Cal Poly Pomona has created a new feeding trial for JustFoodForDogs, which the petfood company says prioritizes the quality of life of the dogs involved in the feeding trail as well as still provides real-world data from the volunteer pets and pet owners.
Cal Poly Pomona's Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department helped design the method to satisfy Association of American Feed Control Officials' requirements. The study utilized volunteer dogs living normal canine lives in their own homes throughout the testing. Participants included 27 dogs of various sizes and breeds between 1 and 5 years old, who were studied throughout the 182-day feeding trial and tested three of the company's petfood recipes. AAFCO requires testing of four blood parameters, but this trial tested a complete blood cell count and chemistry panel looking at more than 25 blood parameters.
"The field method we developed takes significantly more effort than the standard industry approach, but to JustFoodForDogs it was absolutely worth it. The dogs are happy and the data is scientifically valid," said Dr. Broc Sandelin, chair of the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department.
