AAFCO Feeding Standards

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

My 8 month old pup, Tenley, has been on Orijen Puppy since he was 4 weeks old at the breeder (in some form... at that age I think it was ground up and mixed with some other stuff to make sort of a "puppy gruel", they called it.)

He did really well on Orijen for months up until he hit 7 months when he started to have looser stools. I talked to the owner of my pet food store, who suggested putting him on the adult version as there is slightly less protein in that and Tenley was almost done growing (he's a smaller doodle). So, we did that and his poop firmed up some but not great. 

Today we were at the vet to get vaccinations and an ear infection check, and our vet mentioned AAFCO testing standards. It was the first I have heard of it. This is what she wrote on our take-home notes:

"In choosing food for Tenley, our preference is for foods that have been tested by an independent company, AAFCO. Look on the side/back fo the bag or can for the AAFCO feeding statement that includes the words, "animal feeding tests substantiate" the food is complete and balanced, NOT the statement "formulated to meet the nutritional level according to AAFCO". MANY EXPENSIVE, HOLISTIC, ORGANIC FOODS HAVE *NOT* EVER BEEN TESTED and in our educated opinion should not be fed to your pet."

She further mentioned when we were meeting that they don't recommend feeding the "traditional" dog foods at all-- no Iams, Purina, Pedigree, etc. But she said that some dogs do benefit from more of a "mid-grade" food that may or may not be grain free but also has a bit more fiber, too, than Orijen does. She said a protein content between 25-30 is typically good to look for, too. She didn't recommend any specific brands but I didn't ask. They don't sell any food at this vet so I don't think at all that they are trying to 'spin' me into buying something that they carry.

This is the first I'm hearing about Orijen not being the best food in the world, other than that it is too rich for some dogs. 

Thoughts? We have about a quarter of a bag left of the adult food so now would be the time to transition to a new food if we are going to.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Your vet is misinformed about what AAFCO is and what it does.

AAFCO stands for Association of American Feed Control Officials and it is a voluntary, nonprofit corporation whose membership consists of state and federal officials who implement feed laws. They set certain standards but do no testing whatsoever. Any food which meets the nutritional standards set forth by AAFCO will be labelled accordingly, and that is all you need. There is no such thing as a food that is labelled as having been AAFCO tested; the foods we recommend have all been tested by their respective manufacturers, and certified by AAFCO as meeting the nutritional requirements for whatever age/stage cat or dog they are intended for. 

Here is a link to the AAFCO website, explaining the labelling: http://petfood.aafco.org/LabelingLabelingRequirements.aspx

From the above link:

AAFCO does not regulate, test, approve or certify pet foods in any way.

AAFCO establishes the nutritional standards for complete and balanced pet foods, and it is the pet food company's responsibility to formulate their products according to the appropriate AAFCO standard.

As we have mentioned countless times here in TFG, and has been documented by Marion Nestle, Ph.D, there is no required nutritional curriculum in vet school, and what information vets do get is provided by Hill's Science Diet and to a lesser extent, by Purina. This "education" continues with practicing vets as they attend seminars and free trips to the Hill's manufacturing facilities and are further "educated" by the salespeople who visit their offices on a weekly basis.

Recently, Hill's has been emphasizing their testing of their products, and providing vets with printed information which brings into question the testing practices of other companies. This is probably where your vet is getting the idea that Orijen and most other superior private label brands are not "tested". But wherever that idea is coming from, it's wrong. 

It's your decision, but when it comes to feeding my pets, I ignore the vet's advice and I recommend that you do, too. Shocking as that may seem. :)

 

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

That makes complete sense regarding AAFCO. It seemed weird that this is the first I've heard of any of this, the people at our local pet food store (whom I trust) and everything I have read holds Orijen in the highest regard. 

The thing she said that may have some validity is that Orijen and other high-protein, grain-free diets tend to have less fiber than other foods and that can cause issues with digestion. Is that accurate at all, do you know? Maybe that is what people mean when they say the food is "too rich" for their dogs? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"Richness" in food refers to fat content, it has nothing to do with fiber. But some people use the term to mean that a food is too complex, i.e. contains too many different ingredients or protein sources for their dog. Dogs with digestive issues often require a limited ingredient, single protein diet. 

Regarding Orijen and other grain-free, higher protein foods containing less fiber than other foods, I have never heard that before, it's a non-issue IMO. Higher protein diets without fillers result in firmer stools and less stool volume naturally, because more of the food is broken down and utilized by the body. Consider dogs who are fed a prey-model homemade raw diet consisting of nothing other than meat and bones. They have very low stool volume.

When JD was eating Orijen, he had the smallest, firmest, "cleanest" stools I've ever seen. When he had to go on an LID formula with lower protein and much higher carbs, he also had to be given fiber supplements. And his stool volume has quadrupled. 

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

Yes, Tenley's stools used to be the best I had ever seen in any dog too. Until a few weeks ago. Then they were very loose and hard to pick up. The adult food has hardened them up some, but we're not near to where we were. It all started when he went to the groomer and got his first haircut (so thankful for that haircut, because dealing with loose stools and 7" of fluff would have been a nightmare!). After that, his poop has never been the same. Now, he won't even eat the food anymore without some coaxing which was unheard of (he has always INHALED his food and required a slow bowl). It is all very odd. I'm going to add some probiotic to his food tonight which should coax him to eat it, because he thinks he's really getting something good when he gets that! Also suspect are the Zukes Mini Naturals treats he has every night in his treat ball.

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

We always use kibble in George's treat ball, but I've noticed that in the past month or so she has really started to "get it" with that treat ball. She is getting extremely efficient at getting all those little pieces of kibble out. If the same is true for Tenley, and you're using actual treats, wouldn't it be safe to say that the number of treats she gets a day has increased a bit since she was a little puppy? George used to have a loose stool the morning after puppy class, pretty sure it was from the treat overload. Maybe switch out the treat ball of zukes with a pumpkin filled kong for a few days and see where you're at with her stools?

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

I think i'm going to switch to kibble tonight and see if he still likes it. The way his treat ball is designed, it is more "luck" than skill. So I don't think the rate he is getting them out of there has increased at all. I may be giving him more than I used to, that is definitely possible. I will try kibble.

Didn't think to put pumpkin in the kong, either. Going to try that! Do you freeze it?

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

We freeze everything and still sometimes have carrot or pumpkin or homemade pupsicle on our floor. It will also take her longer if it's frozen to get it all out of the kong

[Deborah Brown]

I just the Orijen 6 fish formula as a treat.  It goes in the kong with some whipped cream cheese and/or peanut butter.

Just an anecdote but I discovered the Cloudstar "minis" (tricky trainers) were a problem for Charlie because of the potato base.

[Stella]

Could he have picked up some kind of intestinal 'bug' at the groomers??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I was wondering if he might have been given some junky treats at the groomers.

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

I think it was actually a treat I was giving him! I have been giving him Zuke's for 6 months with no problem. When I stopped giving them to him this week, his poop returned to normal! It is perfect once again! Very ofd

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

That's awesome that he's doing better! :) So glad you were able to isolate the issue so quickly. 

I think I kept calling "him" a "her" earlier. I'm sorry (coming from the dog-mom of a girl named George!).