Scientifically Proven
A Commitment To Scientifically Proven Nutrition
At Wellness we see industry standards as just a starting place. Not only do all our dog and cat complete and balanced products meet the pet food industry standards- but most of them go well beyond them, voluntarily following the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO) guidelines, which encourage pet food companies to conduct scientific feeding trials to ensure their foods result in positive outcomes for pets.
From our foundation of the finest quality ingredients, every Wellness complete and balanced dry dog and cat recipe is scientifically proven to demonstrate that our recipes provide optimal nourishment for pets and to assure pet parents that they are feeding the highest quality nutrition to their pet.
AAFCO Nutritional Adequacy:
In the USA, pet foods are regulated by states’ Departments of Agriculture or Chemist’s Offices. Many states abide by the guidelines that are published by AAFCO, which is an advisory body made up of state and federal government regulatory officials with a basic goal to provide a mechanism for developing and implementing uniform and equitable laws, regulations, standards, and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, distribution and sale of animal feeds including pet food, resulting in safe, effective, and useful feeds.
According to AAFCO guidelines, complete and balanced pet foods can either be formulated according to AAFCO nutrient requirements or undergo AAFCO feeding tests to determine adequacy. Foods that have been formulated to be complete and balanced rely on nutrient content calculations to ensure that nutrient levels meet the AAFCO Dog or Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance or growth and reproduction. While nutrient calculations and formulation of pet foods is a good measure of adequacy, undergoing AAFCO feeding trials provides further evidence of adequacy by demonstrating nutrient bioavailability and performance of the food when fed to dogs or cats.
AAFCO Feeding Trials:
At Wellness, ensuring our diets are the highest quality nutrition available for dogs and cats is paramount. This means that we undertake AAFCO Feeding Trials for our complete and balanced dry dog and cat recipes. Seen as the gold standard for assessing nutritional adequacy, these 6-month long studies review dogs and cats’ performance while they consume Wellness diets. From these studies we can state that our diets are complete and balanced and meeting all AAFCO requirements, and an additionally demonstrate the promotion of health in 5 key health areas that a pet owner would expect to see when feeing their pet, a premium scientifically proven natural* nutrition offering.
*With added vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients
Results:
Wellness recipes meet the requirements according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
During the 6-month observation periods, the thousands of measurements that were taken enable Wellness Pet to ensure that pets eating Wellness will live active, energetic lives and exhibit superior indicators of health. These indicators include the top things which a pet owner will observe in their dog or cat and are what we call, the 5 Signs of Wellbeing:
Nourished Skin & Coat:
We go above and beyond the AAFCO requirements for omega fatty acids and during the six-month observation period, licensed veterinarians observed the improved skin and coat health of both cats and dogs, which can be attributed to the presence of our guaranteed levels of fatty acids in the pet’s diets with an Omega 6:3 ratio targeting 5:1 in most formulas.
Nutrient Digestibility:
To ensure that the nutrients were not only present in the diet, but that they are utilized by the pet, we have reviewed digestibility of Wellness diets, including evaluating pet’s stool to determine the long-term health and nutrient absorption. Our recipes are formulated to optimize digestive health with dietary fibres, prebiotics, and probiotics to support a healthy microbiome and nourish the cells lining the pet’s digestive tract. During the 6-month study the digestive health was observed to be in optimal health.
Healthy Eyes, Strong Teeth and Gums:
All animals were given non-invasive evaluations to ensure optimal teeth, eyes, and gum health. These included ophthalmoscopic examinations to assess eye health, which includes an evaluation of the retina, optic disc, and blood vessels. Their teeth were also checked and included the gums, teeth, and tongue and to ensure optimal bone and teeth health, veterinarians observed and measured blood calcium and key enzyme levels, supported by Wellness diets.
Energy Evaluation:
All respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems were evaluated by veterinarians to determine pet’s overall energy levels. During the observation period, several key enzymes responsible for generating energy from food were measured and compared to normal values. Wellness diets were also tested for energy digestibility, as well as metabolized energy content and resulted in a high digestibility rate and includes dietary fiber to enhance digestion. This ensures that the energy in the food is in a form that can be utilized effectively by each pet and helped confirm, along with veterinarian observation, that the pet’s energy levels were monitored during playtime, showcasing the benefits of Wellness recipes.
Strong Immunity Evaluation:
Evaluation: Lymph nodes play an important role in a pet’s overall health and immunity and were checked regularly as part of the observation period. Since much of a pet’s immunity system lies within their gut associate lymphatic tissue (GALT), both the integumentary system and mucous membranes were measured to ensure they were creating an effective barrier to pathogens to the digestive tract. Additionally, a wide range of blood measurements, including serum albumin, serum globulin and various types of white blood cells were monitored to assess the pet’s immune health. After 6 months of eating Wellness, the red and white blood cell counts observed by the veterinarians during the study indicated a strong overall immune health, which was supported through a nutrient and antioxidant -rich diet.
Additional Feeding Studies:
We strongly believe in the humane and healthful treatment of animals and are committed to only non-invasive feeding trials or studies of our pet foods. In addition to AAFCO life stage feeding trials, at Wellness, we further invest in additional studies to evaluate and confirm nutrient digestibility, stool quality, urinalysis, and diet palatability. Digestibility studies are conducted to confirm that our high-quality ingredients are highly digestible, and to determine more accurate calorie content values than those based on calculations. Stool quality and palatability studies also help us to ensure that our foods result in healthful stool consistency and an enjoyable pet food. Although not required, we know that these additional efforts have helped to create and improve our natural* pet foods and treats and help set Wellness apart from the competition.
*Survey of US Veterinarians, Data on File.