How was this food tested?Updated 3 days ago

At Petaluma, we follow the same comprehensive testing protocol for all of our formulas, including the Whole Food Mixer. We are committed to testing protocols that treat dogs like family members rather than lab equipment, which means we do not perform any animal testing or contract other companies to test our products on animals.

Our expert-designed formulas are first validated with software to ensure the estimated nutritional profile meets AAFCO nutritional standards for adult dogs. We then produce a small batch of the food at our manufacturing facility and perform complete laboratory analysis to measure the levels of every essential nutrient - over 40 vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats. We publish these full nutritional analysis results on our website because transparency is fundamental to our approach.

To validate digestibility without using laboratory animals, we partnered with a university laboratory that developed and validated a cutting-edge in vitro technique that accurately models the digestive system of a dog. This cruelty-free alternative provides the same reliable digestibility data as traditional animal testing methods. The Whole Food Mixer's digestibility has been validated through this in vitro testing to ensure dogs can effectively absorb and utilize the nutrients from our plant-based ingredients. (See digestibility study results here)

After we determine the diet meets our nutritional and digestibility standards, we send food to volunteer companion dogs and their families for real-world taste testing. These enthusiastic beta testers feed report back about palatability, stool quality, and overall satisfaction. This approach takes more time and investment than corporate-owned kennel testing, but we believe dogs belong in homes and are happy to conduct more compassionate testing.