I am often asked, “What do I feed my pet?”

There is not one specific diet that works for all pets. But there are guidelines to follow to avoid feeding your pet the wrong things.

The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University published the top 5 Nutrition Mistakes made by owners. You can view the full list at https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/ .

The most common food mistakes are:

1. Not feeding your pet a complete and balanced food.

Every food except treats should have a nutritional adequacy statement that describes if the food is complete and balanced according to AAFCO guidelines.

If it is complete and balanced, it has all the nutrients your pet needs. The statements will look like this:

“Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that X food provides complete and balanced nutrition…” or

“X food is formulated to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles.”

What you want to look out for is any food that is not complete and balanced, and it will instead state: “This product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.”

This means it should only be a treat.

2. Giving too many treats and extras.

All the little extras that your pet gets everyday can add up to a lot of extra calories and unbalance the diet if you’re not careful.

We recommend no more than 10% of calories come from foods that are not your pet’s main pet food. Many companies put calories on treats, but if it’s not on the label, you can always call a company and ask.

If they don’t know or can’t tell you, don’t feed them that treat.

3. Not knowing your calories.

There is a math-free version to figuring out how many calories your pet needs. Find a website with a calorie calculator that will do the math for you.

The average 12-pound cat needs about 250 calories per day. A lean and healthy 65-pound dog needs about 1,000 calories per day.

Be sure to check the calorie content on your pet’s food, and make sure the amount you’re feeding matches with the calories they need.

4. Not feeding for the right life stage.

Those AAFCO statements are helpful not only to let you know if a food is complete and balanced, but they also will tell you for which pets the diet is appropriate.

All life stage diets will meet the minimum needs of your pet, but if they’re a healthy adult, it may be providing extra nutrients they might not need.

5. Picking a food based on the marketing.

Shiny bags, promises of perfect teeth, and “natural” and “holistic” descriptions on pet food bags may sound appealing, but it’s important to separate fact from fiction.

The term “holistic” has no legal definition in pet food and is simply a marketing term for which each company decides the meaning.

Using mainly the ingredient list is also a common mistake that owners make when selecting a food. Remember, pets need nutrients, not ingredients.

The Pet Doctor 359-6611 www.cherokeetrail.net