For the veterinary sector, the stage is half set for increased guidance on pet food.
On the one hand, pet parents consider pet food as the single most important factor to pet health. In Packaged Facts’ January 2025 Survey of Pet Owners, pet food was cited as a most important pet health product by 80% of dog or cat owners, with 50% viewing pet treats as such. In addition, 23% of dog owners and 22% of cat owners were using pet food formulations targeting specific health & wellness needs.
Moreover, selecting pet food (including for preventive care) is the top topic on which pet parents would like to receive more guidance from their veterinarian, at 24% of customers. In addition, between 13% and 18% of veterinary customers would like to receive more guidance on related pet nutrition products such as pet supplements and treats, and on related issues such as immune health and senior pet wellness.
At the same time, pet food sales (including of veterinary-affiliated brands such as Hill’s) are benefiting from a reinvigorated focus on superpremium science-based and therapeutic diets. And Chewy (whose e-commerce pet food sales quadruple brick-and-mortar pet food sales in the vet sector) has certainly benefited from welcoming pet food selection queries through its 24/7 customer service line and Connect with a Vet offering.
Pet nutrition vs. veterinary education
On the other hand, and in part reflecting the role the leading pet food manufacturers play in pet nutrition research, pet food has traditionally played a limited role in the vet school curriculum, and by extension in companion animal veterinary services. Holistic or natural veterinary practices are a notable exception to the rule, but are used by only 6% of dog owners and 8% of cat owners who are veterinary customers, per Packaged Facts research.
Questions about the role pet nutrition does and should play in veterinary schools are not new. As reported by Medical Science Educator (January 13, 2020), a 1996 survey of U.S. veterinarians found that 70% “felt that their nutrition education was inadequate.” Two decades later, a 2016 survey of Canadian and U.S. veterinary school students similarly found that 64% “perceived emphasis to be low in their school’s veterinary curriculum,” with only 20% believing that they would have enough nutrition training upon graduation (the lowest score across seven areas of veterinary medicine).
Veterinary schools are gradually increasing their attention to pet nutrition, most notably through certified veterinary nutritionist programs, which the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine added as a specialty in 2021. Even so, Petfoodology (June 21, 2023), a publication of the Tufts University vet school, reported that board-certified veterinary nutritionists number only about 100 in the US. Certified veterinary nutritionists not only remain a small niche within the profession, but generally have institutional, corporate or government jobs (including at veterinary schools, specialty and teaching veterinary hospitals, and leading pet food manufacturers). These professional roles preclude being readily accessible to ordinary pet parents with standard pet food questions and concerns — which, though not necessarily for the better, tend to be raised by every popular nutrition or diet trend in the human food industry.
Pet owners need more nutritional guidance
Primary care general veterinarians will typically refer a pet owner with a pet that requires specialized pet nutrition care to a specialty veterinary hospital internist, or alternatively to a holistic veterinary practice. A veterinary internist may in turn further refer a pet parent to a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. But an initial examination by a veterinary internist involves a US$200–$300 fee, and a consultation with a certified veterinary nutritionist (often after a months-long wait) means another US$275–$500 fee. Therefore, there’s a mismatch between the priority pet parents place on pet food guidance, and the degree of emphasis that traditional vet schools — and, by extension, traditional vet practices — have placed on pet nutrition. In this context, in announcing its 2025 Webinar Series on Pet Nutrition Conversations for veterinary professionals, the Purina Institute reports that “only 1 in 5 surveyed veterinary professionals say they proactively offer nutrition advice during most client visits.”
Senior pet foods represent an especially significant opportunity for veterinary guidance. As of 2024, 52% of veterinary customers for dogs and 56% of customers for cats have senior pets aged seven years or older, according to MRI-Simmons data. More generally, recent meta-analyses of scientific research have focused on the health risks for humans that are associated with ultra-processed foods. Research published in BMJ (February 28, 2024), for example, found direct associations between ultra-processed foods and 32 health parameters. Such general scientific research is both bringing fresh pet food formats to the fore and creating a new context for veterinary guidance on pet food.
