Feed Them Right: Pet Nutrition Made Simple

Start at the back of the bag, not the front. The single most important line is the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement, which tells you whether the food is "complete and balanced" for growth, maintenance, or all life stages — and whether that was proven by formulation or by feeding trials. In Canada, AAFCO profiles are still the practical benchmark, though CFIA oversight of pet food is lighter than in the USA, so the statement and the manufacturer's transparency matter even more.

Ingredients are listed by pre-cooking weight, which is why fresh meat often appears first even when meal or by-product provides most of the protein. Named ingredients ("chicken meal", "salmon oil") tell you more than vague ones ("meat and bone meal", "animal fat"). The guaranteed analysis gives minimum protein and fat and maximum fibre and moisture — to compare wet with dry food fairly, convert to a dry matter basis or simply compare calories per 100 grams.

• Look for: a life-stage AAFCO statement, a named protein source, a kcal/cup or kcal/can figure, and a manufacturer contact and lot code.
• Be sceptical of: "human grade" and "holistic" (largely unregulated marketing), grain-free claims without a nutritional reason, and added sugars, artificial dyes, or unnamed by-product blends.

There is no single best format. There is a best fit for your pet's health, your budget, and your ability to handle food safely.

The AVMA, CDC, and Canadian public health agencies all advise against feeding raw meat diets in homes with young children, seniors, or anyone immunosuppressed. If you feed raw anyway, treat the kitchen like a butcher shop: dedicated boards, sanitized bowls, and thorough handwashing.

Calories and nutrient ratios change with age, and feeding the wrong stage for too long has real consequences.

• Puppies and kittens: higher protein, fat, calcium, and DHA for brain development. Feed three to four small meals daily until about six months. Large-breed puppies need a large-breed formula with controlled calcium to protect growing joints.
• Adults (1–7 years): maintenance formulas, two measured meals a day. Neutered pets need roughly 20 to 30 percent fewer calories than intact ones — adjust the portion at the time of surgery, not after weight gain shows.
• Seniors (7+, or 5+ for giant breeds): often fewer calories but more highly digestible protein to preserve muscle, plus omega-3s and joint support. Senior cats are the exception — many lose weight and need more calories and softer, warmed food.

Transition between foods over seven to ten days, mixing increasing proportions of the new diet, to avoid digestive upset.

Treats should stay under ten percent of daily calories. That budget is easier to protect when the treats themselves are simple.

• Homemade for dogs: frozen plain pumpkin and yogurt cubes, dehydrated sweet potato slices, single-ingredient baked chicken strips, or a frozen stuffed rubber toy for a hot afternoon.
• Homemade for cats: plain freeze-dried chicken or salmon flakes, a few cooked shrimp, or a spoon of the water from a can of tuna in spring water.
• Store-bought worth buying: single-ingredient freeze-dried meat treats, VOHC-accepted dental chews, and small soft training treats you can break into pea-sized pieces.
• Skip: rawhide, cooked bones, jerky with added glycerin and sugar, and anything with a long list of colours and preservatives.

A complete and balanced diet already covers most needs, so supplements should solve a specific problem rather than act as insurance. Three have solid evidence behind them:

• Omega-3s (EPA/DHA from fish oil): genuinely helpful for arthritis, itchy skin, kidney disease, and cognitive health. Dose by body weight and buy a reputable brand tested for oxidation and heavy metals.
• Probiotics: useful during and after antibiotics, stress colitis, or diet transitions. Choose a veterinary product with a guaranteed live count at expiry.
• Joint support (glucosamine, chondroitin, green-lipped mussel): modest but real benefit, best started early in large breeds rather than as a rescue.

Skip calcium supplements unless prescribed, never give human multivitamins, and always tell your vet what you are giving — some supplements interact with medications.

Roughly half of dogs and cats in the USA and Canada are overweight, and it is the most preventable health problem in pets. Excess weight shortens lifespan, worsens arthritis, and drives feline diabetes.

Use body condition scoring rather than the scale alone. On a nine-point scale, an ideal pet scores 4 or 5: you can feel ribs easily with flat palm pressure, there is a visible waist when viewed from above, and a tucked abdomen from the side. Every point above 5 is roughly ten percent over ideal weight.

• Weigh food with a kitchen scale, and feed from the calorie target your vet sets, not the bag's generous range.
• Cut treats first, and switch to using part of the daily ration as rewards.
• Aim for 1 to 2 percent body weight loss per week — faster is unsafe, especially for cats.
• Add movement gradually: more short walks for dogs, hunting-style play and food puzzles for cats.
• Recheck weight monthly and adjust; plateaus are normal and usually mean hidden calories.