First, estimate an age, activity, weight and a breed of your dog or cat, its physical and mental state. Don't forget its individual tastes! The time of year also corrects diet. So, in summer an adult dog should be fed once a day and in winter - twice.
A sportive kitten or a puppy needs some absolutely different diet than a lazy big cat or a dog, which is going to have a litter. That's why pay attention to a label. A food in package with a mark "Junior" is appropriate for young animals. Food for puppies and kittens different kinds of dry and canned food are produced. Often there's a gradation depending of cub's age. For example, there're two kinds of a new dry food Pedigree Advance Formula: one, for puppies under 5 months from the moment of separation, is marked "Junior 1", and "Junior 2" is for those after 6 up to 18 months. The latter is especially recommended for large breeds that mature longer.
A dog under stress after a dog-show or a dog that has run 2,5 miles needs food enriched in protein. In these conditions dogs have also a special need for iron, vitamin E and selenium. In any case the diet of a working dog should include goods rich in proteins and fats that are easy to digest. It is recommended that these dogs be fed with Pedigree Advance Formula Energy food. All food of this sort contain chicken and poultry meat as the source of protein that whittles down the chance of allergic reaction when one begins to feed an animal with this food.
Of cause whelped and lactating bitches as well as kittened cats require special feeding. They need high-energy dry food.
And what if your friend has been living with you long? Take care of him! He is not that nimble as formerly, and prefers lying on a sofa or lounging in the sun, besides the capacity to assimilate some diet components reduces in old years. That's why the diet of old animals should include components low in protein, calcium, phosphorus and sodium. It is probable that you'll have to visit a veterinary and write out a special dietetic food. Besides, there's a great range of dietetic fast food that is tasty and have a medical effect in the case of many cats' and dogs' disorders. For instance, there is some dietetic food, elaborated by Center of feeding domestic animals Waltham in England.
Cats are also remembered. Specialists of Center WALTHAM on account of latest researches have suggested a new compounding of a famous dry food KITEKAT formula G. It possesses a more exact balance of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, taurin and vitamins A, D, E and so on.
Third, while choosing a food, read the package carefully. On every packet, box or can you will find information on food components, chemical composition, an instruction for feeding, assigning the necessary amount of food for a dog or cat of certain weight. The particular attention should be paid to a serviceable life and the intactness of package. Opened can should not be kept in a refrigerator for more than a day. Non-observance of this rule often leads to poisoning of animals. Never give your pets food right from the refrigerator. Don't be lazy, heat it up till room temperature, as if you do this for yourself.
One more advice: you have selected a food for your pet. And your animal likes it. Be consistent and don't experiment. There's no need to use several kinds of food of different trademarks at the same time. One can raise an animal and provide it with a perfect health with a help of high-quality and well-balanced food of a single trademark. The main thing is a cup of pure water near a cup with a dry food.
Cats are exception. They go under three conditions: cleanness while feeding, an easy access to feeding-rack and a change in a diet. The latter is not a problem. The choice is wide: food with chicken, meat, heart, heart and simply a mixture.
So then, be a professional while selecting a food for your pets. Because we are responsible for those we have tamed and feed. In our turn, we wish your four-legged friends bon appetite! Let them lick their dishes clean and then look into your eyes faithfully and wag their tails thankfully.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).