Pet nutrition is one of the most opinion-saturated topics in animal care, and misinformation spreads rapidly through social media, well-meaning neighbours, and outdated advice handed down through generations. Some popular beliefs are harmless; others actively damage pet health. Armed with evidence-based information, you can make feeding decisions based on science rather than folklore.

Myth one: cats need milk. The image of a cat lapping cream is deeply embedded in popular culture, but the truth is that the majority of adult cats are lactose intolerant. After weaning, most cats lose the enzyme lactase required to digest lactose, and cow's milk can cause diarrhoea, bloating, and stomach cramps. Water — fresh, clean, and available at all times — is the only liquid a healthy adult cat requires. Myth two: dogs need bones every day for healthy teeth. While raw bones do provide dental benefits, feeding bones daily increases the risk of constipation, dental fractures, gastrointestinal obstruction, and bacterial contamination. Dental chews approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) and regular veterinary dental checks are safer alternatives.

Myth three: grain-free diets are healthier for dogs. This claim, popularised by marketing rather than evidence, has been significantly undermined by an FDA investigation linking high-legume grain-free diets to dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. Grains such as rice, oats, and barley are perfectly digestible and provide valuable energy for most dogs. The only dogs that benefit from truly grain-free diets are those diagnosed with specific grain allergies — a far less common condition than the pet food industry once implied. Myth four: a raw diet is always superior to commercial food. Raw feeding done well can be excellent, but a poorly balanced raw diet — particularly one heavy in muscle meat without organ meat and bone — leads to serious nutritional deficiencies including calcium-phosphorus imbalance and vitamin deficiencies.

Myth five: homemade food is healthier than commercial food. While home-cooked diets made under veterinary nutritionist guidance can be excellent, most home recipes found online are nutritionally incomplete. A 2013 study found that the majority of home-cooked dog food recipes — including those from veterinary textbooks — were deficient in multiple essential nutrients. If you want to feed a home-cooked diet, work with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to formulate a complete and balanced recipe. Myth six: dogs and cats can eat the same food. Cats are obligate carnivores with specific requirements for taurine, arachidonic acid, and preformed vitamin A that dogs can synthesise themselves. Feeding a cat dog food long-term can lead to serious deficiencies, particularly taurine deficiency causing heart disease.

Myth seven: overweight pets are well-fed, happy pets. Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in South African pets and is associated with diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, respiratory problems, and reduced lifespan. A body condition score of five out of nine — where the ribs are easily felt but not visible, and a waist is visible from above — is the target for most dogs and cats. If you are unsure whether your pet is at a healthy weight, ask your vet to body-score them at your next visit. The most loving thing you can do for a healthy pet is maintain their ideal weight throughout their life.