| Even though the AAFCO statements are what you | | | | 1. Nutrition Profiles |
| need to see on your dog food labels, they are not | | | | 2. Adult Maintenance |
| directly responsible for regulation. That is the job of the | | | | 3. Growth (this is for puppies) |
| USFDA and the USDA. These two organizations use | | | | The AAFCO checks each category and figures out |
| the AAFCO uniformed guidelines to help them regulate | | | | what nutrients are needed. They have to meet "above |
| the dog food but at the same time are using their own | | | | " the minimum requirements and "below" the maximum |
| ingredient description guidelines and uniformed label. | | | | requirements. This will make sure there are no |
| Each individual state works a little bit different, but | | | | deficiencies. These requirements must be defined on |
| many of them have actually taken the AAFCO | | | | the dog food package. |
| recommendations into law. | | | | 4. Fit for all Life Stages |
| So you can have a complete understanding, the | | | | This one has much stricter requirements but is for both |
| AAFCO created a uniformed definition for all the | | | | adult dogs and puppies. |
| ingredients included in EACH serving. That way there's | | | | There have been some controversies with the |
| no contradictions or confusion between different | | | | AAFCO but the tests were proven adequate and |
| brands or types of dog food. You can read all this info | | | | trusted when it comes to being safe. |
| in their AAFCO Manual that is published annually. It | | | | Below are the Protocols for Testing Your Dog's Food |
| contains a set of standards that all the dog food | | | | In a 26 week feeding trial, they use eight healthy dogs. |
| companies MUST stick to in order to get approval to | | | | Out of those eight, six are required to complete the |
| even sell their food. | | | | trial. During this trial, they can only eat the particular |
| All the pet food companies must pass all requirements | | | | product given to them and of course, water. They are |
| in this manual so pet owners can have some | | | | not allowed any treats because it may interfere with |
| assurance that the food is safe. However, it does not | | | | their results. When testing is finished, a veterinarian will |
| mean the dog food is all that healthy and that is why | | | | perform several medical tests to check the dog's |
| it's very important to get a "Premium" dog food | | | | health. In order to pass, that dog must not show any |
| because those companies go above and beyond all | | | | nutritional deficiencies, not any more than 15% in loss of |
| the standards that are set by the AAFCO. | | | | body weight and their blood tests must meet a certain |
| Remember...the standards are set as a "minimum" | | | | range for their packed cell volume, hemoglobin, serum |
| requirement. | | | | alkaline phosphatase and serum albumin. If six out of |
| Here are the two types of statements that the | | | | those eight dogs pass the test, the food can be |
| AAFCO goes by: | | | | packaged and put on the market. |
| 1. Tested: Anything that states it has been "tested" | | | | I hope this has helped you understand a little bit more |
| means they have actually given it to dogs with positive | | | | of how our dog food is regulated. Even though this |
| results. | | | | may not sound like a great way to test our dog food, it |
| 2. Formulated: This means it has not actually seen | | | | is the only one we have right now and it seems to be |
| results but the dog food company has met the | | | | getting much better since our latest pet food recall. It is |
| recommended guidelines by the AAFCO. | | | | important to make sure you see the AAFCO |
| How Do Dog Food Companies Meet Their | | | | statements on your dog food package, but it is even |
| GuidelinesAll dog food has to be judged and graded | | | | more important to make sure you are giving your dog |
| before it can be distributed. Since the AAFCO is the | | | | "Premium" food since these companies go above and |
| ONLY one that can do this, you must make sure to | | | | beyond good nutrition that the AAFCO says you need |
| look for the AAFCO statement on your packaged | | | | as a minimum requirement for your dog. |
| dog food. | | | | |