December 22, 2025 –
The joy of bringing a new furry friend home comes with a lot of decisions: what toys to buy, what kind of bed to get, what type of collar and harness to use, and most importantly, the type of food and nourishment you provide. In the excitement of it all, pet owners may be at risk of reaching for the first bag of food they see at the pet store, but there is a lot to consider to ensure your pet eats a healthy diet!
Dog Owners
Maintaining a healthy weight is very important to ensuring your pup lives a happy life, as being overweight can lead to your furry friend having health complications with their liver, joint pain, and diabetes.
Factors to Consider
When exploring options for the types of food to feed your dog, its breed, activity level, and size should be considered. Major pet food suppliers offer specific food blends based on these characteristics, ensuring your pup receives the nutrients needed on a daily basis.
Diets may need to change over the course of the year, as extreme heat and cold means that your furry friend is using more energy to stay cool or warm. When in doubt about what’s best for the specific needs of your pet, speak to your veterinarian.
Changing Diets
When changes in your pet’s life necessitate a new diet, introduce it gradually. While every pet and situation is unique, the general guidance for changing diets involves a four-day process. On day one, mix 25% of the new diet in with 75% of the old. On the second day, create a 50/50 mixture of the old and new diet. For the third day, 75% to 25% before using 100% of the new diet on day four.
While you may stick to the same diet for the majority of your pet’s life, it’s important to change to a recipe specifically designed for seniors when your furry friend becomes advanced in age. For small and medium-sized dogs under 51 pounds, consider making the switch at age seven. Larger breeds between 51 and 90 pounds should begin to switch to a senior diet at age six, and for giant breeds over 90 pounds, age five is when you should make the change.
Feeding Habits
Veterinarians and pet dieticians recommend splitting your dog’s daily food quantity into two meals, provided eight to twelve hours apart. While a portion-controlled plan such as this works for most families, the unique needs of some pets may require free-choice, where food is always available, or timed feeding options, where their food is made available during a specific time frame with the leftovers being taken away once the time frame has passed. It is always best to consult with your veterinarian about which feeding plan works best for your furry friend if you have questions.
In between meals, it’s important to not overdo the treats. While it may be tempting to consistently deliver yummy snacks, overindulgence can lead to upset stomachs and weight gain. As a rule of thumb, try to limit treats to no more than 5% of your dog’s daily nutrition.
If you’re using treats to train, consider treats specifically intended for training or healthier options such as carrots and snap peas, which are low in calories and fat!
Cat Owners
Factors to Consider
Like dogs, a cat’s diet is heavily influenced by factors such as age, breed, and activity level. Temperature also plays a big part, as our feline friends use more energy when it’s very cold or hot to regulate body temperature.
Major brands have plenty of options that will provide your cat with the nutrition it needs, but you may still have questions about whether you should feed your furry friend dry or wet food. Both have benefits, such as dry food being better for your kitty’s teeth, while wet foods can provide hydration for cats who don’t drink enough water on their own. Depending on your cat’s preference, you may also be able to feed them a mix of dry and wet food. Ultimately, your cat’s unique personality and preference will decide which is best, and when in doubt, consulting your veterinarian can provide clarity for these tricky decisions.
Changing Diets
If it’s time to make a change in your cat’s diet, avoid upset stomachs by slowly introducing the new food. Many animal experts recommend a seven-day program, in which 75% of the old food is mixed with 25% of the new food on day one, a 70%-30% blend on day two, 60%-40% for the third day, a 50%-50% split on the fourth, 40%-60% on day five, 25%-75% for the sixth day, and finally 100% new food on the seventh day and beyond.
Changes may be made if your feline friend needs to switch from wet to dry food or vice versa, but every cat should at least see a switch to a food blend designed for seniors when they reach age seven.
Feeding Habits
It is generally recommended to break up your cat’s daily nutritional needs into two meals, served eight to twelve hours apart. While this method works best for most feline friends, yours may do best on another feeding plan, such as a free-choice schedule where food is always available to them. As always, when in doubt, talk to your veterinarian to ensure your kitty receives the best care possible.
Despite what you’ve seen in cartoons, never provide milk as a treat or as a water substitute. While kittens crave milk from their mother, cow’s milk and other milks can cause vomiting and diarrhea for your cat.
As with dogs, limit the treats! While we all love to spoil our feline friends, it’s important to limit treats to no more than 5% of their daily food intake to prevent weight gain, no matter how much they meow at you!
Full Stomachs, Full Lives
While there are many, many considerations to think about when creating a feeding plant, keeping up with a regular schedule and ensuring a complete diet will help your furry friend stay happy and healthy their entire lives.
