Iron Will Raw is a leader in producing Canadian-made raw pet food with the highest standards for quality and safety. Always striving to be the best, we will be reformulating the Original Dinner line to be Complete & Balanced to meet AAFCO Standards! This means that you will be able to feed any of our new Complete & Balanced diets and not have to worry about what supplements to add – it’s all in there!
Click the Canine Complete or Feline Complete graphics below to learn more!
In order to use the AAFCO claim, a pet food company must have a complete and balanced product. This is substantiated by a product formulation that meets nutrient levels or by feeding trials to meet nutrient levels for an identified life stage (puppy or adult).
There are six classes of nutrients: water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Carbohydrates are the only class that do not have a dietary requirement – all others are required. While a pet’s body has an absolute need for glucose (sugar), it does not have to come from carbohydrates. Glucose can come from protein through gluconeogenesis - a process that transforms non-carbohydrate substrates such as amino acids into glucose.
Various scientific methods determine the appropriate level for each of the six nutrient classes to minimize the risk of malnutrition. This is only part of the equation, the other part is ensuring balance. It is important to have key nutrients balanced in relation to one another. The most notable relationship is the calcium to phosphorus ratio which should fall in the range of 1:1 to 2:1 to avoid significant growth abnormalities.
Feeding your pet a diet that is formulated to meet AAFCO Standards gives you peace-of-mind knowing that it’s complete and balanced.