An animal nutritionist specializes in the dietary needs of animals in captivity, such as pets, farm animals, and zoo animals. Their purpose is to promote and increase understanding of how an animal’s diet can affect the animal’s health, well-being, and productivity.
Animal nutritionists are different than animal dieticians in that their work revolves around creating nutritional and lifestyle plans and menus for animals, rather than working from a strictly clinical aspect.
An animal nutritionist is an animal scientist who applies their knowledge of anatomy, physiology and nutrition, to animal food and diets. Animal nutrition combines a number of factors, such as physics, mathematics, food processing, chemistry, biochemistry, animal behaviour and economics.
An animal nutritionist looks at the nutritional and physical needs of an animal and formulates balanced rations of food for them. They look at an animal’s caloric intake, level of activity, and condition. For example, the food intake and needs for dairy cows may vary from the food intake and needs of beef cattle.
The job varies, depending on the company or organization the animal nutritionist is working for. For the most part, the day revolves around giving advice to animal owners so they can make good dietary plans for their pets, livestock, or zoo animals.
Other duties of an animal nutritionist might involve:
The workplace of an animal nutritionist varies according to the type of work they do. They may work in a classroom, a laboratory, or a farm. They can also be found working for government departments, agricultural advisory bodies, international development agencies, educational and research institutions, animal food production companies, and as freelance consultants.
A Nutritionist in Kenya earns an average salary of between KSH60,000 to KSH500,000 per month.
The demand for animal nutritionist will come from current efforts done in the field of animal science and food safety.
For entry level positions, an animal nutritionist will need a degree in dietetics, nutrition, animal sciences, biology, or biochemistry.
There are many colleges and universities that offer programs in animal nutrition, which cover topics like nutrient metabolism, growth mechanisms, metabolic disorders, feed composition, animal physiology, molecular biology, and biochemistry. After a minimum of three years experience, an animal nutritionist can be certified as a Licensed Animal Nutritionist, depending on location and program.
Increasingly, animal nutrition is becoming more competitive, so many nutritionists continue on to get their master’s degree. Masters and Ph.D. degrees are required for research and teaching positions.
