WSAVA is the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. It’s comprised of researchers and veterinarians from around the World, all focused on a common goal of improving animal health. Being the best WSAVA Approved Dog Food should signal a gold standard, however, there is a lot of confusion on this topic.
WSAVA does not actually endorse, approve, or recommend any specific brand of dog food.
Anybody who tells you otherwise is full of beans.
However, WSAVA has published a helpful set of guidelines for pet owners to review when choosing foods. In following these guidelines, dog parents can be assured that they are choosing a quality diet that meets the highest standards of formulation, safety, and nutritional adequacy.
In understanding that the WSAVA doesn’t actually approve, endorse, or recommend any specific brand of pet food, it’s essential to grasp the organization’s role in helping pet parents choose foods.
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association sets forth common sense guidelines and standards for pet food manufacturers to follow. These things include:
These standards encompass nutritional balance, research, manufacturing, and safety protocols, ensuring that the food is suitable for pets and meets their specific dietary needs. Read the WSAVA guidelines for pet foods HERE.
Therefore, while the WSAVA itself does not pick favorites, its guidelines serve as a valuable reference point for pet owners to identify products that prioritize the health and well-being of their four-legged companions.
As mentioned previously, no foods are actually approved or endorsed by WSAVA.
However, if we look at the guidelines objectively, it is pretty well established in the scientific community that 5 dog food brands undeniably meet or even exceed every WSAVA recommendation.
This means that these brands have highly qualified nutritionists on staff to formulate the diets, extensive quality control protocols, dedicated and thorough product testing in all stages of production, a database of feeding trails and published research, nutritional adaquecy statements, transparency, and owned facilities where the foods are manufactured.
Many other brands may come close to this standard. Some meet most of them at the basic level, and only a few brands exceed them.
Out of 1000’s of brands on the market, most actually fall short.
These five WSAVA compliant pet food brands that both meet and then exceed every recommendation outlined by the WSAVA include:
Some brands will post pages on their website or social media indicating that they too “meet” or “comply with” WSAVA guidelines. This is quite problematic for two reasons:
a. WSAVA recommendations for pet food are interpretive; it is up to the pet owner to interpret and verify a companies adherance, and determine how important they consider each recommendation.
b. The companies creating pages like this are often doing so with the intent of being misleading.
For example, many of them do not actually employ a single nutritionist. However, because at one time they hired a consultant firm to look over a recipe, they may claim that they “work with a team of nutrition specialists and veterinarians“.
To most pet owners, that sounds great..and that’s exactly what dog food manufacturers want them to think.
Here is what WSAVA says about qualified nutritionists:
Is the recipe developed by an experienced pet food
formulator (MS or PhD in Animal Nutrition), a veterinarian,
or a pet owner/breeder/trainer?
While WSAVA doesn’t come out and blatantly say it, this recommendation speaks to the importance of choosing a food brand that has at least one qualified nutritionist on staff, who is in charge of formulating the diets.
A qualified nutritionist would be:
WSAVA does not approve pet foods.
There is no list of ‘WSAVA Certified’ brands, because that’s not the role WSAVA plays in this.
It is up to you as the consumer to read the WSAVA recommendations and contact the company to see how they answer your questions.
A great resource for this is the Pet Nutrition Alliance! They’ve put together a pet food manufacturers report with legitimate facts about almost every company possible.
Dog food companies that are committed to the welfare and health of pets often contribute to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). These contributions come in the form of financial support, sponsorships, and partnerships to assist WSAVA in its mission to establish and maintain high standards for pet nutrition.
It’s important to note that WSAVA does not endorse specific brands or products, and its guidelines are created independently of the pet food manufacturers who contribute. However, the involvement of dog food companies in supporting WSAVA reflects a shared dedication to advancing the overall well-being of pets by promoting responsible pet nutrition practices.
The financial support provided by dog food companies to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) is not inherently a conflict of interest, provided that the relationship is transparent and ethical.
It’s very important to note that ANY pet food manufacturer can contribute to science, research, and organizations like the WSAVA. Only a few do.
WSAVA compliant pet food offers a multitude of benefits for both pets and their owners. When you choose pet food that meets or exceeds WSAVA recommendations, you can be confident that you’re providing your pet with meal that meets the highest standards.
This is super important, given how much intentionally misleading and dangerous, unchecked marketing goes into pet foods! It’s hard to sort out what’s actually good, from what’s being sold to us.
The benefits of asking your pet food manufacturer to adhere to and exceed WSAVA guidelines include:
Basically put, we know that WSAVA compliant pet food brands are the absolute best you can choose. Why settle for anything less?
Determining whether a pet food meets WSAVA guidelines involves a careful review of several key factors. We recommend utilizing both a copy of the guidelines (HERE) and the Pet Nutrition Alliance Manufacturers report (HERE) to compare and contrast.
Remember that while WSAVA sets the standards, it doesn’t specifically endorse or approve brands or products. However, evaluating pet food based on these criteria can help you make informed choices that align with WSAVA’s commitment to pet health and nutrition.
Want more information about how to choose the best food for your dog? Check out some of our popular articles below:
Here is our list of formulas that are both nutritionally correct for Great Danes, but also that exceed WSAVA guidelines:
Check out THE GIANT DOG FOOD PROJECT to compare brands and values.
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