Precision nutrition in companion animals: a response-based framework linking dietary strategies, metabolic function, and measurable clinical outcomes

Abstract

Population-level nutrient recommendations provide the foundation for complete and balanced diets in dogs and cats, but they do not fully account for inter-individual variation in nutritional requirements, metabolic phenotypes, and dietary responses. Precision nutrition provides a response-guided framework that integrates individual characteristics with monitored dietary responses to refine nutritional management through repeated reassessment. This review examines the conceptual framework, host determinants, clinical applications, and translational challenges of precision nutrition in companion animals. Obesity, chronic enteropathy, chronic kidney disease, and urolithiasis are discussed as representative clinical models in which dietary interventions can be linked to measurable outcomes and adjusted according to individual response. Current clinical implementation is informed primarily by phenotypic assessment, dietary history, routine clinical and biochemical measures, and longitudinal monitoring, with biomarkers such as serum phosphate providing direct guidance in specific clinical contexts. Microbiome and metabolomic profiles, selected molecular biomarkers, and digital monitoring tools, such as smart feeders and activity monitors, may provide complementary information, whereas multi-omics integration and AI-assisted prediction remain largely exploratory. Further progress will require standardized species-specific datasets, prospective validation of predictive biomarkers, reliable digital measurements, and externally validated, interpretable models that demonstrate added value beyond established clinical assessment. Overall, precision nutrition represents an iterative, response-guided framework in which individual characteristics and monitored outcomes inform dietary selection and adjustment over time.