Some pets require special food, and all pets benefit from a balanced diet. Our trained and certified staff is available to help you choose the right diet for your pet to keep them happy, healthy, and active. Many medical conditions require special diets such as heart, liver and kidney diseases. We also have diets for food allergies and for cognitive dysfunction which can affect many older patients.
We are able to provide nutritional support to critically ill patients by the placement of specialized feeding tubes. These procedures can help our patients recover faster because of aggressive nutritional support.
PET FOOD
Tips and Guidelines: THE AAFCO STATEMENT
(AAFCO=American Association of feed control officials) An organization similar to the FDA for regulating livestock and pet foods.
Look for the “AAFCO” or “Nutritional Adequacy Statement” on the bag. It is usually found near the Guaranteed Analysis:
Choose pet foods that have been feed tested over those that are formulated only. Feed tested pet foods have undergone a six month feeding trial while formulated foods have not. Feed testing indicates that the company has made a significant investment in the quality and safety of their food.
The AAFCO statement will also indicate for which stage of life the food is intended. For puppies and kittens choose foods that specifically state that they are intended for puppies and/or kittens. For adult and senior pets choose foods that are for “adult maintenance”. Avoid pet foods that say “for All Life Stages” as these may contain nutrients that far exceed your pet’s needs and lead to health problems.
Examples:
*XYZ dog food “is formulated to meet the nutritional profiles established by AAFCO for all life stages”.
*XYS cat food “is formulated to meet the nutritional profiles established by AAFCO for kittens and adult female gestating or lactating cats”.
*”Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that XYZ dog food provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages.”
*”Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that XYZ dog food provides complete and balanced nutrition for adult maintenance.”
*Source:www.petfood.aafco.org