As of 2015, student-athletes are no longer the only ones on campus with food preparation facilities. After the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine received an in-kind donation from Nestle Purina PetCare Company, small animals now have a similar nutrition center in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital on the first floor of the SVM.
According to SVM public relations director Ginger Guttner, the Purina Nutrition Center includes food for exotic pets and small domestic animals. Guttner said the center allows for more efficiency in locating food in the veterinary hospital because all the products are individually packaged with easy-to-read labels.
The PNC went into operation last month.
“We had a food room before Purina’s donation — it’s just much more efficient now,” Guttner said. “It’s very easy now to go in and get stuff, and it’s very good for our patients.”
Each canister in the nutrition center contains either dry or canned food for various small animals. Students and faculty members can use the contained food for the teaching hospital’s patients 24/7, and the supply is not limited to Purina brand, Guttner said.
Other available food products include baby food, chicken and treats. Guttner said appliances, such as a refrigerator and a dishwasher, are available to prepare patients’ meals.
According to an SVM news release, the Purina Nutrition Center is different from the previous food preparation room because it allows the teaching hospital to carry and send home multiple food samples to animals with transitioning diets.
Patient weight loss plans and accessible computerized nutrition modules are another feature unique to the new center.
Preveterinary medicine sophomore Andrew Vaughn said he is excited to have the nutrition center on campus because it will make it easier for new veterinarians to make informed decisions about food recommendations for future clients.
“I have not personally used it yet, but I have had to prepare prescription meals for animals before, and organization is key to make that happen,” Vaughn said. “The new nutrition center appears to have that level of organization.”
Guttner said there is currently no nutritionist on staff working in the Purina Nutrition Center. The students and faculty members are primarily making the decisions about their patients’ diets.
“It’s great because the Purina center exposes the students to a variety of different therapeutic and maintenance diets,” Guttner said. “I think there’s a lot they can learn from it.”