ruthcatrin
Well-Known Member
I get these sort questions alot when talking about feeding raw, but it works for kibble too. And it all basically boils down to how to tell if what you're feeding really is balanced. Sometimes the person needs to convince a vet, sometimes they just need to convince themselves.
The AAFCO guidelines for what kibble, and other premade diets, must contain to be considered balanced. Please note that these are general guidelines and when talking about specific groups of dogs, like our giants there are often different guidelines for whats best for a growing dog. Also, though the date at the top says 1997 if you scroll to the bottom the list was updated as recently as 2010. I don't consider these guidelines perfect, but its what the vets are most likely to go by, and it gives you a basic starting point to work off of.
The USDA nutritional data for a HUGE list of foods. Please note that these are averages. Different varieties of things are all a little different, and what a meat animal was fed also impacts its meat's nutrition. So if the package you're looking at says something different the package is probly correct because its had the testing done for that specific type. But this gives you an idea of what you're looking at.
Please feel free to add your own links and resources to this!
The AAFCO guidelines for what kibble, and other premade diets, must contain to be considered balanced. Please note that these are general guidelines and when talking about specific groups of dogs, like our giants there are often different guidelines for whats best for a growing dog. Also, though the date at the top says 1997 if you scroll to the bottom the list was updated as recently as 2010. I don't consider these guidelines perfect, but its what the vets are most likely to go by, and it gives you a basic starting point to work off of.
The USDA nutritional data for a HUGE list of foods. Please note that these are averages. Different varieties of things are all a little different, and what a meat animal was fed also impacts its meat's nutrition. So if the package you're looking at says something different the package is probly correct because its had the testing done for that specific type. But this gives you an idea of what you're looking at.
Please feel free to add your own links and resources to this!