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The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) > Home Home FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions Selecting the Right Pet Food Who's Responsible? The Role of AAFCO in Pet Food Regulation Regulators’ Role How to File a Complaint About a Pet Food Reading Labels Safe Pet Food What’s in the Ingredients List? Ingredient Standards Byproducts Organic Natural “Human-Grade” Calories Treats and Chews Supplements Raw Foods When Things Go Wrong If a Pet is Sick You are here: Home Welcome to AAFCO Talks Pet Food If a pet is sick, pet owners should immediately seek veterinary care and advice for sick pets before doing anything else. AAFCO and its members as feed control officials are not practicing veterinarians. AAFCO does not provide veterinary medical advice or recommendations of any type. Please use this website as a reference about pet food. The AAFCO staff and the Pet Food Committee realize this can be a complicated topic, and the FAQs page is a good place to look first. As consumers compare the infinite number of pet food products available, digest the promotional art and marketing language, evaluate the many ingredients and attempt to make sense of it all, is it any wonder that choosing the right pet food can seem complicated and confusing? This website is here to be a practical, real-world, plain-English tool for answering questions about pet food. Throughout this website, there are numerous references to the AAFCO Model Pet food Regulations or other AAFCO Models. Many states base their own feed laws, regulations and policies on the AAFCO Model Bill and Model Regulations. But AAFCO does not regulate, test, approve or certify pet food. It establishes model language that states and other governing bodies may adopt into law. This website also refers to the laws and regulations enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both state and federal jurisdictions help regulate pet food. Read more about regulators’ and AAFCO’s roles . To say that pets are important companions to humans may well underestimate the nature and value of human relationships with dogs and cats. If a pet gets sick and dies, it may feel like a family member has been lost. Uncommon but well-publicized events have occurred when a pet food was to blame for a pet’s illness or death, or when a pet owner may have become ill handling contaminated pet food or treats. Aside from these rare events, feeding the wrong product to an animal can have minor to devastating effects on our pets. The best defense consumers have is understanding what they are feeding animals in the first place, how to handle pet food products safely and how to use them correctly in feeding companion animals. Contact Webmaster Copyright © 2012 by AAFCO, Inc.. All Rights Reserved....