You Are What You Eat. Preventive Care Starts With Food.

A nutrient-rich dog food is your pet’s first line of defense against disease. Proper daily nutrition is an important factor in keeping your pet healthy, as it bolsters the immune system and supports normal development in younger animals.

Every pet’s nutritional needs are different, making feeding them more complicated than it seems. Pet food education is a great way to learn about beneficial nutrients, food safety, and breed-specific feeding requirements.

Your pets depend on you to make the right nutrition choices for them, make sure you know how.

We will guide you on your pets’ nutritional needs, including dietary requirements for growth, weight management, and performance, for each of their life stages.

What We Recommend

We highly recommend three diets that are perfectly suitable for your dog, puppy or senior friend. The following diets also have off the shelf diets we consider to be the best dog foods.

  • Science Diet - offers a complete line of Prescription Diets for medical challenges
  • Royal Canin - offers a line of Prescription diets for medical challenges
  • Purina Pro Plan - offers their associated Pro Plan Veterinary Prescription diets

Prescription diets are prescribed by veterinarians to help assist in managing long-term, chronic illnesses, and diseases. They are used in conjunction with medical management for a variety of issues like diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, liver and kidney changes, and bladder challenges like chronic stone development and UTI'S.

We do not recommend a grain free dog food. Here is why: Grain free dog foods have been linked in studies to heart condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy. 

All the diets that we recommend can be bought directly from our preferred partners and shipped straight to your home!

Check out our online store for Science Diet and Royal Canin! 

Head over to Purina ProPlans sign-up website to get started on Purina ProPlan! 

Have questions or concerns about pet nutrition? Schedule an appointment with a 43rd Avenue Animal Hospital veterinary nutrition expert today.

What Is AAFCO?

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) was formed in 1909 to establish uniform regulation of the feed industry. Although it is not a government agency, AAFCO operates within the guidelines of federal and state legislation, including laws administered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

What Does AAFCO Do?

AAFCO establishes standard regulations that ensure manufacturers are providing clear, accurate, and consistent information about animal feed, including pet food. Every year, AAFCO issues an official publication that lists ingredient definitions and feed terms and addresses specific labeling issues such as label formatting, ingredient lists, and nutrition claims. These model regulations aren’t laws, however, many state governments have adopted AAFCO pet food model regulations into their own state law.

What Is An AAFCO Statement?

The AAFCO statement of nutritional adequacy or purpose is also called a “nutrition claim” or a “complete and balanced statement,” and it identifies which life stage and/or lifestyle the product has been approved for. Under AAFCO regulations, this statement must be substantiated by the manufacturer.
AAFCO recognizes three methods for substantiating the claim:

Laboratory analysis

  • The finished product is compared to minimum nutritional values established by AAFCO nutrient profiles for dogs or cats.
  • Label states: “ABC Dog (or Cat) Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or Cat) Food Nutrient Profiles for (appropriate life stage).”

Feeding trials

  • Finished, laboratory-tested product is fed to dogs or cats according to AAFCO protocols.
  • Label states: “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that ABC Dog (or Cat) Food provides complete and balanced nutrition for (appropriate life stage).”

Analysis comparable in nutritional adequacy

  • Laboratory analysis of the finished product is compared with nutritional values from a similar product fed to dogs and cats according to AAFCO protocols.
  • Label states: “ABC Dog (or Cat) Food provides complete and balanced nutrition for (appropriate life stage) and is comparable in nutritional adequacy to a product which has been substantiated using AAFCO feeding tests.”

What Are AAFCO Feeding Protocols?

AAFCO has outlined very specific protocols, or guidelines, for conducting feeding tests. The protocols specify how these tests are conducted, and protocols include:

  • A minimum number of animals for each test
  • Test duration
  • Physical examinations by a veterinarian
  • Clinical observations and measurements, including body weights, blood tests, and blood taurine tests for cats

Each life stage has its own protocol. Life stages are the same for both dogs and cats and are defined as:

  • Gestation/Lactation
  • Growth
  • Adult maintenance
  • All life stages

What Do These Life Stages Mean?

Pet food with an “all life stages” claim can be used from weaning through adulthood. This claim is considered an unqualified, absolute representation of nutritional adequacy. If substantiated through feeding trials, the protocol for gestation/lactation and growth must be performed sequentially, using the same group of animals.

What Does “Intermittent Feeding” Mean?

AAFCO regulations state that specific wording must be used when a diet is intended for special nutritional or dietary needs. These are needs that require veterinarian involvement for diagnosis, management and follow-up.

Conclusion

Understanding the AAFCO statements for nutritional adequacy can help you provide your dog or cat with complete and balanced nutrition appropriate for your pet’s life stage.