Careful Selection of Pet Food

Good nutrition is fundamental to ensuring pet health, and choosing the right food products for them is very important. The pet industry is growing rapidly nowadays, so pet products vary greatly in quality, which means selecting pet food should also be done cautiously.

Pet food must provide accurate nutritional information according to regulations, but one important point is that this nutritional information can also become a marketing tactic by feed manufacturers. This also refers to the information provided by these products, which besides ingredient lists, may include unregulated terms such as "holistic" food, "premium," "food grade," and other words unrelated to nutritional evaluation.

The key points of food information are twofold:

The manufacturer’s name and contact details. Pet owners can inquire whether the company's food has undergone AAFCO feeding trials or if the formula has been designed according to AAFCO nutrient profiles. If the latter, is it the formula design or the finished product analysis that meets AAFCO nutrient profiles?

Where the pet food is produced and processed, how many calories per gram, can, or cup of food, and the exact ingredient analysis. If the manufacturer cannot or does not want to provide any of the above information, the pet owner

should choose that brand food cautiously.

In some countries, pet foods may display an AAFCO compliance statement, indicating that the food’s nutritional content is balanced and complete. All non-prescription foods should be nutritionally balanced and complete. If the statement indicates "for short-term use or as a nutritional supplement," it means the nutrition is insufficiently balanced or complete. Prescription veterinary foods used for special conditions, such as severe kidney disease, are acceptable, but should be avoided for sale through non-prescription channels.