WHAT THE AAFCO DOES FOR YOUR PET FOOD!
CAT CANNED FOOD SERIES PART III
"What is the AAFCO & what does it mean for your pet food?"
"What is the AAFCO & what does it mean for your pet food?"
So let's get to this week's pet-tip shall we! Last week was my Part II (5 Qualities of a Good canned pet-food) in our new series "All About Canned Pet Food Diets!"
This week I begin the break-down looking more in depth into each one of these qualities and what they mean for the health of your pets.
The first quality of a good canned pet food I focus on is does the food meet the AAFCO standard requirements?
- AAFCO - stands for “The Association of American Feed Control Officials.” This agency is responsible for setting the standard nutritional profiles for pet foods.
- It is a simply a guide-line for pet-food manufactures to adhere to in order to ensure that the food is nutritionally adequate for the dogs and cats eating the foods.
- They do not actually "Approve Foods," nor do they provide a list of pet foods which meet their standard requirements.
- You should look for foods for your pets which has the statement such as “formulated to meet the AAFCO standards for growth and development."
- This by NO means, ensures that the food you have chosen is the HEALTHIEST choice for your pet... however it DOES at least ensure that it is meeting a minimum requirement for critical nutrients like protein, fats, fiber, calcium, magnesium, etc.
- If a pet food does NOT contain an AAFCO statement on the label, then that food is either deficient in, or excessive in certain amounts of nutrients and do not conform to the guidelines set by the AAFCO.
As previously mentioned, a canned diet is NOT an ideal diet, because it is still processed not fresh food, so I always recommend making sure you are adding as much fresh foods as possible to your pet's diet AND adding a great quality Pet Vitamin to help balance out any lack of nutrients being consumed regularly. We are happy to be an authorized retailer of Nupro Whole Food Pet Vitamins for Cats & Dogs, which are fantastic, I have personally used on my pets for years, affordable, and EASY to serve even to picky cats like my boy Stubbin... they just munch them down like a treat!
Next up... why should you be sure you are feeding a food which is "complete and balanced for all life stages" vs. a food which is balanced "for maintenance only.?"
P.S. If you ever have any questions, or ideas for future subjects you would like me to cover for your pets - simply reply to this email anytime your messages will be forwarded directly to me!
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"Give your pets the BEST of the Natural Life!"
Sincerely, your PetCoach
Sincerely, your PetCoach
April Arguin A.S., C.P.N., P.M.H.
ReNewedPet.com