Pet Nutrition FAQs: Expert Answers to Your Most Common Questions
Confused about what’s best for your pet’s diet? From home-cooked meals and vegetarian diets to the benefits of canned vs. dry food. Get science-backed insights and expert advice to help you make informed decisions about your furry companion’s diet.
1. Are home cooked diets adequate for my pet?
They can be, if they are complete and balanced. Home cooked diets, by definition, cannot be tested for adequacy (as opposed to commercial diets, which may undergo chemical nutrient analysis or feeding trials), thus, it is important that a veterinarian specialized in nutrition formulates the diet and that your pet is under careful veterinary supervision while a homecooked diet is being fed. This involves twice yearly examinations and blood work testing, or even more often in the case of pets with certain chronical medical conditions. The benefit for a homecooked diet is that is allows for the diet to be custom made to your dog or cat’s preferences, health status, and with ingredients that are easy to source for you.
2. Can I safely use recipes for home cooked diets found in books and online?
Not really. Some diets that are available online or that are printed in books may have ingredients that are harmful to a dog or cats (such as garlic, which is a known toxic plant for many dogs and all cats) or have nutritional deficiencies that will make them harmful if fed long-term. Generic recipes, besides not being customized to your dog or cat, can have several problems: be formulated by people who lack training or understanding of dog and cat nutritional needs, include outdated recommendations, be unbalanced and have serious nutritional deficiencies, and can be difficult to prepare. As long as there are no toxic ingredients, some generic recipes may be ok to feed as a single snack or treat, but should not replace the primary meals unless formulated by someone with training in veterinary nutrition.
3. Are bones and raw meat beneficial for my pet’s dental health?
No. Dogs do like to chew, but aside from the risk of bacterial contamination on raw bones, hard bones can fracture teeth and if ingested whole or in shards can cause obstructions and perforations anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, while teeth may appear cleaner and have less tartar build-up when pets are fed bones or collagen chews, there is no difference in the presence of gum disease between dogs fed raw meat and bones and those fed more conventional dry and canned diets.
4. Are vegetarian diets adequate for pets?
Cats are obligate carnivores. Cats cannot thrive on vegetarian diets and these types of diets should not be fed to cats. Dogs can potentially receive all their required nutrients from a vegetarian diet, but the company producing these diets should be carefully evaluated because these diets are harder to formulate and many vegetarian sourced nutrients are not as easily absorbed and metabolized by dogs as animal-sources ones. Please consult with your veterinarian if you are considering feeding a vegetarian diet to your dog.
5. Should I add vitamins or other supplements on top of a commercial diet?
There is no need to add mineral/vitamin supplements on top of commercial pet foods. Commercial pet foods that are formulated to be complete and balanced already have the necessary vitamins and minerals in the correct amounts, and adding a supplement on top of that can be risky as some of these nutrients can be toxic if they are provided in high amounts. The one expectation may be with essential fatty acids. Longer coated breeds of dogs and cats may require slightly higher essential fatty acid intakes to maintain an optimal skin and hair coat quality. In these situations an essential fatty acid supplement, or changing to a different commercial diet, may be beneficial.
In general, though supplements need to be carefully evaluated regarding their efficacy and safety and you should always consult with your veterinarian if you are considering their use.
6. Is feeding canned better for my cat than feeding kibble?
Cats are not good drinkers overall, and feeding canned will result in a less concentrated urine, thus can be helpful in cats with urinary disease. Canned food is also more satiating to some cats and this type of feeding may help treat and prevent obesity. However, many cats eat mainly dry foods and still live long and healthy lives.
7. How can I encourage water intake in my cat?
You can feed canned diet (at least partially) and you can also use multiple water stations in different rooms of the house, or purchase a water fountain.
8. Can I feed treats?
Dogs and cats can receive a controlled number of treats as long as it makes up no more than about 10% of the individual’s calorie intake each day. There are commercial pet treats, but you can also use certain human foods. Fruits and vegetables are excellent, low calorie, options, as are things such as plain rice cakes or popcorn. It is important to avoid toxic ingredients for pets (such as onions, garlic, chocolate, macadamia nuts) including products containing xylitol, which is common in human products such as sugar free gum and some peanut butters but is toxic to pets. Additionally, the use of jerky and dried sweet potato treats has been associated with kidney disease in several parts of the world and is discouraged.
9. Is free feeding an adequate feeding method for my pets?
Leaving food out or free feeding is only okay in pets that can maintain their ideal body weight and body condition by regulating their own food intake. It may also work well in sick or inappetent pets and in lactating females and very young puppies.
In dogs and cats that are prone to becoming overweight or obese, free feeding should not be done. This method should also not be done in large breed growing puppies, which need to be fed in a portion controlled manner to ensure a slow rate of weight gain and a body condition score of 4 out of 9 to avoid joint and skeletal problems associated with a fast rate of growth.
10. I want to try a new food for my pet: how should I switch from the current diet?
In healthy pets, switch by performing a slow transition over at least 3 days (longer in dogs and cats with disease). In dogs the foods can often be mixed together in the same bowl or feeding dish but in cats, it is important that the new food is offered in a completely separate bowl from the old food as many cats will refuse to eat diets that are mixed together. Sudden changes can result in vomiting and diarrhea and should be avoided.
11. I empty the food from the bag into a container once I buy it: is this practice safe?
It is better to keep the diet in the original package, especially if this package has been specifically designed to keep the product fresh. Using a separate container can reduce shelf life of the product and it can promote infestations if the container is not thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis. Additionally, keeping the original packaging allow for better tracing of food in the event of any issues or concerns about the food.
References and further readings:
WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee: Frequently Asked Questions & Myths