Ultra-processed foods have undergone extensive processing and contain numerous artificial ingredients, additives, and little to no whole foods. These foods are typically created using industrial methods and often contain flavor, texture, preservation, and color additives. In the NOVA food classification system, kibble falls into the ultra-processed category.

However, because the food label states that the food is “balanced and complete,” consumers assume they are feeding their dogs an appropriate diet. The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the watchdog of the pet food industry, assures them that the food is safe and well-balanced as per nutrient guidelines established by the National Research Council.

What Does ‘Complete and Balanced’ Mean? 

Most pet food labels claim that the product is a complete and balanced diet, so it is assumed that the formula will meet the nutritional requirements for the maintenance of the dog in the life stage for which it is intended. However, investigations into brands with complete and balanced claims have revealed that many products fail to contain all recommended nutrients.

For a pet food label to display the nutritional adequacy claim of “complete and balanced,” a feeding trial conducted according to the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) protocols must be conducted in-house by the food manufacturer, or the food must meet the minimum AAFCO nutrient profile for the life stage listed on the package.

If labeled “complete,” the food must have all the nutrients AAFCO considers "necessary" for a dog's health.  The term "balanced" refers to the presence of nutrients in AAFCO-approved quantities. 

National Research Council provided minimum nutrient requirements for healthy dogs and cats in bulletins published in 1985, 1986, and 2006. AAFCO then extrapolated the NRC information to commercially available pet foods and published Nutrition Profiles for Dog Foods in 1993 and 

Nutrient Profiles for Cat Foods in 1994. Although the AAFCO nutrition profiles are republished annually, the NRC has not published new recommendations since 2006. Hence, the data is old and does not reflect all of the current nutrition research.

Synthetic Vitamins and Minerals in Commercial Food

To meet AAFCO’s nutrient requirements, many commercial pet food makers must add synthetic vitamins and minerals to processed food. During manufacturing, the nutritional characteristics of vitamins and minerals are altered. 

The structure of synthetic vitamins and minerals, although identical to their counterparts, are mirror images of each other. The orientation of the molecules makes a difference in the dog’s system.  Being a mirror image of the natural compound, the synthetic compound will not easily “fit” into the body’s metabolic process. 

The laboratory's production process of synthetic nutrients differs significantly from how plants and animals create them. So, despite having a similar structure, a dog’s body may react differently to synthetic nutrients. 

Bioavailability is the amount of a food component available for the body to utilize for normal bodily functions. Natural vitamins are complex compounds that contain enzymes, coenzymes, transporters, and co-factors. Without the full complement of components, synthetic vitamins cannot perform their full range of biological processes.

Vitamins C and E as an Example: Natural Versus Synthetic

The vitamin C complex in whole foods comprises over eight different components, but synthetic vitamin C only has one: ascorbic acid. Vitamin E comes in two forms: d-alpha and dl-alpha. Only one can be found in nature, while the other is artificially developed. 

Synthetic alpha-tocopherol differs in absorption, metabolism, and bioactivity and their chemical structure. To compensate for nutrient loss, synthetic vitamins, and other chemicals are added (to kibble). However, these additives cause persistent metabolic stress, which, combined with limited ingredient selection and food processing, can result in impaired cellular nutritional status and, therefore, tissue malnutrition. 

Synthetic vitamins have the potential to be dangerous. And, an ‘overdose’ can indeed be hazardous. Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing.

Whole foods are a better and more bioavailable alternative to synthetic supplements if there is a need to fill in any gaps to meet specific nutritional requirements.

The Feeding Trial: Adding Synthetics to Pass

To get the "complete and balanced" label, pet foods must pass a feeding trial or a standard vitamin and mineral requirement. The cheapest way to meet this criterion is to add an acceptable mix of premeasured synthetic vitamins and minerals to a processed diet.

Another option is to add a lot of healthy foods, which would provide enough nutrition even after being processed. However, this would require expensive testing or feeding trials to ensure enough nutrients were in the meals. Because of this, most dog food makers opt to include a premix of vitamins and minerals. 

A diet passes the feeding test if it keeps six out of eight dogs alive for 26 weeks, one or more of them does not lose more than 15% of their body weight, and no blood values fall below the stipulated minimum. The following are the additional requirements for pet food to pass as “complete and balanced:”

‘Growth food’ testing must be conducted for ten weeks 

Two dogs can be removed from the trial, and data does not have to be included regarding these two dogs.

Hemoglobin, packed cell volume, serum alkaline phosphates (for kidney health), and albumin (for liver health) must fall between the recommended low and high values.

If you have been involved in research or have read studies before, you’ll likely notice that the sample sizes (the number of subjects involved) are never this small. The sample size of six dogs is highly troubling.

Small sample sizes hide errors that larger samples would show. For example, 200 dogs were involved in a study, and 2 out of the 200 were ill; that is likely a unique circumstance. If 2 out of 6 dogs become sick, that should be a cause for concern. 

Additionally, feed officials allowed two dogs to be removed from the study, further reducing the sample size. This means that if two dogs experience terrible symptoms in the study, they can be removed from the trial without sharing their results with the public. There is a complete lack of transparency here. 

Skin and coat health difficulties, dental disease, bloat, anal gland disorders, and a variety of other concerns may cause dogs to be removed from the research trial. 

Pet food manufacturers can repeat this process as often as they wish. If side effects are found in their trial, they are not required to report that information and can instead repeat the trial. They can repeat the trial ten times and publish only the most valuable information, with the other nine trials resulting in health difficulties for dogs. 

Only four blood markers being monitored is also cause for concern. And that they can fall anywhere on the spectrum between the minimum and maximum levels. So, let’s say they fall right below the maximum level. They’re on that fine line. They can still pass the feeding trial. But, where’s that leave the dog? Not healthy. And, there’s no measurement of vitamins. There is no indication that dogs receive sufficient zinc, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, iron, or manganese. 

Once the feed has passed the feeding trial, it’s left to be marketed without being re-examined unless deaths are involved, or a significant number of recalls are reported.

Do “Complete and Balanced” Diets Work?

Yes, they do work. Most dogs worldwide are being fed a dry food diet and surviving. Just like the food industry has created infant formulas for babies that are “complete and balanced” meals, the dog food industry has created both dry and wet food that is “complete and balanced.” 

As a dog owner, you could feed your dog processed food for the entirety of its life.  These diets are formulated to keep your dogs alive. 

The question is - does it nourish them so they are at their optimum health? 

Would our veterinarians never have to treat dogs for allergies, kidney failure, urinary tract infections, obesity, cancer, and other diseases if these diets were optimal? If there was a “complete and balanced” formula in a bag made for humans, shouldn’t we be eating it, too?

Can the label “complete and balanced” apply to fresh food diets? The guidelines put forth by AAFCO are based on the NRC recommendations. The NRC recommendations are based on the review of hundreds of scientific studies in which rendered foods or commercial diets were fed to the animals. Can those same recommendations apply to fresh food diets?

Pet foods have historically been formulated based on nutrient content rather than ingredients, given that animals have specific nutrient requirements. The bioavailability of fresh food is much higher than that of ultra-processed food. Nutrients within the fresh food are more readily digested and absorbed. During kibble production, vitamins are destroyed, and minerals are altered, making it necessary for the manufacturers to add synthetic counterparts to the end product to meet the AAFCO guidelines. 

Many online programs are available for the dog parent to calculate a complete and balanced diet utilizing spreadsheets and other tools. But with most formulas, dog parents must include non-whole food supplements to create the perfect formula. Once they find the correct ingredient combination, many dog owners will feed the same recipe for the rest of the dog’s life. 

While meeting NRC or AAFCO guidelines is not necessarily harmful, there are complications with trying to meet them using fresh food.  Commercial pet food companies benefit from these standards as more dog parents make their dogs’ food. When asked, “Does your dog’s food meet AAFCO standards?” dog parents can inform those questioning them that the diet is biologically appropriate and balanced over time to meet their dog’s nutritional needs. Every dog has different needs, and the owner must meet those needs through a species-appropriate diet rather than a one-size-fits-all bag of kibble!!

The Dangers of Trying to Create a Complete and Balanced DIY Dog Food

Cooked food cannot be compared to raw food. Cooking denatures proteins, digestive enzymes, and collagen, destroys essential nutrients, and generally makes the food less digestible and bioavailable, except for grains and vegetables that need to be processed to be digested by dogs. During manufacturing, kibble is subject to high heat at least four times. 

AAFCO's complete and balanced terminology assumes that kibble is 100% bioavailable, meaning that our dogs can fully digest all materials involved. However, kibble contains ingredients that can interfere with the bioavailability and absorption of essential minerals. 

For example, phytates abundant in kibble interfere with iron, zinc, and calcium absorption. The bioavailability of zinc depends on the presence of dietary antagonists, like calcium. If too much calcium is in the diet, the zinc will bind to it,  impairing proper mineral utilization. 

Studies have also shown that kibble is not 100% bioavailable, meaning that the amount of vitamins and minerals must be increased to ensure the dog gets the recommended daily allowance for each nutrient. Synthetic minerals are added to the kibble to compensate for decreased bioavailability and potential mineral interactions. 

However, if a fresh diet was created with the same levels of iron, zinc, calcium, and other essential minerals, mineral toxicities could be created as the whole food sources of the minerals are absorbed differently.

Dogs fed a fresh diet will have different mineral plasma levels. This may cause some veterinarians to label them deficient because the blood reference ranges were established from kibble-fed dogs. Better indications of mineral levels are the dog’s physical condition concerning each mineral and hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA). Comprehensive results of the HTMA give an indicator of the long-term effects of diet, stress, and toxic metal exposure. 

Scientists will only know the actual minimum standards once research is conducted with the proper sample sizes from dogs fed raw and commercially available dog foods. However, research studies have concluded that whole foods are more bioavailable than processed foods and offer more nutritional value than kibble.

Most veterinarians are not aware of the nutritional standards of raw foods. They were trained in vet school to adhere to the standards of commercial pet food companies. They recommend pet foods with ‘complete and balanced labels.

The best route is to visit a holistic veterinarian who has taken further action to understand raw food nutrition fully. Show your veterinarian a sample of the diet you plan to feed your dog with the ingredients and measurements listed and go from there. You can use the Feed Real Calculator  to help guide you in this plan.

Protein: Feed a variety of at least four fresh muscle meats as the primary protein source (at least 60% of the diet)

Seafood: Incorporate seafood into your dog’s meals to provide Omega 3s and offset Omega 6 fatty acids. (10% of the diet)

Bone: Incorporate raw meaty bones in your dog’s diet (10 to 12% of diet)

Ultra-processed foods have undergone extensive processing and contain numerous artificial ingredients, additives, and little to no whole foods. These foods are typically created using industrial methods and often contain flavor, texture, preservation, and color additives. In the NOVA food classification system, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/kibble">kibble</a> falls into the ultra-processed category.

However, because the food label states that the food is “balanced and complete,” consumers assume they are feeding their dogs an appropriate diet. The American Association of Feed Control Officials (<a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/aafco">AAFCO</a>), the watchdog of the pet food industry, assures them that the food is safe and well-balanced as per nutrient guidelines established by the National Research Council.

If labeled "complete," the food must have all the nutrients AAFCO considers "necessary" for a dog's health.  The term "balanced" refers to the presence of nutrients in AAFCO-approved quantities. 

The National Research Council provided minimum nutrient requirements for healthy dogs and cats in bulletins published in 1985, 1986, and 2006. AAFCO then extrapolated the NRC information to commercially available pet foods and published Nutrition Profiles for Dog Foods in 1993 and Nutrient Profiles for Cat Foods in 1994. Although the AAFCO nutrition profiles are republished annually, the NRC has not published new recommendations since 2006. Hence, the data is outdated and does not reflect all current nutrition research.

To meet AAFCO’s nutrient requirements, many commercial pet food makers must add synthetic vitamins and minerals to processed food. During manufacturing, the nutritional properties of vitamins and minerals can be altered. 

The structure of synthetic vitamins and minerals, although identical to their counterparts, is a mirror image of each other. The orientation of the molecules makes a difference in the dog’s system.  Being a mirror image of the natural compound, the synthetic compound will not easily “fit” into the body’s metabolic process. 

The laboratory's production process of synthetic nutrients differs significantly from how plants and animals create them. So, despite having a similar structure, a dog's body may react differently to synthetic nutrients. 

<a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/bioavailable">Bioavailability</a>&nbsp;refers to the amount of a food component that is available for the body to utilize for normal bodily functions. Natural vitamins are complex compounds that contain enzymes, coenzymes, transporters, and cofactors. Without the full complement of components, synthetic vitamins cannot perform their full range of biological processes.

The <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/vitamin-c">vitamin C</a> complex in whole foods comprises over eight different components, but synthetic vitamin C only has one: <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/ascorbic-acid">ascorbic acid</a>. <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/vitamin-e">Vitamin E</a> comes in two forms: d-alpha and dl-alpha. Only one can be found in nature, while the other is artificially developed. 

Synthetic <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/vitamin-e">alpha-tocopherol</a> differs in its absorption, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/metabolism">metabolism</a>, and bioactivity due to its chemical structure. To compensate for nutrient loss, synthetic vitamins and other chemicals are added to kibble. However, these additives cause persistent metabolic stress, which, combined with limited ingredient selection and food processing, can result in impaired cellular nutritional status and, therefore, tissue malnutrition. 

Whole foods are a better and more <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/bioavailable">bioavailable</a> alternative to synthetic supplements when there is a need to fill any gaps in meeting specific nutritional requirements.

To get the "complete and balanced" label, pet foods must pass a feeding trial or a standard vitamin and mineral requirement. The most cost-effective way to meet this criterion is to incorporate an acceptable mix of premeasured synthetic vitamins and minerals into a processed diet.

Another option is to incorporate a variety of healthy foods, which would provide sufficient nutrition even after processing. However, this would require expensive testing or feeding trials to ensure enough nutrients were in the meals. As a result, most dog food manufacturers opt to include a premix of vitamins and minerals. 

A diet passes the feeding test if it keeps six out of eight dogs alive for 26 weeks, with one or more of them not losing more than 15% of their body weight, and no blood values fall below the stipulated minimum. The following are the additional requirements for pet food to pass as “complete and balanced:”

Small sample sizes can conceal errors that larger samples would reveal. For example, a study involving 200 dogs found that 2 of the 200 were ill; this is likely a unique circumstance. If 2 out of 6 dogs become sick, that should be a cause for concern. 

Monitoring only four blood markers is also a cause for concern. And that they can fall anywhere on the spectrum between the minimum and maximum levels. So, let’s say they fall right below the maximum level. They’re on that fine line. They can still pass the feeding trial. But, where’s that leave the dog? Not healthy. And, there’s no measurement of vitamins. There is no indication that dogs receive sufficient <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/zinc">zinc</a>, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/calcium">calcium</a>, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, iron, or manganese. 

Once the feed has passed the feeding trial, it’s left to be marketed without further examination, unless deaths are involved or a significant number of recalls are reported.

Yes, they do work. Most dogs worldwide are being fed a dry food diet and surviving. Just like the food industry has created infant formulas for babies that are “complete and balanced” meals, the dog food industry has developed both dry and wet food that is “complete and balanced.” 

The question is, does it nourish them so they are at their optimal health? 

Would our veterinarians never have to treat dogs for allergies, kidney failure, urinary tract infections, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/obesity">obesity</a>, cancer, and other diseases if these diets were optimal? If there were a “complete and balanced” formula in a bag made for humans, shouldn’t we be eating it, too?

Can the label “complete and balanced” apply to fresh food diets? The guidelines put forth by AAFCO are based on the recommendations of the NRC. The NRC recommendations are based on the review of hundreds of scientific studies in which rendered foods or commercial diets were fed to the animals. Can those same recommendations apply to fresh food diets?

Pet foods have historically been formulated based on their nutrient content rather than ingredients, as animals have specific nutrient requirements. The bioavailability of fresh food is much higher than that of ultra-processed food. Nutrients within the fresh food are more readily digested and absorbed. During kibble production, vitamins are destroyed, and minerals are altered, making it necessary for the manufacturers to add synthetic counterparts to the end product to meet the AAFCO guidelines. 

Many online programs are available for dog parents to calculate a complete and balanced diet using spreadsheets and other tools. But with most formulas, dog parents must include non-whole food supplements to create the perfect formula. Once they find the correct ingredient combination, many dog owners will feed the same recipe for the rest of the dog’s life. 

While meeting NRC or AAFCO guidelines is not necessarily harmful, there are complications with trying to meet them using fresh food.  Commercial pet food companies benefit from these standards as more dog parents make their own dog food. When asked, “Does your dog’s food meet AAFCO standards?” dog parents can inform those questioning them that the diet is biologically appropriate and balanced over time to meet their dog’s nutritional needs. Every dog has different needs, and the owner must meet those needs through a species-appropriate diet rather than a one-size-fits-all bag of kibble!!

Cooked food cannot be compared to raw food. Cooking denatures proteins, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/digestive-enzymes">digestive enzymes</a>, and collagen, destroys essential nutrients, and generally makes the food less digestible and bioavailable, except for grains and vegetables, which require processing to be digested by dogs. During manufacturing, kibble is subject to high heat at least four times. 

For example, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/phytates">phytates</a>, abundant in kibble, interfere with the absorption of iron, zinc, and calcium. The bioavailability of zinc depends on the presence of dietary antagonists, like calcium. If the diet contains too much calcium, zinc will bind to it,  impairing proper mineral utilization. 

However, if a fresh diet were created with the same levels of iron, zinc, calcium, and other essential minerals, mineral toxicities could occur as the whole food sources of the minerals are absorbed differently.

Dogs fed a fresh diet will have different mineral plasma levels. This may cause some veterinarians to label them deficient because the blood reference ranges were established from kibble-fed dogs. Better indications of mineral levels are the dog’s physical condition concerning each mineral and hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA). The comprehensive results of the HTMA provide an indicator of the long-term effects of diet, stress, and exposure to toxic metals. 

The best route is to visit a holistic veterinarian who has taken further steps to understand raw food nutrition fully. Show your veterinarian a sample of the diet you plan to feed your dog, including the ingredients and measurements, and proceed from there. You can use the <a href="https://feedreal.com/calculator">Feed Real Calculator</a>  to help guide you in this plan.

Articles from future units will be accessible once you have completed that unit.

<a href="https://feedreal.com/articles/synthetic-vitamins-and-minerals-in-commercial-dog-foods">Synthetic Vitamins And Minerals In Commercial Dog Foods</a> 

Complete and Balanced Defined

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