Pet nutrition essentials: making sure your pet is getting the right nutrition

Nutrition can get complicated, and finding the right food for our pets is hard.

So, let’s simplify it (as much as we can, anyway): dogs and cats need a balanced diet containing protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, minerals and water.

Cats need a bit more protein than dogs and need something called taurine somewhere in their diet.

Sounds easy, right? Well, sadly, it’s not that simple.

When you start thinking about nutritional needs by size, age, obesity, digestive problems, their energy levels and if they even like the food you’re giving them, pinning down “good” cat or dog food gets harder.

Don’t worry: we’re here to make pet nutrition easier, even if you’re no nutritionist.

Key takeaways - pet nutrition

• Dogs and cats aren’t the same: Dogs are omnivores and can handle a varied diet, while cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need a meat-based diet with 11 essential amino acids - taurine included.

• Six nutrients are needed in every healthy diet: Protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and, of course, water.

• Read the ingredients list: Named protein sources like "chicken" and "beef" on a label are good signs. Unnamed meat sources or a word you can’t pronounce? Worth investigating.

• Life stage matters more than you'd think: Puppies and kittens need extra protein and calories; senior pets typically need food that's easy to digest and supports their joints and muscle mass.

• Some ingredients are best avoided entirely: BHA, BHT, artificial colours, xylitol in dog food, and propylene glycol in cat food can all cause harm.

• Look for food that meets quality standards: As governed by FEDIAF and UK, pet food labelling laws. This ensures your pet’s food is nutritionally sound.

What’s “good” pet nutrition?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines nutrition as the ‘intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs’. It’s a complicated way of saying eating things that make bodies work and feel good.

The WHO wrote that definition for humans, but it applies to animals, too.Pets rely on us for food, and they need things that keep their bodies working well.

So, what is good nutrition for dogs and cats? How can we tell?

While nutrition is complex, there are signs that your pet's nutrition is in good shape. These include:

• A body condition score (BCS) and weight within the healthy range.

• A clean coat.

• Not excessively scavenging or begging for food.

• Not trying to eat inedible items (known as Pica).

• Solid stools of normal consistency and colour.

• Strong energy levels.

Cat vs dog nutrition - the main differences

Assessing your individual pet’s needs

But what does this mean when it comes to what you put in their bowl? When tailoring a diet for your pet you may need to consider factors like:

• Activity level

• Age

• Health conditions

• Likes and dislikes

• Personality

• Size

• Weight or body condition score

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Like us, different pets need different food, but we do have some rough guidelines by age and size.

How much to feed cats and dogs by age

Always follow the packet guidelines for exact feeding amounts for your pet’s weight/size, as these will vary between different diets and brands.

You should be feeding for your pet’s ideal body weight. Speak to your vet for advice on this.

What do I need to know about nutrients?

Pets need macronutrients, like proteins and carbohydrates, and micronutrients, like vitamins, at the right levels for their age, sex and breed.

In total, there are 37 nutrients your pet needs. But the main things to be aware of are:

• Carbohydrates

• Fat

• Fibre

• Key micronutrients

• Protein

So, what do these all do, and why does your pet need them?

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body’s primary energy source. They include starches, like potatoes, sugars, like honey, and fibre sources.

This is what gives your pet the energy to run around and run normal metabolic processes in the body.

Protein

Protein helps build and repair muscle fibres. It's also essential for new skin cells, growing hair and assisting in hormone production.

Good levels of protein help your pet stay athletic and maintain their healthy coat.

Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are ten essential amino acids for cats and dogs:

• Arginine: Helps blood circulation.

• Histidine: Is an important component of haemoglobin which is essential for oxygen circulation.

• Isoleucine, leucine, and valine: Aids protein synthesis and help muscle development.

• Lysine: Has a role in collagen formation and immune function.

• Methionine: Gives your pet healthy skin.

• Phenylalanine: For their thyroid and adrenal glands.

• Threonine: Maintains gut health and supports immune function.

• Tryptophan: Regulates circadian rhythm, which helps your pet sleep.

Some amino acids can be made in the body. Others need to come from your pet’s diet.

But you don't need to know the exact science behind these. Just know that ingredients that contain the complete range of amino acids are usually animal in origin, like chicken, beef, fish, turkey and eggs.

Why is taurine important?

Taurine is an essential amino acid for cats as it's important for heart function. Without this amino acid, which is found in most meat and fish, cats can become very unwell. It can be supplemented, too.

Fat

Fat may be dense in calories, but it’s essential to keep mammals going. It helps massively with hormones, and it allows vitamins to be absorbed. Fats act as an energy store for cats and dogs to call on in times of illness and recovery. Fat also provides flavour which can help with palatability.

Within these are essential fatty acids (EFAs), which you’ve probably heard of: omega-3 and 6. EFAs have natural anti-inflammatory effects so they can be useful to manage conditions like arthritis and allergic skin disease.

Speak to your vet if you want advice on the best and safest ways to supplement your pet with EFAs.

Fibre

Fibre helps regulate the speed at which food is digested, meaning it keeps your pet's stools regular and allows nutrients to get absorbed properly.

Choosing the right diet for your pet's nutritional needs

So, how do you pick the right diet? What do you actually feed your pet? What's the best option?

Is it commercial pet food? A homemade diet? Or a raw diet?

Perhaps a vet has recommended a specialty diet, like a prescription-based one, for your pet.

We’ll discuss each type below.

Vegetarian or vegan diet

Dogs can survive and thrive on a vegetarian or vegan diet if it's specially formulated by a veterinary nutritionist.

Don't feed a vegetarian or vegan diet to them without the help of a veterinary nutritionist as it's easy to accidentally cause nutritional imbalances. This can make your dog very unwell quickly.

Cats can't survive on a vegetarian or vegan diet; they’re obligate carnivores, so they need animal sources of nutrition. Cats therefore should never be fed a vegetarian or vegan diet, even for short periods.

Commercial pet food

This is the most popular food for pets. The majority have everything a pet needs, but make sure to pick one that is appropriate for your pet’s age, size, and lifestyle.

Seeing a named protein/meat source at the top of the ingredients list is a good sign. Your chosen diet should come with feeding guidelines so that you can accurately work out what your pet needs. Plus the company should have vets who specialise in nutrition working on their team.

We recommend sticking to one brand once your pet is used to it, but don’t pay over the odds, and don’t be afraid to try brands you’ve not heard of, once you’ve done a bit of research.

Check it has everything your pet needs, and always follow the feeding guidelines as a starting point.

Homemade diet

Some owners like to make their own food for their pets. The only thing to pay attention to here is making sure you meet your pet’s nutritional needs. Using a veterinary nutritionist is key to feeding a homemade diet as it’s easy to accidentally cause nutritional deficiencies or imbalances.

Pay very close attention to what food you use, as some common household foods can be toxic to cats and dogs. If unsure, ask your veterinarian for advice.

We recommend looping in your vet if you decide to do this.

Raw diet

Some pets love a raw diet and thrive on it. However, it does carry risks, and it’s quite a controversial subject.

Chat with your vet before starting this.

Speciality diet

Sometimes, your pet will need a speciality diet, especially if they have food allergies.

Do your research if you need to do this, and always be in communication with your vet so they can help advise on the right type of speciality diet.

How to read pet food labels properly

You can’t feed your pet the right diet if you don’t know how to read labels. Food companies must follow strict regulations, listing each ingredient and a nutritional overview of their products.

Take time to read the ingredients list of your pet’s food: is there anything in there they can’t have? This is particularly important if your pet suffers from allergies.

Chicken-flavoured dog food may still contain small amounts of beef, for example. A good quality pet food will explicitly name the animal protein source in their ingredients list such as ‘chicken’ which gives us more information than just generic ‘meat and animal derivatives’.

Don’t be put off by terms like animal by-products; these are just the parts of animal that are less popular for human consumption, like offal. This organ-meat is still nutritionally dense and your dog won’t mind one bit!

Other terms, like ‘meal’, just means meat that has been dried and ground into small particles. It's a concentrated form of protein which is part of the manufacturing process, and again it still contains the nutrients you would expect meat to contain.

In fact you should be more wary of misleading claims, like ‘human-grade meat’, which is not a legally defined term in the UK; it's a fairly meaningless marketing phrase.

Does cost matter?

Commonly, people assume more expensive food is better, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, food is more expensive as it’s for a particular life stage, like for seniors, not because it’s better.

Other foods may be more expensive as they have added nutritional products such as glucosamine and chondroitin. These raw ingredients can be costly to add to a diet, and not always needed in young or healthy animals.

Some foods will proudly list fancy ingredients in bold on the front of their packet like ‘blueberries’ or ‘wild trout’, when the diet actually only contains them in very small amounts. Check that ingredients list again, and speak to your vet for their advice and recommendations.

Overall, you should make a note of the:

• Additives: These can be things like colourings and flavourings your pet may not like or have intolerances to, but they can also be healthy stuff like amino acids and vitamins.

• Feeding guidelines: This is usually a serving size recommendation. If there isn't a serving suggestion, then the product may not be compliant with regulations.

• Ingredients: Check to see if it has anything your pet can’t have, and look at the amounts of each ingredient too. Ingredients are listed by weight, so the higher up the list it is, the more that food contains.

• Nutrients: Check to see if this matches what your dog needs.

For more information on reading pet food labels check out the UK Pet Food website.

Supplementing your pet's diet

Sometimes, you need to supplement a pet’s diet. This may be due to higher-than-average vitamin needs or an inability to extract certain nutrients from food, for example, in conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.

Generally, if you decide to supplement, check with your vet first. You should also always follow the instructions, as some supplements need to be taken with food.

Always follow the recommended dosages too. Vitamins are good for pets, but too much of them can lead to health issues.

Monitoring your pet's health and diet

As with anything, monitor your pet. Are they enjoying their diet? Putting on weight? Less energy?

Sometimes, you may just need to switch pet food. However, if your pet’s appetite decreases significantly, they lose interest in exercise, or if they lose a lot of weight, always go to your vet: these can be major warning signs of ill health.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the six essential nutrients that all pets need?

According to The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards, the six fundamental nutrients that support life and function in pets are protein, fat, carbohydrates (including fibre), vitamins, minerals, and water. They all play major roles, from keeping cells ticking to producing energy.

What protein levels should I look for in dog and cat food?

For dogs, AAFCO sets minimum dietary protein at 18% dry matter for adults and 22.5% for growing puppies.

Cats need higher levels as obligate carnivores, needing minimum protein levels of 26% dry matter for adult maintenance and 30% for growth.

Why do cats have different nutritional requirements than dogs?

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they get all of their essential nutrients from meat. Dogs, meanwhile, are omnivores, so they can synthesise some amino acids themselves and eat from other food groups.

This means cats need 41 essential nutrients compared to 37 in dogs. Their diet means they need other animal-based nutrients like taurine to function, and cats lack some enzymes dogs have, like those used to convert plants into vitamins, like vitamin A (they need to get this from animal liver or fats).

How do I know if a pet food meets quality standards?

In the UK, pet food is governed by the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF). A food that meets its standards will contain all of the essential nutrients for that species, at the correct levels.

The food should have something like this stated on its label: "Correct and balanced according to FEDIAF guidelines".

The pet food should also meet UK labelling standards and have the following information clearly visible:

• A batch number and best before date

• Analytical constituents (a more detailed breakdown of nutrients, like fat, fibre, protein)

• Feeding guidelines

• Ingredients list

• List of additives used

• Manufacturer name and address

Information like this means the pet food is traceable and has quality.

Is wet food better than dry food?

It depends on what your pet likes! Wet food has a bit more moisture, which can help with hydration, especially in cats, but dry food is a lot more convenient.

As long as you’re listening to your pet and their body, they can do well on either (or a combination of both).

Should dogs eat grain-free food?

A vet will only put a dog on a grain-free diet if they suspect allergies; it isn’t needed otherwise.