How to Choose the Best Pet Foods

The Life Stage Benchmark

Roughly speaking, these are the ages when dogs and cats are generally considered puppies and kittens:

• Cats: 0 to 7–12 months old
• Large Breed Cats: 0 to 12–15 months old
• Small Breed Dogs: 0 to 7–12 months old
• Medium Breed Dogs: 0 to 10–12 months old
• Large Breed Dogs: 0 to 15–18 months old
• Giant Breed Dogs: 0 to 18–24 months old

During these time periods, feed them foods formulated specifically for puppies and kittens. Since they grow up so quickly, puppies and kittens need more calories in their diets than adult dogs and cats.

A quick sidenote: On top of needing a lot of calories for their rapidly growing bodies, large and giant-breed puppies (e.g., labradors, golden retrievers, rottweilers, great danes) are vulnerable to skeletal abnormalities. Look for formulas meant for bigger breeds of puppies that regulate caloric and calcium consumption.

When pets are adulting, you can still baby them all you want. Just make sure to feed them foods labeled for “adult” dogs and cats. This tends to be a healthy time in their lives, so they need less calories, proteins, calcium, phosphorous and fat than puppies and kittens. On the other paw, they will become more vulnerable to age-related diseases. Learning how to read pet food labels can help you reduce and manage your pet’s health risk factors through their diet. When your pet does hit their golden years, make the transition to a senior dog or cat food. These recipes are packed with nutrients that help support kidney health, immunity, joint care, brain function and more. Many senior pet foods also have a softer texture so they’re easier to chew, encouraging more eating.

Most dogs and cats are considered senior pets when they reach the following ages:

• Cats: 11–12 years old
• Small Breed Dogs: 11–12 years old
• Medium Breed Dogs: 10 years old
• Large and Giant Breed Dogs: 7-8 years old

These age ranges are meant as estimates. Verify with your veterinarian about when your pets should start a senior food diet.

The Breed and Health Condition Benchmarks

Miniature schnauzers tend to have high cholesterol and higher blood fat levels. Urinary stones are common with dalmatians. Himalayan and other long-haired cats are known to get more hairballs than other felines. These are just some of the different health predispositions held by different breeds of dogs and cats. Feeding your pet breed-specific food is one way to prevent and treat these conditions; however, breed should not be the lone basis for choosing the best pet food.

If your pet has been diagnosed with a specific health condition, you should feed your dog and cat a targeted health formula recommended by your veterinarian. Individual health needs are more important than breed predispositions. For that reason, many pet food brands offer dog and cat foods for, but not limited to:

• Sensitive stomach (Ingredients limited to high-quality proteins and nutrients with no artificial additives, fillers or by-products)
• Skin and coat care (Little to no food allergens plus usually lots of omega-3 fatty acids)
• Hip and joint care (Often contains omega-3 fatty acids and joint-supporting supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin)
• Allergy care (Limited ingredient formulas with little to no food allergens like common grains)
• Weight control (Less calories per serving than other foods, leaves pets feeling fuller for longer periods of time)
• Hairball control (More fiber to help cats with hairballs)
• Indoor health (Fewer calories per serving than other cat foods, accommodates slower metabolism rates)

If nutritional requirements can be met using a breed-specific formula, go for it. You can, however, give your pet something formulated for another breed if it’s nutritionally a better fit. Plus, there’s nothing wrong feeding your dog and cat an “all breeds” food.

The Activity Level Benchmark

If your pet is super active, their diet should probably include more protein, fat and carbohydrates because they have more calories and energy to burn. If your pet has the activity level of a normal dog or cat, look for food that offers complete and balanced nutrition. If your pet is more sloth than dog or cat, consider foods that have fewer fats, carbohydrates and calories. Food meant for pets with less-than-normal activity levels will help prevent unhealthy weight gain and other non-desirable health conditions.

Activity levels can be subjective, so be sure to compare apples to apples. For example, if you have an indoor cat, you should assess if it’s less active when compared to a typical indoor cat. Use your best judgement and don’t be shy about asking your veterinarian for their opinion.

The Weight and Size Benchmarks

There’s no one-size-fits all rule for dogs and cats. Read the label and feeding charts on the packaging. These are usually broken down by weight or size and will tell you what is appropriate in terms of portion amounts, frequency of feeding and kibble size.

Use good judgement when choosing the best food for dogs and cats. Just like questionable haircuts from high school, your pet food choices are fixable—especially when you have a place like Pet Supplies Plus to walk you through your options.