To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive self-study CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.


Enrollment is closed.


Tuition: VIN Member $58
Prices are listed in US dollars.

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

  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . 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 starting the course. If you wish to withdraw after you have started this self-study course, please contact the VSPN 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:
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