Pet nutrition is best discussed in terms of the three life stages of your pet: growing, adult and geriatric. An animal's nutritional needs differ greatly from stage to stage. Feed your pet according to following guidelines in order to ensure a healthy, happy animal.

Pet Nutrition for Puppies and Kittens

Of course, for any infant, the best nutrition is derived from mother's milk. If for some reason your puppy or kitten cannot be nursed, there are milk replacements available. Most puppies and kittens will be weaned to solid food by eight weeks. At this stage, puppies need twice the energy of adult dogs, at least 25% of which should be protein, and kittens need three times the energy of adult cats, 30% from protein. After weaning, kittens can eat at will, but puppies, with the exception of very small breeds, should have their portions controlled. If puppies are allowed to overeat, they may consume too much calcium, grow too rapidly and develop bone growth problems.

For adult animals, the best pet nutrition advice is "feed to condition." That is, if your pet looks skinny, feed more, and if he or she is getting pudgy, cut back. Be conservative in feeding table scraps; prepared food provides better nutrition. If your animal becomes pregnant, she will need to gradually increase her food to two or three times normal quantities during lactation. Begin to taper back to her regular portions about a week before weaning.

As our pets age, they become heir to many of the same problems we do, such as obesity, arthritis, and loss of muscle mass. Pet nutrition experts believe It's important to begin moderating their diets before they show visible symptoms of aging. Cats and small dogs should begin eating "senior" food at about seven years of age, medium dogs at six years and large dogs at five. Senior animals should be fed a diet that reduces their caloric intake, while continuing protein levels to keep up muscle mass.