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STEP 1
First understand the needs of your pet:
| a) |
Breed-Small breeds compared to larger breeds require higher protein levels to sustain their higher energy needs |
| b) |
Size-Lower calories for overweight dogs/cats and more calories for underweight dogs/cats (See body condition system chart to achieve ideal body condition) |
| c) |
Energy Levels-Active (Exercises a lot) dogs/cats need higher protein levels to sustain their higher energy needs as compared to less active dogs/cats. |
| d) |
Age-Puppies/kittens need higher protein levels as they are still growing as compared to adult dogs |
| e) |
Special needs: Allergies and health problems
| • |
Study the ingredient list to avoid formulas that contains ingredients your pet is allergic to. |
| • |
Choose a suitable formula that can help your pet if it has any health problems. Example: PRO PLAN® cat urinary tract formula is formulated with lower PH and magnesium levels to assist in promoting urinary tract health | |
After understanding the needs of your pet by answering the questions above, you will then need to decide which brand is best suited for your pet, assuming many different brands seem to suit your pets needs. As you probably know it is very difficult to decide which pet food is the best considering the number of brands that are flooding the market. There are so many amazing claims that different brands are making but which brands really can be trusted?
STEP 2
One easy way is to check on the packaging of the pet food if it has the AAFCO nutrition adequacy statement . AAFCO stands for Association of American Feed Control Officials. It is the only pet food regulatory body in the world at this point in time.
| a) |
Specifies that the pet food has complete and balanced nutrition |
| b) |
Specifies which life stage it is suitable for
• Growth (puppy)
• Gestation (pregnant)
• Maintenance (adult)
• all life stages |
| c) |
It provides a written nutrient guidelines (minimum/maximum) based on present knowledge. |
| d) |
A written profile doesn't guarantee an animal will receive adequate amounts of nutrients due to certain variables |
Factors not accounted for by AAFCO nutrient profiles
| a) |
Potential for lower digestibility |
| b) |
Potential losses during processing and storage |
| c) |
Potential for varying ingredient effects |
| d) |
Deficiency of nutrients not recognized as essential. |
STEP 3
The next step to take is to check if the packaging indicates that it carries out AAFCO feeding trials. Only a few brands in Malaysia and PRO PLAN® is one of them that actually conduct feeding tests. AAFCO feeding trials are conducted by testing the pet food by feeding them to actual pets while AAFCO nutritional profiles are achieved by simply carrying out a lab test. Feeding trials are a much more reliable way to determine the nutritional completeness of a pet food and prove the claims it makes.
Benefits of AAFCO animal feeding tests
• Better at assessing palatability/acceptablity by dogs
• Better able to assess digestibility of nutrients
• Able to evaluate performance of food
Cons of AAFCO animal feeding tests
• Some assessments are subjective and trial length is short relative to life span; subtle signs of inadequacy could be missed.
(PRO PLAN® is the only brand that has done a 14 year life span study on Labradors that proves that PRO PLAN® can deliver adequate nutrition for life)
Benefits of having AAFCO approved nutrient profiles
• Sample lab analysis easily confirms compliance
• Deficiencies or excess nutrients versus profile easily recognized and corrected
Cons of AAFCO approved nutrient profiles
• Deficiencies or excess vs actual animal needs not easily recognized and corrected
• Can't account for digestibility or other factors
So remember when choosing a reliable brand that claims are proven, look out for the words “Animal Feeding Tests” on the packaging. PRO PLAN® is one brand that has this and is the only brand that has done a 14 year life span study on Labradors that proves that PRO PLAN® can deliver adequate nutrition for life!
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