Is your dogfood AAFCO compliant?
All of our dogfood is AAFCO compliant for All Life Stages
How is dogfood regulated?
Dogfood is among the most highly regulated of all food categories in the United States, including at both the federal and state levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates both finished pet food products (including treats and chews) and their ingredients. Nearly all states also require products sold therein to be registered, and for their labels to adhere to strict requirements regarding product names and ingredients. An ingredient cannot be used in pet food until it has been accepted by the FDA and/or adopted by the Association of American Feed Officials (AAFCO), the organization of state regulatory officials that develops model regulations for pet food and animal feed that can be included in state law.
What should I look for on the dogfood label?
Shoppers have an array of options when considering food for their dog or cat. When selecting food for your pet, look for the nutritional adequacy statement, indicated life stage and the guaranteed analysis to ensure your pet is getting the nutrition he or she needs. The nutritional adequacy statement will indicate that the food is complete and balanced for a particular life stage, such as growth, reproduction, adult maintenance or a combination of these. If the food does not meet the complete and balanced requirements, it is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only. Ensure that you follow the feeding directions indicated on the package and that the food you select is appropriate for your pet’s life stage. Finally, the guaranteed analysis (GA) indicates to regulators reviewing each label that the product complies with nutrient requirements and voluntary label claims. The GA also ensures you, the pet owner, can find the levels of, at a minimum, four key nutrients in your pet’s food: protein, fat, fiber and moisture.
What is a Nutrient Density of your Professional Dogfood?
554kcal/cup in Chicken diet & 463kcal/cup in Salmon diet
Do you have soy in your dogfood?
Absolutely no Soybean meal or Soybean protein in any of our products.
Is there Taurine supplement in your dogfood?
Each of our Professional dogfood diets is supplemented with Taurine to be sure that there is no issues with Taurine deficiencies.
What's is "Meal" in your ingredient list?
Meat is 70% water while Meal is a meat that has been cooked to reduce the water to 10%.
Meal has 3.5-4x the concentration of meat. Chicken meat is 18% protein, Chicken meal is 65% protein.
What percentage of the protein from animal sources?
Salmon meal & Brown Rice Formula 80% of protein comes from animal sources Chicken meal & Brown Rice Formula 90% of protein comes from animal sources.
Why is there salt in your dogfood?
Salt is NaCl – Sodium Chloride. Both of these are essential minerals. Not adding these in appropriate amounts would be harmful. The exact amount added according to the AAFCO standarts.
Do you have Calcium and Phosphorus in your dogfood?
Calcium AAFCO guideline for All Life Stages including puppies over 70lbs is between 1.2% and 1.8% on a dry matter basis.
Kelev Salmon Meal & Brown Rice formula is 1.23% as is, or 1.37% on a dry matter basis.
Kelev Chicken meal & Brown Rice formula is 1.50% as is, or 1.62% on a dry matter basis.
Phosphorus AAFCO guidelines for ALS including puppies over 70lbs is between 1.0% and 1.6% on a dry matter basis.
Kelev Salmon Meal & Brown Rice formula is 1.00% as is, or 1.11% on a dry matter basis.
Kelev Chicken meal & Brown Rice formula is 1.04% as is, or 1.12% on a dry matter basis.
Ratio AAFCO guidelines for Calcium : Phosphorus ratios is between 1:1 and 2:1.
Kelev Salmon Meal & Brown Rice formula is 1.2:1
Chicken meal & Brown Rice formula is 1.4:1
What are probiotics and antioxidants in your food?
For probiotics, we have yeast, bacillus licheniformis and bacillus subtilis. As well as plenty of prebiotics in the diet to feed them. For the antioxidants, mixed tocopherols – Vitamin E.
Do I need to add any supplements to this dogfood?
Both dogfoods meet the criteria for All Life Stages without supplementation. The amounts in the foods are preventative, not meant to correct any conditions after the fact. So, unless the dog has a medical condition, no additional supplementation is needed.
Why can't I feed my dog the food I eat?
While we may like to give special treats to our pets, some table scraps and human foods, aside from not providing complete and balanced nutrition, can pose serious health problems for cats and dogs. From obesity risks to ingesting toxic ingredients, there are a variety of risks associated with feeding pets table scraps. ‘Winging it’ in the kitchen or giving the dog a human diet is putting your dog at risk and likely dramatically reducing both the dog’s quality of life and life expectancy. That is why often times raw diet or homecooked diets do not meet all of the AAFCO requirements.
What about raw diet?
While dogs can handle certain levels of Salmonella, you or your kids can’t. The handling of raw ingredients + the potential of a dog licking your child in the face – these should be of extreme concern. That's why often times raw diets do not meet AAFCO requirements.
How can I help prevent pet obesity?
One way to help support your pet’s quality of life is to keep them at a healthy weight. More than half of America’s dogs and cats are overweight or obese, which can lead to serious health impacts such as arthritis, high blood pressure and heart disease. Maintaining a pet’s healthy weight includes a simple combination of sound nutrition, exercise and preventative care. One of the most important steps a pet owner can take when maintaining a pet’s healthy weight is to review and follow feeding guidelines provided on pet food packages and measure out the appropriate amount of food at each meal to prevent overeating.
Follow the feeding directions at 80% of the adult feeding guide as a starting point. Lower calorie formula (Wellness) has 20% less calories per cup than Performance formula, which means the dog can get the same 80% of the calories with bigger food volume.
How do I safely store dogfood at home?
Where and how dogfood is stored can make a big difference in keeping food safe for dogs. Before opening a package of pet food, examine the package closely to ensure there are no tears or damages. Unopened dry food should be stored in a cool, dry location indoors, and kept off garage floors. Washing food storage containers between each bag of food is a helpful way to remember to check for damage and insect activity. When possible, store dry food in the original bag and within a plastic or metal bin with a lid.
What is the shelf life?
The best before date is printed on every bag and is 24 months from the date of manufacture.
My dog has allergies. How do I know if your dogfood will suit his diet?
Please, bring the ingredient list to your veterinarian that supervises your dog's diet.
Where are your ingredients sourced and where is your dogfood manufactured?
Quality is important. The dogfood is manufactured in Canada in a family-owned facility and as many ingredients as possible are locally sourced. The remainder of the ingredients are sourced from North American producers.
What kind of testing done before the food is bagged?
Every product is tested for Salmonella, Aflatoxin, Vomitoxin, Fumonisin, Clostridium perfringens, Enterobacteriaceae, Water Activity, Protein, Fat, Ash, Fiber, Moisture before it is released. All products are held until QA releases them pending test result. We are also randomly tested by the FDA when the product crosses from Canada into the US. We are also subject to regular plant inspections by the FDA and CFIA. We are approved by: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture(USDA) and are HACCP certified.
