How to Choose the Right Diet for Your Pet

With so many pet food options available — dry, wet, raw, grain-free, breed-specific, hypoallergenic — choosing the right diet for your dog or cat can feel overwhelming. Every pet is unique, and the best diet for one may not suit another.

Getting your pet’s nutrition right isn’t just about what fills the bowl — it affects their energy, coat, digestion, weight, and long-term health. Here’s how to make smart, vet-informed choices when it comes to feeding your pet.

Contents

• Understand Your Pet’s Basic Nutritional Needs

• Consider Age, Breed, and Lifestyle

• Assess Health Conditions and Dietary Sensitivities

• Types of Pet Food Explained

• How to Evaluate a Pet Food Brand

• When to Speak to a Vet

Understand Your Pet’s Basic Nutritional Needs

Dogs and cats require a balanced diet that includes the right proportions of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means animal protein is essential to their health. Dogs are omnivores, and while they can digest plant matter, they still need a meat-based diet.

Core requirements include:

• Protein for muscle maintenance and immune function

• Fats for energy, skin, and coat health

• Carbohydrates for additional energy and fibre

• Vitamins and minerals for organ function, bone health, and metabolism

• Water — always provide fresh, clean water

A complete and balanced commercial pet food will meet these requirements — but not all foods are created equal.

Consider Age, Breed, and Lifestyle

Nutritional needs change depending on your pet’s stage of life and activity levels. Feeding the right diet for their age and lifestyle helps prevent weight gain, digestive upset, and nutritional deficiencies.

Factors to consider:

• Puppies/kittens: Need calorie-dense food with DHA and calcium for development

• Adults: Require balanced maintenance diets based on size and energy levels

• Seniors: May need lower-calorie, joint-supportive or easily digestible diets

• Working/active breeds: Need higher protein and fat to fuel energy demands

• Indoor pets: Often require fewer calories to prevent weight gain

Breed-specific foods can be helpful for managing common issues like dental disease, joint health, or sensitive digestion — but they’re not always essential.

Assess Health Conditions and Dietary Sensitivities

Some pets thrive on standard diets, while others require special nutrition due to health issues, allergies, or intolerances. If your pet has been diagnosed with a condition — or if you suspect food may be affecting their health — their diet may need to change.

Common dietary needs include:

• Weight management diets for overweight pets

• Renal diets for pets with kidney disease

• Allergy-friendly or hydrolysed diets for skin or gut sensitivities

• Gastrointestinal diets for pets with digestive issues

• Diabetic diets to help manage blood sugar

• Dental formulas to reduce plaque and tartar

Always speak to your vet before switching to a therapeutic or prescription diet — self-diagnosing can do more harm than good.

Types of Pet Food Explained

Understanding the main types of pet food can help you choose the format that works best for your pet and your routine.

• Dry food (kibble): Convenient, cost-effective, helps with dental health

• Wet food: Higher moisture content, often more palatable for picky eaters

• Raw diets: Contain uncooked meat and veg; popular with some owners but carry risks if not properly balanced or handled

• Home-cooked diets: Allow control over ingredients but can be nutritionally incomplete without veterinary guidance

• Prescription/therapeutic diets: Designed to support specific medical conditions, available through your vet

Each has pros and cons — the best choice depends on your pet’s needs and your ability to store, prepare, and serve food safely and consistently.

How to Evaluate a Pet Food Brand

With clever marketing and buzzwords like “natural” or “grain-free,” it can be hard to tell which brands are genuinely high-quality. Focus on what matters most: nutritional completeness, ingredient quality, and manufacturer transparency.

Key things to look for:

• AAFCO or FEDIAF nutritional adequacy statement

• Named animal protein sources (e.g., “chicken” not “meat by-product”)

• Reputable manufacturer with veterinary nutritionists on staff

• Consistent sourcing and safety testing practices

• Realistic health claims — beware of miracle promises

If in doubt, ask your vet for recommendations or visit the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) website for science-based guidance.

When to Speak to a Vet

Nutrition affects every system in your pet’s body, from digestion to joint health. If you're unsure about what to feed, changing diets, or managing a condition through food, your vet is the best source of advice.

📞 Call us on 020 8459 4729 or book an appointment online for personalised nutritional advice, weight checks, or to review your pet’s current diet.

We believe preventing disease is a far better way of helping your pet stay fit, comfortable, happy and healthy. So we’ve created the Vital Pets Club to make sure every pet owner has easy access to the best pet care at an affordable price.