Have you thought about what it is that you are giving your pet for food. Most people will just pick up a can or bag of food for their pet and say " Here you go, eat up ". Is that what we what to do to our pets. We as humans don't like it when someone tells us to eat. Lets take a look at some thing that you as a pet owner should do to keep your pet healthy and happy.

If you have ever been on a diet, then you know to look at the label to see if it is healthy and good for the diet. The same goes true for your pet. You need to look at the label to see what it is made of. Make sure that you stick with something that is nutritionally balanced.

When it comes to the amount of food to give your pet, don't just fill up the bowl and figure that is good. Depending on the type of pet you have and the age, you should always measure the portions to get it right. You can ask your vet to do a body condition score on your pet. A high body condition score means that your pet needs to lose some weight or you are not feeding your pet enough.

You will need to make sure that you give your pet the same food every day. That means, if you add water to the food one day, add it the next day. Also make sure that you are using the same brand and formula food. They are different. So some days your pet may not eat, is it because you changed their food. Make sure that you are keeping a count of the calories of the different foods.

The right amount of food to give your pet is a hit and miss situation. You may have to give your pet more or less depending on how they eat. But make sure you do it over time. Give it a two weeks or a month to work before you change. Check with your vet to see what they think. They will let you know if you should add or subtract the amount of food. And let us not forget the treats that we give our pets. That is food also and must be counted.

The amount of food you give your pet will also depend on the amount of exercise your pet gets. If your pet does not do much but lay around, he should get less food. If he is active and runs with you in the mornings, then he will need more.

We can not forget the age of your pet. It plays a big part in the amount of food that your pet should get. As your pet gets older, the metabolism of your pet slows down. Just like humans, we get slower the older we get. That means less food and try switching to a senior dog food or cat food. Remember, that all pets are different.