How to read this

Weighing the cooked batch

If every food in your recipe was entered already cooked (the guided builder does this), the ingredient total is the batch weight, so we show each dog’s daily amount right away. If any food was entered raw, it changes weight as it cooks. Then we show a share of the batch, like “about 1/8 of the batch a day”, until you weigh the cooked batch and type that weight in (take the pot’s weight off first).

The nutrient numbers do not change when you add the cooked weight. It only changes how the portion is shown.

Why do I need a premix?

Meat, carbs and vegetables can’t supply enough of some vitamins and minerals, like zinc and vitamin D. A complete premix covers them in one measured scoop.

Why does my recipe suggest things I didn’t pick?

It only suggests. The recipe builder starts with the foods you picked and shows how close they get to your dog’s nutrient targets. Then it lists recommended additions: small amounts of things like a calcium source, iodized salt, or a food that is rich in a nutrient your dog is short on.

Each one says why it is suggested, where to buy it, and what it would change. You decide what to add. Nothing is added to your recipe unless you add it, and you can take it out again.

Anything you leave out stays on the list of what is still short. After you create the recipe, Try It can still offer it. If you are not sure about an addition, ask your vet.

Toppers

A topper is a small add-in for one dog. You put it in that dog’s bowl at feeding time. It never goes into the shared pot. A topper can fill a gap for one dog without changing what the other dogs get.

A topper only adds. It cannot take anything away. So the shared pot has to be safe for every dog that eats from it, on its own. If a nutrient in the pot is too high for one dog, change it in the pot. A topper cannot fix it.

A topper’s calories count toward that dog’s day, so the dog needs a little less of the shared food.

“Partly counted”

Some foods do not list every nutrient. When a food leaves one out, we do not treat it as zero, because that would be a guess. We count what we know and mark the number “Partly counted.” The real amount is at least that much, and it could be more.

A number marked this way is not a pass and it is not a fail. It means the information is missing. A vet can help you decide what to do about it.

Where the numbers come from

NRC (National Research Council) is part of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences. Its book Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (2006) gathers the research on how much of each nutrient dogs need. It’s the main scientific reference, and our main source for targets.

AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) is a group of U.S. state and federal officials who regulate animal feed. Commercial dog foods use AAFCO’s nutrient profiles to claim they’re “complete and balanced”. We use AAFCO’s minimums only where NRC doesn’t give one for your dog’s life stage, which is what the asterisk (*) marks.

USDA FoodData Central is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s database of what’s in foods. It’s where our ingredient numbers come from.

NRC is the science, AAFCO is the commercial pet-food standard, and USDA is the food data.

* AAFCO minimums are used only where NRC 2006 gives no minimum for the dog's life stage. They come from AAFCO's 2014 nutrient profile table and haven't yet been checked against the current AAFCO Official Publication.

What the labels mean

When a nutrient falls short of its target, it gets one of these tags. NRC means the National Research Council’s 2006 nutrient requirements for dogs, the book these targets come from.

• Almost there: Under the recommended amount, but at 95% or more of it. Small gaps like this are common.
• Below recommended: Under the recommended amount, and above NRC’s minimum.
• Below NRC minimum: Under NRC’s minimum.
• Below AAFCO minimum*: NRC gives no minimum for this nutrient, so AAFCO’s minimum is the line it falls under.

* AAFCO minimums are used only where NRC 2006 gives no minimum for the dog's life stage. They come from AAFCO's 2014 nutrient profile table and haven't yet been checked against the current AAFCO Official Publication.

Too much, as well as too little

A few nutrients, like vitamin A and vitamin D, can cause problems if a dog gets too much over time. We check for too much as well as too little.

What the weight tags mean

Each ingredient amount has a tag under “How we got the weight”, saying how we got its weight in grams.

• Known: You typed this weight, or USDA published it for this exact food and measure. Nothing for you to do.
• Worked out: We worked this weight out from a nearby measure, like a tablespoon from a cup. For an exact amount, weigh it on a scale.
• Guessed: This weight is a best guess for a custom measure. Please weigh it on a scale when you can.
• Suggested: This is the amount we suggest, not a weight you weighed. Weigh it as you cook.

These tags are only about the weight of each amount. The nutrient numbers come from USDA’s food data.

Check first

“Check first” sits at the top of a recipe’s summary. It lists what to look at before the gaps:

• A nutrient that is over its safe upper limit (or your vet’s limit), or near it. One a little below that line is shown here too, as a reminder; it still counts as met.
• “No safe window”: your dog’s minimum is at or above the safe limit, so no amount meets both. Ask your vet.
• The calcium : phosphorus balance, or the omega-6 : omega-3 balance, when it is out of range.

These come first because a limit is a safety line, not a goal. A topper only adds, so it cannot fix a number that is too high. A gap can be filled later; a limit has to be looked at first.

How complete is complete enough?

Aim to meet every target. Then:

• A small gap against a recommended amount (“Almost there”) is close.
• Worth fixing, or asking your vet about: a big gap, anything below a minimum, or anything over a limit.
• For a puppy or a dog with health issues, treat any gap as worth fixing.

Numbers from your vet

If your vet gave you a number, like a calorie target or a limit, you can enter it. We show it as “from your vet, entered by you,” and a limit from your vet is called “your vet’s limit” wherever it shows. We never change what your vet told you.

Questions people ask