Our mission is to explore innovations in pet nutrition based on a firm foundation of nutritional science. Our research investigates new ideas in pet nutrition; how changing their food can help to give them longer, healthier lives.

The OVC Pet Nutrition Team is led by Dr. Adronie Verbrugghe. After graduating as a companion animal veterinarian (DVM) from Ghent University, Belgium in 2005, she continued her education in companion animal nutrition at the same university. She finished her PhD focusing on nutritional modulation of carbohydrate metabolism in cats in 2009 and became a European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (Diplomat ECVCN) in 2010. Currently, Dr. Verbrugghe is an associate professor and Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. The major goals of this position at OVC are to enhance nutrition education among veterinary professionals, to promote companion animal nutrition research and to provide a referral nutrition consultation service.

Research conducted by the Pet Nutrition team at the Ontario Veterinary College focuses on how advances in nutrition can optimize the life of pets, utilizing the voluntary recruitment of client-owned hospital patients, on-campus research facilities and our specialized team. Special areas of interest include canine and feline metabolism, microbiome and metabolomics, obesity and body composition, nutrient bioavailability in disease process, client communication and special interests, as well as growing ingredient and feeding trends. Some of the research technology utilized by our highly-skilled team includes Duel-energy X-Ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and indirect calorimetry.