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. 2019 Oct;83(4):291-297.

Veterinarians' attitudes towards use of nutraceuticals

Susan M Elrod  1 , Erik H Hofmeister  1
Affiliations

Veterinarians' attitudes towards use of nutraceuticals

Susan M Elrod et al. Can J Vet Res. 2019 Oct.

Abstract
in English, French

The objective of this study was to assess veterinarians' understanding of nutraceutical use in humans and companion animals and their motivation and circumstances for recommending nutraceuticals to clients. We administered a cross-sectional survey to veterinarians attending continuing education sessions at the University of Georgia (USA) College of Veterinary Medicine from 2012 to 2015 (N = 126). Information regarding veterinarians' age, year of graduation, practice focus, and typical approaches to nutraceutical use was compiled from the returned surveys. The results indicated that veterinarians are more familiar with nutraceutical use in animals than in humans and primarily recommend nutraceuticals to their clients for preventative purposes and/or due to client interest. Veterinarians believed that nutraceuticals were most useful for osteoarthritis and therefore use omega-3 fatty acid and glucosamine/chondroitin products more often than other products for both their patients and their own pets. Safety and efficacy were the most important considerations when deciding which nutraceuticals to recommend to clients. The survey results show that veterinarians are familiar with nutraceuticals and open to their use in patients when they perceive these products to be safe and efficacious.

L’objectif de la présente étude était d’évaluer la compréhension des vétérinaires de l’utilisation des nutraceutiques chez les humains et les animaux de compagnie et leurs motivations et circonstances pour recommander des nutraceutiques aux clients. Nous avons réalisé une enquête transversale auprès de vétérinaires participant à des sessions de formation continue au College of Veterinary Medicine de l’University of Georgia (USA) entre 2012 et 2015 (N = 126). Les informations concernant l’âge, l’année de diplomation, le domaine de pratique, et les approches typiques à l’utilisation des nutraceutiques furent compilées à partir des questionnaires retournés par les vétérinaires. Les résultats indiquèrent que les vétérinaires sont plus familiers avec l’utilisation des nutraceutiques chez les animaux que chez les humains, et qu’ils recommandent les nutraceutiques à leurs clients à des fins préventives et/ou étant donné l’intérêt du client. Les vétérinaires croyaient que les nutraceutiques étaient les plus utiles lors d’ostéo-arthrose et ainsi utilisent des produits avec acides gras oméga-3 et glucosamine/chondroïtine plus souvent que les autres produits autant pour leurs patients que leurs propres animaux. La sécurité et l’efficacité étaient les facteurs les plus importants lors du choix des nutraceutiques à recommander aux clients. Les résultats de l’enquête démontrent que les vétérinaires sont familiers avec les nutraceutiques et sont favorables à leur utilisation chez des patients lorsqu’ils considèrent ces produits comme sécuritaires et efficaces.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Average ranking of importance of issues in determining whether veterinarians recommend nutraceuticals for their patients (N = 126).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average ranking of conditions for which veterinarians perceive nutraceuticals to be beneficial (N = 126).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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