Pawfarer

Feeding

Feeding and nutrition

In short

Nutrition is what a cat or dog eats and how that supports its health. Veterinary guidelines treat nutrition as part of a pet's overall healthcare.

Key points

  • The international and US guidelines below are written mainly for veterinary teams. They are shown separately, not combined.
  • What and how much your own pet should eat depends on the individual animal. Consult your vet.

What each organisation says

WSAVA (international) says, about choosing a pet food,

most pet owners consider the ingredient list to be the most important factor in choosing a pet food. However, the ingredient list gives no information on the quality of the ingredients and can be very misleading on the overall quality of the food.
WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines

WSAVA (international) guidelines (written for vets) describe a checklist:

This Nutritional Assessment Checklist is a tool to help ensure that all parts of the Nutritional assessment are performed – the quick Nutritional screening on every patient at every visit, and the extended evaluation for patients in which risk factors are identified.
WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines

AAHA (US) guidelines (written for vets) state

Nutritional management is a central component of a complete healthcare plan for canine and feline patients and is integral to a pet’s longevity and quality of life.
2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats

These are general statements from the organisations named above, not advice for your pet. For anything about your own cat or dog, consult your vet.

Sources