You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Unless you possess University Degrees in Nutrition AND in Veterinary Science - and know what you are doing - you should not attempt to compile your own ration for your pet.

The difference between human nutrition and pet nutrition is that we can select what we eat. We live in a social structure that, under most circumstances, will provide us with a broad range of food products from which we can acquire all the nutrients that we need. We don't always get it right of course - too many people eat too much of the wrong food - hence obesity is very common. Our pets, however usually  rely on us to provide them with a ration that meets all their nutritional requirements - so we must ensure that we do!

There are many variable factors which are important in compiling a pet's ration :

• Does it contain enough available energy in a manageable volume of food.This requires long term feeding trials .
• Does it contain enough of all the essential nutrients that a pet needs ? This requires chemical analysis and comparison with recommended feeding guidelines
• Does it contain the essential nutrients in the correct proportions to each other ? This requires detailed chemical analysis and comparison with recommended guidelines
• Are the essential nutrients individually bioavailable to the pet  ( ie can they be digested, absorbed and used). This requires scientifically designed feeding trials and analysis.
• Does the ration support animals through all stages of their natural life cycle. This requires feeding trials with animals in all life-stages.

If you want to compile your own ration you must get the nutrient  content, amounts, proportions and bioavailability correct otherwise serious health consequences can result. Provet advice : don't attempt to compile your own ration. Even if your animal seems ok on a homemade diet you do not know what is happening internally. 

The best option is to select a commercial prepared ration for your pet. There are strict regulations in most countries regarding the compilation of pet foods. In general there are two types of pet food : 

• Complementary foods. The word complementary appears on the label. This is NOT guaranteed to be a complete ration for your pet by the manufacturer and you should seek advice from them - or your veterinarian - about what else you should feed to your pet to ensure it gets everything it needs. Very cheap pet foods, such as plastic-wrapped "chub" foods , and some canned cat foods which contain whole fish are often complementary
• Complete foods. If it states "complete food" on the label in the US and the EC this is a statement from the manufacturer that the food (as analysed) meets or exceeds all the minimum nutritional requirements for your pet. It does not always mean that the food has been submitted to stringent feeding trials. In the US there is an independent body called the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) which has determined protocols for proper feed trials for pet foods. 

If you want to do the best for your pet Provet advises : 

• Select a complete pet food for your type of pet
• Buy a brand from a reputable manufacturer who conducts recognised feeding trials (such as AAFCO's) on each BATCH of it's food.