Also called: Companion Animal Nutritionist, Pet Food Scientist
Designs the recipes for dog and cat food, treats, and prescription diets.
Balances proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals for a new senior-dog kibble, runs palatability tests to see which recipe dogs prefer, and makes sure every bag meets nutrition standards. Board-certified veterinary nutritionists design prescription diets.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 9 years after high school. PhD in animal nutrition, or DVM plus a nutrition residency.
Ways in: Graduate school, Professional school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Animal Science, Nutrition Science, Food Science.
Growing faster than average. Pet food is a $60+ billion US industry.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI formulation software balances nutrients and costs fast; feeding trials, palatability tests and regulatory sign-off need experts.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, Nutrition/Foods, AP Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.