Choosing a Dog Food: AAFCO Feeding Trials

When it comes to feeding our pets, we all want to ensure that we are providing them a healthy and nutritious diet, but, with so many different pet food brands and formulas on the market, it can be difficult to choose a food for our furry friends. This is where AAFCO feeding trials can factor into the decision-making process.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets standards for pet food nutrition and labeling in the United States. One of the ways they do this is by establishing guidelines for feeding trials that pet food manufacturers can use to test the nutritional adequacy of their products.

AAFCO feeding trials involve feeding a specific diet to a group of 8 healthy adult dogs or cats for 6 months. During this time, the animal’s health status is monitored utilizing 7 different health parameters including body weight and hematocrit levels. Up to two of the animals can be removed from the study for non-nutritional reasons¹. These trials aim to ensure that pet foods meet the minimum nutritional requirements established by AAFCO. However, it's worth noting that these guidelines only provide minimum standards, and some experts argue that they may not be adequate for all pets.^2,3

The minimum standards established by AAFCO are just that minimums, and there have been criticisms of the testing process. BSM Partners has identified ways to enhance AAFCO feeding studies to be more robust and customizable for specific product needs.

BSM Partners’ custom AAFCO qualifying feeding trials use privately owned dogs to allow for an “in-home” study to be performed and eliminate the need for “research” animals. The study, at a minimum, measures 60 different health parameters. It can be customized to add specific nutrients, or amino acids into the study protocol. In the wake of DCM, there is the ability to add in cardiac biomarkers with echocardiograms for those diets that may be considered “non-traditional.”

While AAFCO and AAFCO qualifying feeding trials can help evaluate pet food, they are just one evaluation tool, and it's important to do your own research to choose a food that meets your pet's individual needs and preferences. This may involve consulting with your veterinarian, reading ingredient labels and nutrition information, and even trying out different foods to see what works best for your furry friend.

To learn more read more in an article on AAFCO feeding studies by Dr. Brad Quest.

 

References

1. (2022). Minimum Feeding Protocol for Proving a Growth Claim for a Dog Food. In 2022 Official Publication: Association of American Feed Control Officials.
2. Dzanis, D. (2010, June 4). Pet Food Facts and fallacies (sponsored by Nestle Purina). DVM 360.
3. Yamka, R. (2019, April 25). DO AAFCO feeding trials matter for pet food nutrition. PetfoodIndustry.

 

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About the Author

Dr. Katy Miller works as the Director of Veterinary Services at BSM Partners. She earned her veterinary degree at Ross University and completed her clinical year at Louisiana State University. She previously served for 11 years as the Director of Dog and Cat Health and Nutrition for Mud Bay where she earned multiple certifications and specialized in pet food nutriton, prior to which she practiced general and emergency medicine for seven years. She is also a competitive three-day eventer, licensed falconer, and claims only two (Golden and Mini Doxie) of their nine dogs.