Veterinarian Recommended Pet Foods: What You Need to Know

Many pet food companies prominently feature the “veterinarian recommended” label, enticing families seeking the best food for their pets. However, what exactly this label means and how it can help you to make an informed choice can be a bit of a mystery. In this post, we’ll cover what the regulations are for products bearing the “veterinarian recommended” claim.

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What Nutrients are Essential for My Pet?

While you may have heard us say “pets need nutrients, not ingredients,” what exactly are those essential nutrients? Here’s a breakdown of all the essential nutrients according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) that are required for foods to be called complete and balanced for adult and growing cats and dogs

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Dramatic changes to pet food labels proposed by AAFCO

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recently released the latest version of some dramatic proposed changes to pet food labels and held a short period of public comment. We review some of the biggest proposed changes and provide our commentary.

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“Preservative-Free” Pet Food?

Preservatives are essential ingredients in some forms of pet foods but they are surrounded by a great deal of misinformation.

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What’s the Best Food for your New Puppy?

While good nutrition is important for all dogs, it’s especially critical for growing puppies due to their special nutritional needs. Therefore, you’ll want to be sure you’re selecting best food for your new family member.
Follow this step-by-step guide to make sure you’re feeding the best possible food to your puppy.

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To Chelate or Not to Chelate [Minerals]?

Minerals in pet food can come from the main ingredients or be added as concentrated inorganic or chelated supplements. We review the differences in these sources so that pet owners can better understand the ingredients in their pet’s food.

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What Is Guaranteed about the Guaranteed Analysis?

I often hear from pet owners, breeders, and even veterinarians about how they’ve selected a particular pet food based on the food’s guaranteed analysis.  The “guaranteed analysis” is required information on all dog and cat food labels and sounds very official and scientific.  While the guaranteed analysis does provide a tiny bit of information, in reality, it’s not very useful.

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