Companion Animals

Companion Animal Nutritional Science

Evidence-based nutrition is essential for maintaining companion animal health and welfare, with significant variation in quality between pet food products.

Key Facts

Complete and balanced commercial diets meet AAFCO nutritional profiles for life stages
Raw diets carry bacterial contamination risks for both pets and humans
Grain-free diets have been linked to dilated cardiomyopathy in some dog breeds
Taurine deficiency is a welfare-significant concern in some grain-free formulations

Welfare Considerations

Nutritional deficiencies and imbalances cause preventable welfare problems that accumulate over months and years before clinical signs appear. Evidence-based nutrition that considers life stage, breed-specific needs, and individual health factors is foundational to long-term companion animal welfare.

What You Can Do

Choose pet foods with AAFCO or equivalent nutritional adequacy statements
Consult a veterinary nutritionist before preparing home-cooked or raw diets
Monitor body condition score regularly to detect over or undernutrition early
Stay current with emerging nutrition research that may affect dietary recommendations for your pet