Animiyo blog
Food is the daily lever with the largest effect on long term health. Here you will find how an animal's energy requirement is actually calculated, what labels do and do not tell you, and how to run a diet transition without gastrointestinal upset.
36 articles
Slimming a dog or cat is not just fewer kibbles in the bowl. It is a slow, measurable project that starts from body condition and reaches a weight decided with the vet.
Most digestive and dental problems in rabbits come from a diet skewed towards pellets. Here is how to build a ration centred on hay, with real proportions.
Insect-based foods are now real on European shelves. Before choosing them it pays to understand what they are, who they make sense for and how to spot a serious product.
A treat is food, so it is calories. It should not be banned but counted: here is how to portion it, subtract it from the ration and choose it well without weight gain.
The urge to chew is real and healthy, yet many products satisfy it by cracking teeth or blocking the gut. Here is how to choose sensibly and what to avoid.
Grain free does not mean better. Here is why attention turned to the dog's heart, what the evidence really says and how to choose a food with judgement.
Fibre gets dismissed as filler or invoked as a cure for every gut problem. The truth is in between: different types serve different aims, and the dose matters.
An open bag loses quality every day. Here is how to store kibble and wet food to protect fats, vitamins and palatability, with no waste and no risk.
Omega-3s are among the most recommended supplements, but they are not all equal and do not fix everything. Here is what the evidence says and how to choose.
The two most common stones are prevented in almost opposite ways. Here is how diet, water and urine concentration matter, and why the right recipe always starts from a diagnosis.
A therapeutic diet is a clinical tool, not a premium kibble. Here is when it helps, how to introduce it and why it belongs under veterinary supervision.
Bringing a too thin dog or cat back to an ideal weight takes method and gradual change. Here is how to do it safely and when low weight is a symptom to investigate.
Dogs and cats do not share the same metabolism. The cat is an obligate carnivore, and some nutrients a dog makes for itself the cat must find ready made in its food.
The gut microbiome is fashionable and packaging promises a lot. Here is where probiotics have real evidence, where they do not and how to avoid wasting money.
Water is not measured in millilitres: it is observed. Here is why cats tend to underhydrate, how to judge whether a dog or cat drinks enough, and which signals call for the vet.
Many picky dogs have a habit problem, not a food problem. Here is how to tell whether the refusal is medical and how to bring the bowl back to normal.
A skipped meal is not a disease, but a lasting drop in appetite can be. Here is how to tell the two apart, why a cat needs earlier attention, and when to call the vet.
Cats cannot make enough taurine and must get it from food. Here is why it matters, which diets put it at risk, and how a deficiency harms heart and eyes before you notice.
Neutering changes a cat's metabolism and predisposes it to weight gain. Here is how to adapt portions, food and habits to keep it in shape without deprivation.
Itching that never settles, chronically inflamed ears, soft stools for months: food is only one possible explanation. Here is how to reach an answer with method, instead of switching kibble every month.
The bowl's material, depth and placement matter as much as the food. Here is how to choose the container and where to put it so your pet eats and drinks without stress.
Wet and dry are not good versus bad: what changes is water and calorie density. Here are the criteria to choose for your own animal, without dental myths or portion illusions.
In a puppy the problem is not making it grow but making it grow at the right speed. Adult size changes everything: ration, food and the pace of development.
Freeze-dried and dehydrated are two different formats, often confused with raw. Understanding how they are made and what to check avoids both myths and safety mistakes.
A cat that circles the bowl and walks off is not being difficult: it is often neophobia, distrust of new food. Here is how to read it and how to widen its menu.
A working dog needs not just more food but different food, given at different times. Requirements, fuels and the checks that tell you it is working.
Lactation is the highest energy demand of a queen's life. Here is why the need rises sooner than you think, which food to choose, and how to track her weight.
The right question is not only how much, but how often. The number of meals changes with age, species and health, and affects digestion, weight and behaviour more than people think.
The bite from the table seems harmless, but it weighs twice: some foods are dangerous and all of them add invisible calories. Here is how to set rules without wrecking the diet.
Supplements are not equal in front of the evidence. Some have solid clinical trials, many have only plausible biology, and a few make things worse.
In the two most common chronic diseases of cats, diet does not support treatment: to a large extent it is the treatment. And a cat that refuses the food defeats the best plan.
Food changes usually fail because of haste. Here is the seven day plan, the cases that need longer, and the signals telling you to step back.
Laboratory surveys of commercial raw products come with hard numbers. Here is what was found, who at home is really at risk, and how the hazard is reduced.
Cooking for your own animal is a legitimate choice. The problem is not the cooking: it is that an unformulated recipe produces deficiencies that only become visible months later.
The table on the bag is an average, not your animal. Here is the requirement formula, the real multipliers, and how to turn kilocalories into grams in the bowl.
You cannot compare two foods by reading the percentages on the front of the bag. You need dry matter, the ingredient list and energy density, in that order.
