Comprehensive In-Home AAFCO Feeding Trial
Since 2002, The Honest Kitchen has helped pets live happier, healthier lives by providing high-quality, human grade foods. We’ve always worked with a team of renowned veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists to craft our recipes and rigorously test each recipe at an independent ISO-accredited laboratory to ensure they meet the nutrient requirements for dogs or cats. And now we’re excited to share that we completed our first Comprehensive In-Home AAFCO Feeding Trial in 2021, with expanded labs and imaging as an additional layer of research, to help ensure our foods provide the best health and nutrition to pets.
THE HONEST KITCHEN’S IN-HOME TRIAL
Tested for 86 blood parameters at day 0, 90 and 180 including:
• Complete Blood Count: 21 tests (including Hemoglobin & HCT/PCV)
• Serum Chemistries: 30 tests (including Albumin & ALP)
• Cardiac & Thyroid Biomarkers: 2 tests
• Amino Acids including Taurine: 33 tests
Results: All dogs had normal healthy bloodwork results collected at three time periods throughout the study. Plasma and whole blood taurine levels were within or above the reference ranges at all time.
Echocardiograms for dogs eating grain free recipes at day 0 and day 180
Results: The echocardiograms performed at the beginning and end of the study showed no significant difference in any dog’s cardiac measurements from the beginning to the end of the study and were indicative of healthy dogs as evaluated by a boardcertified veterinary cardiologist.
Weekly body weight and stool quality check-ins performed by veterinarians.
Results: Dogs that participated in The Honest Kitchen’s In-home Feeding Trial maintained ideal body and muscle condition scores and had excellent physical performance in their training and activity throughout the entire study. Stool quality and fecal scores remained ideal throughout as well.
TYPICAL TRIAL
Only 4 tests are required at day 180:
• Hemoglobin
• HCT/PCV
• Albumin
• ALP
Not required for AAFCO trials
Only weigh-ins are required
“Whole blood and plasma taurine levels are important for cardiac health and cardiac biomarkers and echocardiograms are ways to measure that the heart is functioning normally. To date, no conclusive, causative link has been established between diet and DCM and it continues to be studied rigorously. These In-home Feeding Studies demonstrate that The Honest Kitchen recipes help support a healthy heart.”
— Leilani Alvarez, DVM, DACVSMR; Director of Integrative and Rehabilitative Medicine, Animal Medical Center, NY