Animal nutritionist responsibilities vary depending on the company, organization, or agency for which the individual works. The majority of an animal nutritionist’s responsibilities revolve around giving advice to people who own animals so that they can make the best decisions possible about diet plans for their pets, livestock, or zoo animals. They make recommendations for the best feed options, test and retest products such as pet foods, and develop feeding plans and nutritional programs for animals. Animal nutritionists assess the chemical composition and nutritional value of grass, forage, feeds, and supplements used to nutritionally enrich feeds for farm animals of all kinds, including birds and fish. Because many of them teach and encourage understanding of the effect that diet has on the physical and mental health of animals, an animal nutritionist could be considered a professional educator.
An animal nutritionist may work in a variety of settings, including pet food manufacturers and retailers, veterinary schools, farms, zoos, and animal health clinics. He or she could also work as a freelance consultant for a variety of clients, such as pet owners, farmers, breeders, and pet food and feed companies. However, the majority of these professionals work for a zoo or in agriculture. Despite the fact that an animal nutritionist studies the nutritional needs of various species, he or she can specialize. One who works in agriculture, for example, might specialize in advising and working only with hog farmers or only with cattle farmers, while another animal nutritionist might work for a zoo and focus on feline nutrition.
Farmers, pet owners, and zookeepers may need to consult an animal nutritionist when feeding sick, elderly, very young, pregnant, or injured animals, because their nutritional needs change during these times. This is why some pet food companies offer different feed formulas. Dog food formulas for puppies, senior dogs, and overweight dogs, for example, are available in many stores. The same can be said for the wide range of cat foods on the market. An animal nutritionist not only advises on nutritional requirements in animal diets, but also makes recommendations on how to provide feed at the lowest possible cost.
Many pet owners and farmers, on the other hand, aren’t always willing to follow a nutritionist’s advice, especially when it comes to feeding their animals cheaply. There are some ingredients in low-cost dog and cat foods that have been deemed questionable in terms of their impact on animal health and well-being. Due to an increase in the number of illnesses and diseases that affect animals, including cancer, many pet owners and farmers are turning back to the all-natural food sources for animals that were used in the past and produced and kept pets and livestock healthy and disease-free.