There is no legally established nutritional profile specifically for puppy or kitten foods in the US. There is no legally established nutritional profile specifically for older pets, overweight pets or breed specific pet foods in the US.
In the US, for a pet food to be classified as ‘Complete and Balanced’ they must meet the nutritional requirements of an AAFCO Nutrient Profile or have completed an AAFCO Feeding Trial. In any of these methods – to ensure a complete and balanced diet, pet foods are divided into two different categories – Adult Maintenance or All Life Stages.
Adult Maintenance cat and dog foods are formulated for the nutritional needs of an adult pet – although the AAFCO requirements do not specifically define ‘adult’ – specifically determines at what age a pet is considered an adult.
On the other hand, all Life Stage cat and dog foods are formulated for the nutritional needs of an adult pet, a puppy or kitten, a pregnant cat or dog, and/or an old pet. AAFCO defines All Life Stages as “pregnancy/lactation, growth, and adult maintenance life stages.”
Pet food labels are required to disclose how they are formulated, whether they are formulated with All Life Stage Nutrient Profiles or Adult Maintenance Nutrient Profiles. AAFCO regulations state:
“(Product name) is formulated to meet the nutrient levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or Cat) Food Nutrient Profiles for _____________. (Blank must be completed by using the pet’s life stage or stages, such as pregnancy/lactation, growth, maintenance or the words ‘All Life Stages’.)“
However, finding this required disclosure statement on a pet food label or website can often be difficult.
Just like…
On the Purina website, the Purina Kitten Chow webpage shows the front and back of the label where we could not find the required disclosure statement.
In our search of the Purina website, we found the required formulation statement when we downloaded the “full ingredient list” pdf. In this Purina document it states “Kitten Chow Healthy Development With Real Chicken is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.”
Why it’s important for pet owners to know this disclosure.
The marketing of pet foods can be a huge source of confusion for pet owners. Marketing may lead pet owners to believe – for example – that a kitten or puppy food is made specifically for kittens or puppies when in fact the pet food is legally required to meet the same AAFCO Nutrient Profile that some adult foods are formulated to meet (All Life Stages).
If you have a puppy or kitten, you are NOT limited to buying pet food specifically labeled as puppy or kitten food. Any pet food labeled All Life Stage is formulated to the exact same nutritional profile as a pet food labeled specifically for puppies or kittens.
*The one exception to the above is for Large Breed puppies. Large Breed Puppy Foods are required to contain less maximum calcium than adult foods.
Pet foods marketed as Kitten/Puppy or Senior can be more expensive than a pet food marketed as Adult Food – when they can be formulated with the same All Life Stage Nutrient Profile.
Dive into marketing confusion.
Pet foods that state “Growth” are formulated with an All Life Stage nutrient profile.
Pet foods labeled for Senior pets can be formulated with an All Life Stage nutrient profile or with Adult Maintenance.
Pet foods for adult animals can be formulated with an All Life Stage or Adult Maintenance nutrient profile.
Below are the AAFCO Adult Maintenance and All Life Stage Nutrient Profiles for Cat Foods and Dog Foods based on calories. (The first column is nutrient requirements, the second column is units per 1,000 kcal, the third column is for All Life Stage/Growth & Reproduction minimum requirements, fourth column is for Adult Maintenance minimum requirements, and the fifth column is some AAFCO maximum level established for both Nutrient Profiles.)
Cat Foods
Dog Foods
Pet foods labeled for a specific life stage (puppy/kitten, senior) or breed specific may have some tweaks that the manufacturer believes to best meet the needs of that particular stage of life/breed, BUT – they are legally required to meet both AAFCO Nutrient Profiles – Adult Maintenance or All Life Stages.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Buyer Beware of Author, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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