Diets by life-stage

With so many different pet foods out there, it can be hard to know which will be best for your pet. Here’s some general dietary guidelines for keeping your pet at their healthiest throughout their life.

Puppies and kittens

Puppies and kittens have very high-energy requirements, and also require a specific balance of certain nutrients (such as calcium, phosphorous, and essential amino acids) for healthy growth and development. For this reason, it’s best to feed your young pet a balanced puppy/kitten veterinary diet designed for growth. Young kittens and puppies can be fed small meals three to four times a day – and gradually reduce to feeding meals twice a day by about four to five months of age.

Aim to keep your growing pet in healthy slim body condition, as being underweight can stunt their growth, and being overweight can worsen certain developmental conditions such as hip dysplasia.

Adults

When your pet becomes an adult (10-12 months old for cats and smaller dogs, and 18-24 months old for dogs over 25kg), it’s best to transfer them to a high-quality, balanced adult diet, and follow daily feeding guidelines. This will help ensure that your pet doesn’t start to gain weight now that they’re no longer growing.

Consider “indoor”, “neutered” or “healthy weight maintenance” diet types for less active pets. More active adults (e.g. working dogs) often require special working dog diets to meet their higher energy requirements.

Older animals

From eight-to-ten years old, it’s best to check in with our vets annually regarding the best diet for your individual pet, as some animals may require a transfer to “senior diets” with added joint support, reduced calories or reduced protein, and some may require special prescription diets e.g. for kidney disease support.

If you’re ever unsure about your pet’s weight or dietary requirements, please ask our team for more specific advice – we’re always happy to help!