9 Tips to Provide Proper Nutrition to Animals

Developing an appropriate feeding plan that is practical to implement and still meets nutritional needs of the variety of animals entering a shelter is challenging, but key to proper health. Here are actions you can take to ensure good nutrition is provided for the animals in your care:

• Record weight and body condition score (BCS) as part of your intake examination and repeat regularly throughout shelter stay—and be sure you route animals promptly to the veterinarian if you observe animals who are very thin, obese or experiencing significant weight gain or loss.
• Calculate the amount each animal is to be fed. Having an accurate weight and BCS is only a part of calculating an animal's daily nutritional requirement. The amount each animal is fed can be calculated from a formula that takes into account life stage (adult, young, pregnant, nursing), health status, activity level and very importantly, type of food chosen. The calories (expressed as kcals) and nutritional value vary considerably among types and brands of food. This affects the amount of a specific food that an animal needs. Our calculator lets you enter the number of kcalories per cup of a specific food and will automatically calculate the amount of food to feed based on weight and life stage for dogs and cats. You can print this and use it to train your staff how to feed animals at consistent times.
• Create a written feeding protocol to use with each group of animals in your shelter based on the food(s) in use. Whatever food brand is selected should minimally be one that has been through feeding trials to validate its nutritional adequacy. You can determine this by checking the label, which should state that the diet is adequate for the life stages indicated based on the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials. 
• Use flat-bottom stainless steel bowls or disposable paper food trays. Use clean bowls or new trays at each feeding, and remove uneaten food and used bowls or trays.
• If possible, separate morning feeding from cage cleaning. Ideally, let the animals eat before the disruption of cleaning.
• Offer canned food to cats who seem uninterested in dry food. Wet food may be more appealing, and can help prevent dehydration.
• Ensure that fresh, clean water is available at all times unless there is a medical reason for water to be withheld for a prescribed period of time. Water should be changed daily and whenever it is visibly soiled.
• Be sure you monitor whether animals are eating, drinking, and eliminating. Here is a worksheet to help you track this information consistently. Route animals promptly to the veterinarian for evaluation and/or work-up if significant appetite or elimination abnormalities are noted.
• In group housing, pay special attention to access to food and water. Ensure that all animals are eating and drinking sufficiently and that no animal is preventing others from reaching food or water.

Learn more on this topic:

For in-depth nutritional guidance, watch this free webinar recording on the Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.