WSAVA Approved Dog Food: What French Bulldog Owners Need To Know

• What Does WSAVA Stand for and What Is Its Purpose?
• AAFCO vs WSAVA: How Do They Differ?
• Is There Such a Thing as ‘WSAVA-Approved’ Dog Food?
• Understanding WSAVA’s Global Nutritional Guidelines on Selecting a Pet Food
• What’s the Difference Between ‘Guidelines’ and ‘Recommendations’?
• Benefits of Choosing a Food That Follows WSAVA Guidelines
• Is There Anything Wrong With WSAVA’s Guidelines?
• Why WSAVA Guidelines Matter for Frenchies
• How Should I Use WSAVA to Choose a Dog Food? Key Questions to Ask
• What To Look for on a Label
• What To Look for in a Brand
• Is This Diet Right for MY Dog?
• Key WSAVA-Compliant Brands
• Best WSAVA Dog Food Picks for French Bulldogs
• FAQ
• Is Blue Buffalo a WSAVA approved dog food?
• Is Open Farm a WSAVA approved dog food?
• Is Farmer’s Dog a WSAVA approved dog food?
• Is Kirkland brand a WSAVA recommended dog food?
• Should I avoid boutique brands for my Frenchie?

An appropriate diet can make a big impact on your dog’s overall health, from helping them maintain a lean body condition, promoting healthy skin and fur coat, and keeping digestion running smoothly. Yet canine nutrition is a hot topic that is often controversial, leaving pet parents confused about what is best for their dog. Many boutique brands convincingly tout the benefits of organic, grain-free, raw food, or diets free from specific ingredients, such as fillers or byproducts; however, some of these diets are actually linked to medical issues such as heart disease and bacterial contamination.

As a veterinarian, I want not only the best for your dog, but also to help simplify things for busy pet parents. So here it is: The most important consideration when choosing a diet for your dog is to look for one that is WSAVA-compliant. Let’s break down the complex terminology and explore what this means, why it’s important, and how to use the WSAVA guidelines to choose the best diet for your Frenchie.

What Does WSAVA Stand for and What Is Its Purpose?

WSAVA stands for World Small Animal Veterinary Association. This non-profit organization composed of over 300,000 veterinarians, is dedicated to advancing the health and welfare of companion animals globally, by:

• Creating guidelines to promote higher quality standards of care, in areas such as nutrition, pain management, preventative care, and more.
• Promoting continuing education opportunities for veterinarians
• Fostering a global community of veterinarians and increasing awareness of the “one health” concept

While WSAVA does lots of important work, they are especially well known for developing a set of guidelines to help veterinarians and pet owners evaluate pet food brands and labels, and make informed decisions about what to feed their pets. One important aspect is that pet food is complete and balanced, meaning it contains all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that your pet needs.

AAFCO vs WSAVA: How Do They Differ?

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is another organization with an important role in the nutritional quality of pet foods. AAFCO is not a government agency, but it is a non-profit whose members consist of government regulatory officials (confusing, I know). These members work together to set standards for pet food nutrition, requirements for labeling, and definitions of ingredients.

AAFCO sets the minimum standards for a food to be considered complete and balanced in the United States. As nutritional requirements change over time, diets must be formulated for a specific lifestage (such as growth, adult, senior, pregnant/nursing, or all lifestages) and labeled as such. Meeting these requirements can be achieved through formulation (simply creating a recipe) or, preferably, through feeding trials (feeding the diet to animals to make sure there are no nutritional deficiencies).

In contrast WSAVA goes further and offers a set of global guidelines to help pet owners choose a quality pet food that is not only complete and balanced but produced by a company that employs veterinary nutritionists, performs feeding trials, nutritional analysis, and quality control testing, and is dedicated to research and transparency, among other things.

Is There Such a Thing as ‘WSAVA-Approved’ Dog Food?

Neither WSAVA nor AAFCO regulate, test, or “approve” pet foods. This is the job of the FDA or state officials. Rather, they both provide a set of standards, and it is up to the individual pet food companies to formulate and test their pet foods accordingly. While every pet food in the US is required to have an AAFCO statement to be marketed as complete and balanced, WSAVA offers pet owners with a list of questions to help them further evaluate the quality of a pet food.

WSAVA does not have a list of approved or certified brands, but veterinarians widely consider dog foods that meet WSAVA guidelines to include: Royal Canin, Hills Science Diet, Purina, Iams, and Eukanuba. Other pet food brands are also currently working towards meeting these guidelines.

Understanding WSAVA’s Global Nutritional Guidelines on Selecting a Pet Food

What’s the Difference Between ‘Guidelines’ and ‘Recommendations’?

WSAVA does not recommend individual brands of dog food. Instead, their overarching guidelines are less specific and designed to provide education about how to evaluate a pet food.

Benefits of Choosing a Food That Follows WSAVA Guidelines

Currently, feeding a WSAVA-compliant dog food is the easiest way to ensure that your pup is eating the best. As a veterinarian, the benefits below are the exact reasons why I always recommend WSAVA-compliant diets.

• Diet is nutritionally appropriate – Understanding that a diet has been formulated by a veterinary nutritionist and is guaranteed to be complete and balanced based on feeding trials and chemical analysis, provides peace of mind that your dog is getting all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that they need for optimal health, in the proper amounts.
• Lower risk of contamination – Owning the manufacturing plant and using third-party quality control testing help prevent errors and contamination.
• Reduced risk of heart disease and other nutrition-related issues – Most raw and BEG (boutique, exotic, or grain-free) diets do not meet the WSAVA guidelines for dog food. While research is ongoing, BEG diets containing high levels of pulses (peas, lentils, chickpeas, dry beans) and potatoes, are most commonly implicated in causing heart disease known as diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. Raw diets are often unbalanced and have a high risk of contamination with bacteria and parasites, which can affect not only your dog, but other human and furry family members.
• Brand is trustworthy and transparent – A company that participates in nutritional research and is transparent about where and how their food is made demonstrates dedication to a safe and reliable product.

Is There Anything Wrong With WSAVA’s Guidelines?

Overall, WSAVA guidelines are well respected and used by veterinarians all over the world. The main complaint about these guidelines is that they do not recommend or endorse specific foods. Others feel that the guidelines are not effective enough in promoting companion animal health, not fully studied, and are biased against new or smaller pet food companies. As there is no such thing as a WSAVA-approved food, it has been a difficult area to research. However, it is clear that the independent components (such as a diet being formulated by an experienced nutritionist and tested for quality control), do lead to safer and higher-quality pet foods.

Why WSAVA Guidelines Matter for Frenchies

French Bulldogs are currently the most popular dog breed in the United States, and for obvious reasons. But these affectionate and charming dogs are also prone to several medical conditions, including brachycephalic airway syndrome, orthopedic issues (such as back injuries, hip dysplasia, and luxating patellas, IVDD), food and environmental allergies, eye problems, dental disease, and heart disease.

While not a replacement for other treatments, feeding WSAVA-compliant dog foods is a good way to help set your Frenchie up to combat some of these common conditions. For example, maintaining a healthy body weight can decrease pressure on bones and joints to minimize arthritis pain, while a diet high in essential fatty acids can support a healthy skin barrier for protection against allergies. Quality control and reduced risk of contamination are also key for dogs already prone to skin and stomach sensitivities.

How Should I Use WSAVA to Choose a Dog Food? Key Questions to Ask

Whilst WSAVA do not approve a dog food, the WSAVA’s guidelines on selecting pet foods advise carefully evaluating both the brand and pet food label, and are summarized below.

What To Look for on a Label

• Nutrition adequacy statement – Look for an AAFCO statement on the label to indicate that a diet is complete and balanced, and whether this was determined by formulation alone or confirmed with testing and feeding trials. This is also how you will be able to tell which lifestage the food is meant for, and whether it is approved for long-term or only intermittent feeding.
• Energy density (how many calories per serving) – Understanding the calories per serving can help you determine the right amount of food to feed your dog for a healthy body condition. There should also be a guideline on the back of the food indicating an appropriate amount of food based on your dog’s weight.
• Contact information – Phone number and/or email address should be easily accessible. Upon contacting the company, they should be able to provide you with a nutritional breakdown and be willing to answer any of the questions listed here.
• Who makes the food? – Wording such as “made for by” or “distributed by” indicates use of a third-party manufacturer.

What To Look for in a Brand

• Is there a full-time veterinary nutritionist on staff? – A PhD in animal nutrition or nutritionist certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) or the European College of Veterinary Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN) should be employed and fully utilized by the company.
• Who formulates the diet? – The diet should be formulated by an expert with specific training.
• How is quality controlled? – To ensure safety, control measures should involve “ingredient (food and supplement) validation, final diet nutrient analysis, toxicology, bacteriology, and packaging/shelf-life screenings prior to, during, and after manufacturing.”
• Is research conducted and peer-reviewed?

Is This Diet Right for MY Dog?

Just because a diet is WSAVA-compliant does not mean that it will be the right choice for every dog. In addition to asking the questions discussed above, when choosing the best dog food for French bulldogs, it’s important to also take into account your dog’s lifestage, size, activity level, and health.

Key WSAVA-Compliant Brands

While WSAVA does not recommend specific brands, the five mentioned below are well known to be WSAVA-compliant, science-backed, and highly recommended by vets.

Best WSAVA Dog Food Picks for French Bulldogs

Your vet will always be your best resource when choosing a diet for your French Bulldog, but here are some of my top recommendations of what you can consider WSAVA “approved” dog food.

Royal Canin: French Bulldog Adult Dry Food
Best for: Adult Frenchies
Royal Canin is a highly respected and vet-recommended brand, and this diet is tailor-made for Frenchies – from the curved kibble shape (easy on the short muzzle and underbite) to the high-quality carbohydrates, easily digestible protein, and precise fiber content to combat gas and stool odor. It’s also packed full of nutrients to support a healthy skin and coat. A puppy version is also available. This diet contains chicken and pork, which can be associated with food allergies in some dogs.

Hills Science Diet: Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Small & Mini Chicken Recipe Dog Food
Best for: Adults with sensitive skin and stomachs
This diet is easily digestible and contains prebiotics for sensitive stomachs, while also full of nutrients for a lustrous and healthy fur coat. Again, chicken is a primary ingredient, so this food would not be suitable for dogs with chicken allergies.

Purina: Purina Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Small Breed Salmon & Rice Formula
Best for: Adults with sensitive skin and stomachs or those with chicken allergy
The real salmon and fish oil in this food are an excellent source of essential fatty acids for skin and heart health. Like the other foods mentioned, it is high in quality protein and contains other ingredients to aid healthy digestion.

Eukanuba: Eukanuba Puppy Small Breed Dry Food
Best for: Healthy puppies
This is a solid option for a puppy food that is formulated to help your little Frenchie grow and thrive, with ingredients including high-quality animal proteins, essential fatty acids, fiber and prebiotics, and optimal levels of calcium and phosphorus for healthy growth. This diet is also in a lower price point than the brands above.

Iams: Iams Proactive Healthy Aging
Best for: Seniors
Designed for senior dogs, this diet contains high-quality and easily digestible ingredients and supplements to support bone and joint health, digestion, healthy weight, and cognitive and immune support. Like many of the other diets, it also contains chicken, and the kibble size and shape are not specifically tailored to Frenchies. Iams is also usually a slightly lower cost diet.

Prescription veterinary diets: If your dog has been diagnosed with a food allergy or other chronic condition, such as arthritis, obesity, or dental disease, they may benefit from a prescription veterinary diet made by one of these brands.

FAQ

Is Blue Buffalo a WSAVA approved dog food?

As we have already discussed, there is no such thing as a WSAVA approved dog food, but The Blue Buffalo brand states that they are both AAFCO and WSAVA compliant on their website, and appear to be making a dedicated effort to follow WSAVA guidelines; however, this brand does have a history of making BEG diets, misleading marketing, and limited transparency.

Is Open Farm a WSAVA approved dog food?

Although they emphasize transparency and quality, Open Farm does not currently appear to meet all WSAVA guidelines, such as participating in peer-reviewed research.

Is Farmer’s Dog a WSAVA approved dog food?

Farmer’s Dog makes human-grade fresh dog food, and appears to be highly dedicated and transparent in meeting WSAVA guidelines. This brand has also been recently recognized as a WSAVA diamond partner, providing financial support for WSAVA’s missions.

Is Kirkland brand a WSAVA approved dog food?

No, Kirkland brand dog food does not currently meet WSAVA guidelines.

Should I avoid boutique brands for my Frenchie?

While boutique brands may seem appealing based on marketing, these diets are more likely to be unbalanced or contaminated than brands that follow stringent WSAVA guidelines.