Assistance Animals: Nutrition and the Tasks They Perform

An assistance animal’s diet should be chosen with its health, workload, and work schedule in mind. The diet should help the animal stay in good physical condition and have the energy to perform its tasks.

Assistance animals may accompany a person, retrieve objects, or help with everyday activities. Their tasks vary, but each animal’s well-being depends on appropriate care. Here’s how to match a pet’s diet to its needs and why its working duties matter when choosing food.

• 03.11.2023 date of Russian Ministry of Agriculture Order No. 832 on animal identification and record-keeping rules
• No. 832 number of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture order on veterinary rules for animal identification and record-keeping
• 3 distinct roles: assistance dog, emotional support animal, and therapy dog

How do assistance animals differ from emotional support pets?

An assistance dog differs from an emotional support animal because it is trained to perform specific actions that compensate for its owner’s limitations and support their independence. An emotional support animal’s role, by contrast, is primarily based on companionship and presence. These terms should also not be confused with therapy dog, which is a separate category.

• Assistance dog: Performs a learned task related to the needs of a specific owner. What matters is training to perform the task, not the animal’s breed or label.
• Emotional support animal: Provides companionship and comfort through its presence; it is usually not trained to perform specific actions that provide physical assistance. It may be a dog, cat, or another animal.
• Therapy dog: This is neither another name for an assistance dog nor a type of emotional support animal. The terms describe different roles, so grouping them into one category is inaccurate.

An animal’s species alone does not determine its function: a dog may be an emotional support pet, and a cat may serve that role too. The distinction is what the animal does: an assistance animal is trained to perform a specific task to help its owner, while emotional support is provided mainly through companionship and presence.

How do working tasks affect dietary needs?

Workload and health

An assistance dog’s diet should reflect its actual workload, health, and work schedule—not simply the fact that it performs tasks alongside a person. The same breed and size do not guarantee the same needs: one dog may be active throughout the day, while another works for short periods or has health-related limitations.

Consider the animal’s specific circumstances, not its status. Take into account how much the dog moves, how well it tolerates exertion, and whether it has a medical condition or reacts to particular foods. Working duties do not in themselves mean a dog needs a special diet: food should be chosen to meet its needs and suit its living conditions.

• Amount of exercise: Match the diet to how much the dog walks and how actively it performs its tasks.
• Exercise tolerance: Consider how the animal feels during and after work.
• Medical restrictions: A medical condition or an adverse reaction to a food may affect the choice of diet.

Discuss changes to the food or portion size with a veterinary professional. This is especially important if the dog already has a medical condition or reacts to certain foods: in that case, general advice for pet dogs may not take its condition into account.

What should you check before choosing food for an assistance dog?

Before choosing food for an assistance dog, consider its tasks, actual workload, age, body condition, and health. The role’s name alone does not show how much exercise and work are part of the animal’s routine.

• Tasks and activity. Consider, for example, whether the dog helps someone get around, gives signals, or performs other specific actions, and how often it needs to be active. Assess its actual routine, not just the fact that it is trained to help a person.
• Age, body condition, and health. Match the food to the dog’s own needs: the owner’s needs do not determine the animal’s diet. Take into account changes in its activity and condition, and discuss a suitable option with a veterinarian.
• Chronic conditions and therapeutic diets. If the dog has a chronic condition or has been prescribed a therapeutic diet, consult a veterinarian about choosing or changing its food.
• Advice and recommendations. Don’t change the diet just because you found a recommendation online. Check whether it applies to this dog’s health and work routine.

An assistance dog is trained to perform specific tasks, so its diet should be assessed in light of its actual work and health. If you’re unsure, discuss the food with a veterinarian rather than choosing it based only on the animal’s role.

How should you account for a pet that works alongside a person?

A pet that works alongside a person is subject to the applicable veterinary rules: a working role does not exempt it from identification, registration, or veterinary care requirements. Russian Ministry of Agriculture Order No. 832 of 03.11.2023 approved the Veterinary Rules for the Identification and Record-Keeping of Animals.

Record-keeping and everyday care are separate matters

For a particular animal, check which identification and registration requirements apply to it and what record-keeping procedures are in force. This matters both for an assistance dog trained to perform tasks for a person and for another pet if it takes part in work.

An animal’s legal status does not determine its diet or health-care plan: these are separate decisions. When feeding the pet and monitoring its well-being, consider its needs and the nature of its tasks; handle paperwork according to the applicable veterinary rules and record-keeping procedures.

When might an animal’s work need to be limited?

An assistance animal’s work may need to be limited if the pet is not trained for a specific task, is experiencing excessive exertion, or its health is deteriorating. Appropriate assistance is determined not only by the animal’s willingness to stay nearby: the dog needs skills suited to actions the person cannot perform independently.

An assistance dog and an emotional support animal have different roles. Emotional support may give a person a sense of comfort, but it does not in itself mean the animal has been trained to provide physical assistance or perform specific actions.

Don’t confuse assistance with commercial use

Under Russian law, the use of pets in business activities is prohibited except in cases established by the Government of the Russian Federation. This restriction applies to the commercial use of a pet and does not mean that every instance of an animal accompanying or helping someone automatically constitutes a business activity.

• Physical assistance: The dog should be trained to perform specific tasks suited to the person and their needs; simply being nearby is not enough.
• Emotional support: The animal helps through its presence, but that is not the same as being trained to perform actions on a person’s behalf.
• Health and workload: If the pet’s health deteriorates or the tasks do not suit it, the animal’s well-being matters more than maintaining its usual work routine.

How can you tell the three roles animals play alongside people apart?

An animal’s role is determined by what it does: an assistance dog performs trained tasks, an emotional support animal provides companionship and comfort, and a therapy dog belongs to a separate category and does not automatically become an assistance dog.

• An assistance dog is specially trained to perform specific actions that help a person and compensate for their limitations. The defining feature is not simply being nearby, but carrying out tasks.
• An emotional support animal helps through companionship and a sense of comfort. It may be a dog, cat, or another animal; it is usually not trained to provide physical assistance.
• A therapy dog is a separate concept. The name alone does not mean the dog is trained to perform individual tasks for a specific person, so it should not be equated with an assistance dog.

Diet depends on the animal’s condition

For an assistance dog, an emotional support animal, or a therapy dog, the diet should be chosen based on the animal’s own condition, not the name of its role. Factors such as age, activity level, health needs, and food tolerance matter: animals with the same role do not necessarily have the same nutritional needs.

Key takeaways

• An assistance animal performs specific tasks; emotional support is based primarily on presence and companionship.
• A working dog’s diet depends on its workload and health, not just its role or breed.
• Russian Ministry of Agriculture Order No. 832 of 03.11.2023 concerns animal identification and record-keeping.
• Russian law restricts the use of pets in business activities, except in cases provided for by the Government.

Frequently asked questions