Ressources

Brief: Learn about what AAFCO is and what must happen during a typical AAFCO feeding trial. This bulletin explains how we expand upon this to ensure the safety, health and nutritional adequacy of our foods. We’ve custom designed an enhanced AAFCO canine and feline feeding trail and this shares information regarding the additional metabolic and health measurements we choose to look at.

Brief: Get the scoop on ingredient panels! There’s a lot of information on any given bag of pet food and it’s important to understand how to properly read an ingredient panel. This article makes it easy to understand the many attributes of an ingredient panel, helping to navigate the options and choose the best food for your pet.

Brief: ORIJEN freeze-dried foods are a great way to feed a raw diet. Brimming with 90% quality animal ingredients, our three freeze-dried food recipes are nutrient-dense and rich in protein. Available in Original, Regional Red, and Tundra, our freeze-dried foods are easy to prepare, requiring only warm water to soften each medallion before serving. Made in our state-of-the-art DogStar Kitchen, ORIJEN freeze-dried foods offer all the benefits of a raw diet in a convenient, dry form.

Brief: All Pet Lovers want the best for their pets, which means they want to provide them with the best food possible. Treats are an important factor in a pet’s overall nutrition, and they also help Pet Lovers bond with their beloved companion and be a motivating instrument when aiding in reward-based training. The attached bulletin helps Pet Lovers choose the right treats for your animal by explaining the differences in and benefits of ORIJEN and ACANA treats.

Brief: Palatability is essentially how much a dog or cat prefers a texture, odour and flavour of a finished product. Through palatability testing we can measure the performance of a diet. This bulletin explains the findings of an industry standard two-bowl test comparing two different recipes to see which diet cats and dogs prefer.

Brief: Rotational feeding refers to a diet rotation that provides pets with regular dietary changes. Rotational feeding can be as simple as changing a dog’s food every other bag or changing it meal to meal. How often, how quickly and how drastically to switch a dog’s food depends on their stomach’s sensitivity to change and types of proteins, as well as a Pet Lover’s lifestyle. There are many different reasons to adopt a rotational feeding program, ranging from adding interest at meal times or adding nutritional variety.

Summary: Demonstrating the complexity of evaluating animal nutrition, this paper compares wild and captive gray wolves by completing blood chemistry tests, which can be used as an assessment of health. It found differences in multiple blood chemical values, demonstrating that nutrition, activity level, and environmental stress can cause changes within the same species of animal. These are key factors that should all be considered when assessing animal health.

Summary: In a review of twenty-six studies examining fifty diets consumed by wild wolves data shows that the ancestors of today’s domestic dog were adaptive, true carnivores. Wolves have an adaptable metabolism in order to cope with a variable nutrient intake, this is still present in today’s domestic dogs. Nutrition in most commercial pet foods differ in several aspects to the dietary nutrient profile of wild wolves; this may provide physiological and metabolic challenges to domestic dogs.

Summary: Nutrition is rarely considered to be a potential contributing factor when it comes to problem behaviours in dogs. This paper reviews studies looking into the effect that dietary protein, lipids and carbohydrates have on dog behaviour. This review concludes that tyrosine, tryptophan, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and dietary fiber could all have impacts on behaviour.

Summary: A review of the evidence regarding the safety of dietary protein in dogs. This review concludes that protein does not negatively affect kidney function and that protein restriction in senior animals is unnecessary and can be detrimental to the health of the animal.

Summary: This study examines macronutrient intake of dogs when they are able to self-select their diet. Fifteen adult dogs were given access to three different diets, which varied in protein, fat and carbohydrate levels. The study found that initially diets with dense fat were prioritised. After 10 days the dogs switched to reducing the fat and increasing protein intake. Dogs did not select carbohydrate to be a significant portion of diet.

Summary: This paper reviews the role that omega-3 fatty acids play in the dog’s diet. Long-chain omega-3’s like EPA and DHA provide multiple benefits including supporting cardiovascular health, neurologic development, and mitigating the inflammatory response. This review concludes that omega-3 fatty acids are conditionally essential, due to its roles in brain and vision function.

Summary: This study looked at the dietary nutrient profile of free-roaming feral cats. It found that these cats are obligatory carnivores, and their daily energy intake was met with 52% crude protein, 46% crude fat and only 2% carbohydrates. This study provides valuable insight into the nutritive aspects of a WholePrey diet for cats, and ways to improve commercial cat diets.

Summary: This study examines the effects of high protein diets on fat loss in cats. It found that obese cats fed a diet high in protein at 40% had greater fat loss than cats fed a diet with 30% protein. Cats fed a high protein diet were also able to maintain their lean body mass, which has been shown to lessen the risk of weight rebound.

Summary: This study evaluates the effect of dietary protein content on renal (kidney) parameters in cats. It determined cats eating diets high in protein have higher serum urea nitrogen (UN), which is a waste product of protein catabolism, compared to cats fed a low protein diet. It also found lower creatinine levels, these typically increase due to kidney failure but can be affected by several factors.