How Ollie’s Fresh Food Meets (and Exceeds) WSAVA Guidelines on Selecting Pet Foods

What is WSAVA?

So, what is WSAVA, and what does it do? WSAVA, or the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, is a global organization of more than 200,000 veterinarians with the primary mission of setting and improving animal health and welfare standards.

In 2011, in the face of widespread pet malnutrition and obesity, WSAVA’s Global Nutrition Committee published guidelines to better educate veterinary teams worldwide and create a reliable resource for vets and pet owners. 

While WSAVA doesn’t approve individual pet foods, its guidelines are used as a framework for formulating optimal nutrition tailored to dogs’ unique needs. Consumers can also use these guidelines as an evaluation tool when deciding the right food for their pet.

What are the WSAVA Guidelines on Selecting Pet Foods?

Below are the key points from the WSAVA guidelines on selecting pet foods, along with how Ollie meets or exceeds each criteria.

What to look for in a dog food brand

1. Do they employ a nutritionist?

Appropriate qualifications are either a PhD in Animal Nutrition or Board Certification by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) or the European College of Veterinary Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN).

At Ollie, we employ two board-certified veterinary nutritionists on consultation and two in-house veterinarians with expertise in nutrition and medical science. Our veterinarians and nutritionists bring valuable clinical experience, understanding the direct impact of proper diet on a dog’s health and well-being. They work closely with our formulation team, which also includes experts in food science, engineering, and nutrition, to ensure that our recipes are nutritionally balanced and meet your dog’s specific needs. This collaboration guarantees that each of our meals supports your pet’s overall health through evidence-based, well-crafted nutrition.

2. Who formulates the diet?

 Is the recipe developed by an experienced pet food formulator (MS or PhD in Animal Nutrition), a veterinarian, or a pet owner/breeder/trainer? 

Our recipes are developed by a team of experts, including a PhD in Food Science, a trained food engineer, and an individual with a degree in Culinary Nutrition and certification in Animal Nutrition. This team collaborates closely with our veterinarians and board-certified veterinary nutritionists to ensure our formulations meet the highest nutrition standards and support your dog’s well-being.  With over 130 years of collective experience, our Science team is passionate about animal nutrition and committed to formulating products that help dogs live happier, healthier lives. 

3. What is the quality control process for ingredients and finished products?

Diets formulated to meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) or European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) guidelines should meet their nutrient profiles. Does the diet meet the profile based on analysis using a nutrient database or on chemical analysis of the finished product?

Ollie begins the recipe development process by using a formulation database to create balanced diets that align with the required dog food nutrient profiles. Once a recipe is formulated, we validate it through chemical analysis to ensure it meets the full AAFCO nutritional profile before implementation. This validation process applies to both new recipes and any reformulations of existing products. By combining formulation tools with rigorous chemical analysis, we ensure that every diet we offer meets the nutritional standards set by AAFCO, providing pets with the necessary nutrients for their health and well-being.

Manufacturers and pet food providers should have adequate quality control to ensure companion animal and owner safety. This should include ingredient (food and supplement) validation, final diet nutrient analysis, toxicology, bacteriology, and packaging/shelf-life screenings prior to, during, and after manufacturing.

At Ollie, we prioritize the safety of both pets and pet owners by implementing rigorous quality control throughout the entire production process. Before our recipes are shipped, they undergo extensive microbial testing for pathogens to confirm they are free from harmful pathogens. This process helps ensure the final product is safe for consumption and reduces the likelihood of health issues such as foodborne illnesses or digestive discomfort. These safety checks are conducted on every batch, every day, so we never ship a product before it has passed all safety validations.

In addition to pathogen testing, we use temperature-controlled packaging to preserve food safety and freshness during transit. We also perform thorough packaging and shelf-life testing before launching new recipes, ensuring products maintain their integrity over time.

During product scale-up and commercialization, we conduct nutrient analysis on each recipe to verify that all AAFCO-required nutrients, including the correct minimums, maximums, and ratios, are met. These comprehensive safety measures ensure that Ollie’s products are safe, nutritious, and of the highest quality.

You can read more about Ollie’s Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) process here.

4. What kind of product research or nutrition studies have been conducted? Is it published in peer-reviewed journals?

While pet food companies are not required to conduct nutritional research to produce and sell food, those that do demonstrate a strong commitment to animal health and wellness. At Ollie, we prioritize research to ensure our recipes’ safety, efficacy, and health benefits.

We are in the process of planning our AAFCO feeding trials, which will begin in December 2024. These trials will be crucial for assessing our diets’ nutritional adequacy and safety. In the meantime, we have completed digestibility studies and stool quality assessments to ensure our recipes are well-tolerated and nutritionally balanced.

Additionally, we take a citizen science approach through our Health Screenings, which provide real-world feedback on our recipes’ performance and help us make data-driven improvements. In this approach, our members voluntarily submit photos and other progress reports to contribute to our data set. We also collaborate with universities to conduct further research, enhancing our understanding of pet nutrition.

By combining these studies and practical feedback, we can ensure that our recipes provide the best possible health outcomes for pets.

What to look for on a label

1. Nutrition Adequacy Statement 

Is it a complete diet? Foods should be labeled to indicate if they provide a “complete” diet with all required nutrients. The label might also specify if this was determined via life-stage feeding trials vs formulation to meet requirements. Those labeled as intended for “short-term”, “intermittent”, or “complementary” feeding should only be fed as a small portion of the diet (10% or less), or under veterinarian supervision if feeding a therapeutic diet. 

Does the food match the nutritional needs of the individual dog or cat? AAFCO and FEDIAF provide pet food manufacturers with recommended nutrient levels for different life-stages (reproduction, growth, and adult) for healthy dogs or cats. Diets labeled “for all life-stages” are formulated for reproduction and growth. 

All of Ollie’s meals are labeled as “complete and balanced” and include the statement: “Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages, including the growth of large size dogs (70 lb or more as an adult).” This ensures that our meals meet the nutritional requirements for dogs at all life stages.

Our treats and chews, on the other hand, are intended for intermittent feeding and are clearly labeled as such. This labeling aligns with AAFCO guidelines, which specify that these products should be fed as a small portion of the overall diet (10% or less) or under the supervision of a veterinarian if used as part of a therapeutic diet.

2. How many calories per gram or serving of food? 

Obesity prevalence is increasing in pets in many areas of the world. Having access to accurate pet food caloric content can help prevent unintended overfeeding. Calorie information is only required on pet food labels in the US. Where it is not provided on the label, it should be available by contacting the manufacturer or calculating from label nutrient analysis.

At Ollie, we understand the importance of managing calorie intake to prevent unintended overfeeding, especially given the rising prevalence of obesity in pets. While calorie information is required on pet food labels in the U.S., we go beyond just providing this information—we offer tailored portion control recommendations based on your dog’s specific energy needs.

We provide precise calorie-based portion guidance, not just volume measurements like many pet food brands. This allows us to customize feeding plans based on your dog’s weight, age, and activity level. In addition, we offer weight screening services to help ensure your pup maintains a healthy weight while on Ollie. By focusing on calorie-based feeding, we significantly reduce the risk of overfeeding, helping your dog stay healthy and at an ideal weight. 

In addition to tailored portion recommendations, Ollie provides Weight Screenings to help dog parents monitor their pets’ weight further as they continue their Ollie diet. This unique offering pairs members with the Ollie Health team — a dedicated group of veterinarians and vet techs, to analyze a dog’s weight based on a body condition score scale and develop a course of action to maintain or improve the pup’s weight. The Ollie Health team is an in-house team with expertise in the Ollie diet, allowing them to offer guidance and personalized recommendations for members.

 

3. Does the company provide immediate contact information, such as a phone number or email address? 

Company representatives should be easily accessible for additional questions, such as the level of specific nutrients not on the label. Pet food companies should be able to provide an “average” or “typical” analysis for all essential nutrients in their food. 

Ollie’s Canine Care team is highly accessible. Many of our Canine Care Advocates are certified Pet Food Nutrition Specialists and can provide a general analysis for all our recipes and products. Our contact information is also clearly stated on our packaging and website: myollie.com. We also provide in-depth nutrition information for the public to access here.

4. Who makes the food? 

Companies may make their own food (i.e.,”Made by”) or use a third- party manufacturer (i.e.,”Made for” or “Distributed by”).

Ollie partners with trusted third-party manufacturers to produce all of our recipes. While we do not make the food ourselves, we are closely involved in every step of the process. Our manufacturing partners undergo a thorough vetting program to ensure they meet Ollie’s high food safety and quality assurance standards. We take great care in selecting manufacturers who share our commitment to maintaining the highest levels of food safety, nutritional integrity, and product consistency.

Additionally, we maintain a close relationship with our partners to ensure that each batch of food is made according to our specifications. As required by AAFCO, we list “Distributed by Ollie Pets” on all of our packaging to ensure transparency in our products.