Resources

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 trial and this shares information regarding the additional metabolic and health measurements we choose to look at.

Download AAFCO Feeding Trials.pdf

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.

Download Palatability Bulletin

At Champion Petfoods, we understand DCM is a concern for some pet lovers. We've broken down the top five myths using factual evidence.

Download DCM FACT SHEET

At Champion Petfoods, we produce Biologically Appropriate foods trusted by Pet Lovers globally. Our foods are rich in meat and protein and undergo rigorous nutritional validation and top tier food safety standards. We do not add heavy metals, like mercury, to our foods.

Heavy metal testing is a crucial control point in our food safety and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plans. We systematically test ORIJEN and ACANA products for commonly known naturally occurring heavy metals at third-party accredited laboratories, and all results show that these metals are well below the maximum tolerable limits set by the National Research Council in United States and Regulatory Authorities of the countries, where our products are sold.

At Champion Petfoods, all our ORIJEN and ACANA pet foods, are properly handled and cooked at appropriate times and temperatures. This applies to our freeze-dried, dry, and wet products, as well as recipes containing poultry and poultry ingredients. Avian influenza (H5N1) viruses do not pose risks to food safety when poultry products are properly handled and cooked.

The terms "raw" and "fresh" in our products' ingredient lists refers to the state of the meats before processing. Our included "fresh" ingredients are delivered refrigerated, and our included "raw" ingredients are delivered frozen. During cooking, the ingredients are heated to destroy pathogens, including avian influenza viruses. Thus, while the meats were initially "raw" or "fresh", they are cooked during production but retain many of the nutritional benefits of the "raw" and "fresh" ingredients.

Additionally, our Quality Assurance department implements a rigorous testing protocol to ensure our quality and safety controls are effective from the time ingredients enter our kitchen through the time the finished products are shipped to our customers.

In 2018, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement that grain-free diets may be related to the development of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In some FDA case reports, dogs diagnosed with DCM consuming grain-free diets also had low concentrations of plasma or whole blood taurine. While there is a known relationship between low taurine status and DCM, there are few studies published to evaluate the relationship of commercial grain-free diets and taurine status in healthy large-breed dogs.

The following study, published in the journal Translational Animal Science, determined the effects of feeding a commercial grain-free diet to large breed dogs on taurine status and overall health. The study, which was fully funded by Champion Petfoods, evaluated a small cohort of Labrador Retrievers during a 26-week feeding trial. The results suggest that the grain-free diet tested improved taurine status in this group of Labrador Retrievers. While this demonstrates that taurine status is not negatively impacted by feeding this grain-free diet, more research is required to fully understand the multifactorial etiology of DCM.

Research followed the recommendations of the Association of American Feed Controls Official (AAFCO) Canine Feeding protocols. Other factors that may contribute to the etiology of DCM should be explored.

Download Translational Animal Science Paper

In 2018, the FDA first reported a potential association between canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and diet. The FDA has never recommended that Pet Lovers change their pets' foods and did not request any recalls from pet food manufacturers. To date, review of available scientific literature and research on DCM has found there is no definitive, scientific link between DCM and our foods or grain-free diets. Currently, researchers attribute many factors as possible causes for DCM in dogs, including genetics, breeding and lifestyle.

The following article, which appeared in the Journal of Animal Science, provides an overview of the scientific literature on the issue.

Download Journal of Animal Science article on DCM

High-protein, grain-free extruded dog diets are increasing in popularity, but few have compared the digestibility of these diets to others containing different ingredients or nutrient concentrations.

Research Update: Amino Acids