Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you doing this?

We were inspired to take on this project to benefit the pets being fed commercial raw pet food products that provide little or no information on the nutritional formulation.  Some of these products claim or imply that they are balanced without specifying what standard they are meeting.  Some companies assume their consumers possess a certain level of knowledge that they may not. Consumers may infer a product is balanced simply because it is available on the market.  Without nutritional information, consumers have no way of knowing if they are indeed feeding their pets a diet that meets all of their nutritional needs.  With our project’s testing, consumers, retailers, and veterinarians will be able to differentiate a balanced food from one requiring supplementation.  We hope to encourage cooperation between manufacturers and consumers in a way that benefits everyone, especially our pets.

Why are you only testing Canadian manufactured raw pet foods?

Canada does not have any requirements, regulations, or oversight when it comes to claims made about pet foods. Canadian veterinarians have witnessed the growing market and increasing popularity of commercially made raw pet foods without adequate nutritional information about these diets to address their clients’ questions. For this reason we’ve decided to provide nutritional analyses for some of the most popular raw pet foods so vets and raw feeders have this critical information.  

What are the current Canadian pet food regulations?

Canadian pet food labels are required to list 3 things: the species the food intended for (dog food or cat food), the weight of the product and manufacturer’s contact information. Canada has voluntary label suggestions that includes list of ingredients, feeding instructions, guaranteed analysis, and nutritional adequacy statement. The reason most people say Canada’s pet food industry is generally unregulated is because these voluntary suggestions are not required, regulated or mandated.

You can view Canadian Pet Food Industry Regulations here.

Why does this matter to me if I’m not Canadian and can’t source the foods tested where I live?

Many of the foods tested will have similar counterparts in other marketplaces outside Canada.  In a general way, the results of this study will be informative to all those who want a better understanding of feeding a raw food diet, in particular a commercially formulated one.

Some companies worldwide make the claim they are balancing their diets according to “prey model standards.” Because “prey model standards” are not consistent and vary by company, these analyses will offer insights as to what a variety of “prey model standards” nutritional profiles look like.

Why does this matter to me if I DIY my own raw pet food?

Most people who make their own raw food diets are often approached by others looking for advice and they have the opportunity to share their knowledge.  Even if you don’t use commercial raw products yourself, these results will increase your knowledge base and your ability to help others and make recommendations.

Who performed the tests?

Testing was conducted by an independent, third-party credentialed lab in Canada. The lab has requested confidentiality, as they test for many food brands across Canada, including most of the companies in the project. All brands were provided with their product’s test results.

How were samples handled?

The pet foods tested were purchased from pet supply stores in the same manner as regular consumers make purchases.  Appropriate food handling and storage procedures were used. Samples were number-coded (not submitted under a brand name) and delivered to a Canadian lab for blind testing.

How were products chosen for testing?

The number of samples was determined by the funds raised.  We aimed to test samples representative of the variety of products available across Canada.  Popularity, availability, labeling, and donor requests were factored in.

Why didn’t you test more products?

Budgetary constraints. It costs well over $2000 CDN to obtain and test each product for our core nutrient profile.

What are the reasons for a sample’s results to differ from the label or website claims?

Because we only tested a single sample of each product, we expect there to be slight variation in nutrient values. In a perfect world, we would test multiple samples of multiple lots, and would expect the average of those results to be extremely close to label claims. Unfortunately, the cost of such testing was far beyond the scope and goal of our project — to provide a “spot check” of what a typical product’s nutrient value might be.

There are also some laboratory limitations, and these are noted with each products results. For example, how finely bone is ground can impact the laboratory’s ability to accurately measure calcium and phosphorus. In such situations where a coarsely ground bone is used, we expect those minerals to be reported as low, when they actually may be adequate. Click here for our guide to reading the results.

What were the manufacturers’ roles in the project?

Brands were notified when their product was selected for testing. They were provided with the opportunity to share any information about their products, nutritional philosophy, or other points that could help consumers better understand and use their products. If the company chose to provide this information, we have provided a link to that information in their profile. Some companies elected not to share any information with us. They were also given the opportunity to submit additional samples for testing at their own cost to provide a comparison sample.

Where can I get more information?

Questions about products should be directed to the manufacturer. We’ve provided links on each brand’s results page. Also visit our resources page.