We’ve written a lot about AAFCO. Despite our critique of their appropriateness for fresh foods, we believe this group plays an important role. After all, without AAFCO guidelines, pet food manufacturers could put whatever they wanted into dog food. So if you think that kibble is bad now, imagine what it would be like if AAFCO didn’t exist.

However, AAFCO guidelines are not made for real foods, and today we dive into the main reason why, bioavailability. This is a topic that’s important to how we think about Cedric and Edith’s food. Though it sounds scientific, bioavailability just means how much of a nutrient can actually be used by the body. Before that here is a new, simple recipe to use with All Pups Seasoning!

AAFCO and pet food

AAFCO was originally formed in 1909. It’s main function was to ensure animal feeds met a certain threshold of quality for farmers. By the 1980s the pet food industry grew large and manufacturers were making all sorts of wild claims. AAFCO was the most logical organization to set rules. They standardized nutrition profiles and required minimum crude analysis. These were all good initiatives that helped to keep many millions of dogs safe from eating substandard food. (Sawdust used to be a common ingredient in dog food.)

However, at some point, the pet food industry started to infiltrate and influence AAFCO. We’ve shared public records of officials objecting to industry representatives being on executive committees in the organization. Furthermore, because the organization is over 100 years old and covers a wide variety of species from farm animals to fish in addition to pets, they move extremely slowly. The last meaningful update to AAFCO dog food guidelines occurred over 10 years ago.

Ultimately, the guidelines are limited in scope. There are no guidelines for weight loss, senior dogs, or medical conditions. Renal, senior and other “prescription” diets are made at the discretion of the manufacturers and vary widely. Fresh, real food nutrition is not given any consideration in their guidelines at all. In fact vitamin B9 in AAFCO guidelines is listed as folic acid, the synthetic form of folate!

Why AAFCO numbers don’t work for real food

When we first started formulating AAFCO-balanced real food for Cedric and Edith, we couldn’t believe how hard it was. We were sitting there with spreadsheets and nutrition databases thinking, how can this be so hard? We’re using real food. High-quality stuff, the kind of ingredients people have been feeding dogs for thousands of years. But the numbers wouldn’t line up. (We also found numerous mistakes in the leading pet food formulation software.)

Zinc and copper were always difficult to get right. No matter what we did, we couldn’t hit the AAFCO minimums without stuffing so much of certain ingredients into each recipe that it threw everything else off. So we started asking a question that changed everything for us: where do these numbers actually come from?

What did dogs eat before AAFCO?

Nutrient minimums in AAFCO are based on the ingredients that kibble manufacturers use, which are synthetic vitamins and inorganic minerals. Zinc oxide. Copper Oxide. Ferrous sulfate. These are cheap additives that get sprayed onto processed food to make the nutritional math work on paper.

But dogs didn’t eat zinc oxide for the first 15,000 years of domestication. They ate animals. They ate scraps. They ate whatever was around. And they were fine. So when we couldn’t hit the AAFCO zinc number without using tons of oysters (literally the highest zinc food on earth), something didn’t add up.

The bioavailability problem

This is where it gets interesting. Minerals in forms like zinc oxide and copper oxide are incredibly stable compounds. They are the end result of numerous chemical reactions over long periods of time. This stability is great for shelf life, but terrible for digestion. Your dog’s body has to work extra hard to break them apart and absorb the zinc or copper inside. Studies show dogs only absorb about 20-30% of the zinc from zinc oxide.

Zinc from oysters is a completely different situation. It comes bound to proteins, and dogs (and people) are able to absorb far more of it. The same is true for copper from organ meat vs copper oxide (which dogs absorb as little as 5-15% of). Other examples include iron from meat vs ferrous sulfate, and selenium from seafood vs sodium selenite. According to research on canine absorption, selenium from food sources has as much as a 4-times higher absorption rate than sodium selenite. However, not all natural vitamins and minerals are more bioavailable. Vitamin C for example is the same whether it comes from a lab or broccoli. Some forms of synthetic vitamins are actually more potent including iodine and several B vitamins. (Some researchers believe food aids in absorption and utilization, but this research is still far from definitive.)

But for many nutrients it does make a big difference. AAFCO says your dog needs 20mg of zinc per 1000 kcal. But that number was set assuming your dog is eating zinc as a supplement and absorbing a fraction of it. If your dog is eating zinc from oysters and real meat, they need far less than 20mg / 1000 kCal. They’re getting more out of less because the source actually works with their bodies.

Once we understood this about zinc, we started questioning everything.

Anton Beynen has written extensively about canine nutrition, and one of the things that jumped out to us from his research was the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. Every canine nutritionist treats the Ca:P ratio like gospel. It has to be between 1:1 and 2:1 or your dog is in danger. But when you actually look for the evidence supporting that specific ratio in adult dogs, there’s almost nothing there. Beynen himself has pointed out that the calcium requirement for adult dogs is actually quite low.

That was another turning point for us. If the “rules” don’t even have strong evidence behind them, what about all the other beliefs? How many of these rules and beliefs are based on solid science, and how many are just conventions that nobody has bothered to challenge? Another example we previously covered was the poor research around avocado toxicity in dogs. The original source for the claim was an anecdotal report of two dead dogs that were taken to an animal hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. This anecdotal report somehow made it as a primary source for a European research paper that has over 100 citations. This is an example of why research should be read with skepticism.

The carbohydrate conundrum

AAFCO requires extremely specific amounts of minerals. You need exactly this much zinc, this much copper, this much selenium, down to the milligram. Miss any of them and you can’t call your food “complete and balanced.”

But carbohydrates? Dogs have zero dietary requirement for carbohydrates. Zero. Yet AAFCO doesn’t set a maximum. You can legally make a dog food that’s 70% carbohydrate and still call it complete and balanced. Even though increasing refined carbohydrate intake in dogs (like the kind in kibble) is associated with worse health outcomes, including higher blood sugar, increased inflammation, and greater risk of chronic disease.

AAFCO guidelines and nutritionists obsesses over minerals down to fractions of a milligram. They use targets calibrated for synthetic forms of vitamins and minerals, some of which dogs barely absorb, yet completely ignore the macronutrient that’s doing the most damage in commercial diets. We find that many dogs do well with some COMPLEX carbohydrates. But most dogs today are getting the majority of their energy from refined carbs, and that’s just not what serves them best over the long term.

Introducing The Dog’s Table Standard

We don’t ignore AAFCO. We think nutrient requirements are important. After all dogs need zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin D, and all the rest. The question is how much, and from what source.

We recently updated our nutrition calculator to take every AAFCO requirement and adjusts it based on published bioavailability data for whole food sources. When you feed your dog zinc from oysters instead of zinc oxide, they need less of it because they absorb more. When you feed iron from liver instead of ferrous sulfate, it’s the same thing. Vitamin E from sunflower seeds is up to twice as potent as the synthetic dl-alpha form that kibble uses.

Going forward, every one of our recipes will meet or exceeds AAFCO requirements when you account for how much of each nutrient a dog actually absorbs. Not what’s listed, but what their body can use. We are calling this The Dog’s Table Standard.

That’s the difference between creating products for good-looking labels and creating products for healthy dogs.

Why this matters for you

If you’re cooking for your dog and worrying about whether the food is “balanced enough,” you’re probably doing better than you think. In general, whole food ingredients are more bioavailable than the processed meals and synthetic additives in commercial food.

If someone tells you homemade food can’t be balanced without a synthetic vitamin pack, ask them which form of zinc they’re basing that on. The answer matters a lot more than most people realize.

All the best,

Joelle & R.A.

• 1 lb ground beef (90% lean)

• ½ cup quinoa (raw)

• 2 tbsp (5 g) freeze dried beef liver

• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds

• ⅔ cup broccoli (chopped)

• 3 large eggs

• ½ tbsp All Pups Seasoning

• 1-2 cups water, as needed

1. Add all ingredients (starting with 1 cup of water) to a large pot. Stir thoroughly. Bring it to a simmer on medium heat.

2. Turn heat down slightly, close the lid and cook for 15 minutes or until quinoa is fully puffed up. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Add more water if needed.

3. Cool before serving.

4. Portion and refrigerate extras for up to 4 days, or freeze for longer.

Today we are sharing our thoughts about a recent news story about heavy metals in dog food. We discuss how contamination gets into food, which diets are concerning, and most importantly what you can do about it.

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Happy Valentines Day! We hope you enjoyed some QT with your cuties. Today we are going to cover some myths commonly held about chicken. There are some pet influencers that even bash on chicken. But we love chicken. It’s cheap, easy, and dogs love it.

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This is a simple recipe for beef loving pups that might be sensitive to eggs and chicken. We still use eggshell for calcium which has minimal chicken protein. If your pup is still allergic, use a calcium supplment as directed. This recipe 100% balanced to AAFCO standards with commonly found ingredients. Makes about 1650 calories.

• 1 pound (454 g) 90% lea…

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We are back to work, and if you’ve been following on Instagram, Cedric & Edith’s kitchen is undergoing some minor renovations. It’s almost done so stay tuned for the final look.

This week we have a new daily feeding recipe for you! It’s a delicious, one-pot chicken pie. Scroll to the end for that.

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Balanced | ~1500 calories | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 20 min

Tender chicken with peas, carrots, and creamy yogurt. A delicious pot pie that your pup will love, and you’ll love to make! Balanced so you can feed it every day.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil (30g)

• 1 lb (454g) ground chicken

• 2 oz (60 g) chicken liver, minced

• 1 cup frozen peas and car…

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Happy New Year! We hope that you are having a great start to your new year. After the holiday rush (and the entire hectic 2025) we were totally drained and have taken a much needed break. Time to get back to work!

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We hope you all had a great holiday break with your friends and family. If you were able to make something nice for your furry friends, extra brownie points! Regular readers know that it doesn’t take much to give your pups a nutritious treat. A piece of steak, some berries, or a boiled egg all make great additions to any canine d…

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Our cookbook is HERE! Thank you to everyone who preordered and supported this mission. More and more dogs are eating real food everyday and it’s the early adopters (smart people) like you making it the new norm and improving dogs’ lives around the word.

As you flip through the book, you might see that oysters are a common ingredient in our recipes. Today we tell you why they are one of our favorite foods. As fresh oysters are highly perishable and can be hard to find, we often use oyster powder instead. We think it’s such a great pantry staple for dogs that we want to help make it more widely available. Today we’ll briefly discuss where to find oysters in all forms, the benefits and risks of feeding oysters, and share our journey to making the best oyster powder in the world.

Where do I get oysters for my dog?

Fresh oysters - Grocery stores, fisheries

Canned oysters in water (plain) - Walmart, Amazon

Frozen oysters - Asian supermarkets

Freeze-dried whole oysters - Specialty pet stores

Oyster powder - Precious Creatures (us!), natural supplement stores

See conversion chart on page 27 of The Dog’s Table for how to easily convert wet to dry oysters.

Oysters, a nutrient powerhouse

For millennia, oysters have been coveted by people. As far back as ancient Rome, patrons were served oysters as a show of wealth and status. There are records of oysters being shipped long distances and kept alive in special tanks over 2000 years ago. Shellfish was associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and hence oysters were labeled as an aphrodisiac.

In the 1700’s, Casanova, the legendary lover, bragged about eating 50 oysters for breakfast to sustain his libido. He even wrote about an “oyster game” he used to seduce women. Thereafter, the myth of oysters improving sex drive became a mainstay of popular culture.

Modern science has blunted many of these claims, but there is a substantial foundation. Oysters are loaded with nutrients, especially minerals. In just 100 g of oysters (3.5 oz), there is about 500% of the human RDA of zinc! They are the greatest source of zinc on the planet. In addition to zinc, oysters have very high levels of copper and B12, both far greater than 100% of the RDA in 100 g. There is also a healthy dose of selenium, iron and smaller but meaningful amounts of vitamin D, manganese, phosphorous, riboflavin, vitamin E and more. Oysters are also very high in protein, while being low in calories.

There are some caveats, however. Because oysters are filter feeders, they can accumulate toxins from their environment, so it is important to source high quality product raised in clean waters. In the United States most oyster fisheries are very well managed, especially in the Pacific Northwest where the water is very cold. In Asia, outside of Japan, the quality control can be more suspect.

Oyster powder is a convenient nutrient bomb

Because oysters are mostly water, when they are dehydrated the nutrients become super concentrated. This means that a little bit of pure oyster powder goes a very long way. For example, a person can get their RDA of zinc by consuming just 2 - 5 g (0.07 - 0.18 oz) of oyster powder. Furthermore, the form of zinc and nutrients in oysters are more bioavailable compared to inorganic forms like zinc oxide.

Oyster powder, especially high quality oyster powder, is very dry, so it keeps much longer than fresh oysters. For example, fresh oysters can go rancid within hours at room temperature and can harbor nasty pathogens like vibrio. Pathogens need water to be active. Making oyster powder very dry from a process like freeze drying, eliminates most microbial activity. (Some molds, however, are very very resilient, which is part of the reason things eventually expire.) Using oyster powder instead of fresh oysters provides both safety and flexibility because you don’t have to worry about spoilage or pathogens.

Note: Though oyster powder is shelf stable, for optimal freshness we recommend storing oyster powder tightly sealed in the refrigerator or freezer after opening.

But fake oyster powder is everywhere

As we mentioned in our previous post on homemade food, we take quality very seriously and run third-party tests to audit vendors. Finding a reliable source of oyster powder turned into an epic journey. We searched far and wide for high-quality suppliers. We tested widely available oyster powder in the US. We went upstream and found their suppliers and many more from around the world including producers in China, South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Much of the oyster powder sold in America today comes from China because it’s cheap. But here’s the thing, it’s not made from just oysters. Manufacturers typically spray an oyster flavored liquid on a carrier, usually maltodextrin or dextrin. It’s then air dried at high temperature. The result is a product that smells and looks like roasted oyster powder, but is often less than 20% oyster and is degraded by high heat.

One brand we tested claimed to use third-party testing and have cGMP facilities, but their product turned out to be very disappointing. Based on the test results we estimate that the product was less than 5% oyster!

The world’s highest quality oyster powder

We grew so frustrated with unreliable and dishonest vendors that we made the decision to make oyster powder ourselves. It just so happens that we live about 100 miles from the largest oyster fishery in North America. We were able to drive straight to the farms and talk with the farmers face to face. The companies that we buy oysters from are recognized as some of the best in the world because the waters of the Pacific Northwest are clean, cold and well managed. These oysters are produced for people and are eaten raw, everyday across America.

The oysters are delivered weekly. We gently blanche and then freeze-dry them at low temperatures to retain critical nutrients. The result is a powder packed with protein, essential minerals, and vitamins. We actually sample each batch ourselves for quality control (though please note it is a pet product, not for human consumption).

Why are your products ‘not for human consumption’?

You may wonder why our products are labeled ‘not for human consumption’, because that sounds pretty bad. The reason is that making and selling human food requires different licenses that we don’t have. However, the quality and food safety practices we use are the same (or better) than anything available on the market.

Converting fresh and powdered oysters for your convenience

There is nearly one pound of fresh oysters in each jar of our oyster powder. It’s expensive to produce, super premium, but because it’s so pure, a little goes a long way. One jar can last a while.

Of course you don’t need to buy our product to make any of the recipes on this site or in our book. We are offering this product simply for your convenience and peace of mind.

For any recipe that calls for oyster powder you can simply substitute fresh, frozen, or plain canned oysters (no salt, in water). For every gram of oyster powder use about 10 g oysters (conversion chart on page 27 of The Dog’s Table).

Check out our oyster powder!

If you read this far and are interested to try our oyster powder, you can find it here along with the sea kelp and eggshell. The sea kelp is sourced from Canada and the eggshell sourced from the USA! All of our raw materials are premium human food grade quality. The trio is the perfect compliment to any dog chef’s kitchen. We hope your pup loves them as much as Cedric and Edith.

That’s all for this week.

All the best,

Joelle and R.A.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are so grateful that you are with us on this journey. It’s been quite a ride so far, and we have even more cool stuff planned for y’all. Stay tuned!

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The holidays are nearly here and every year around this time there is a spike in medical emergencies for both people and dogs. Family gatherings, lots of sugary food and drinks, and extra time indoors can all be taxing on the body. For dogs, the abundance of food, trash, and table scraps increase the risk of illness. Today we share some…

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In August, a report warning about fresh food causing a new type of urinary tract stone in dogs has many dog lovers concerned. Some veterinarians even sent out warnings, without doing the proper research. What are the risks and how worried should you be if you are feeding one of these fresh food brands? We discuss the science a…

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This is the cutest fall dish for your pup’s table. Note: it calls for less water than usually required for rice, as the pumpkin will release additional water when cooking. Use basmati rice so that it comes out nice and fluffy.

• 1 sugar pie pumpkin (or other small, edible pumpkin)

• 1/2 cup basmati rice, rinsed

• 1/4 cup peas

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If you’re interested in feeding your pets well, you probably hear a lot about balance. We refer to AAFCO on our products and in our newsletter because they are the governing body for animal feed in the United States. For this reason every dog food brand sold in America must meet AAFCO requirements. Some people ta…

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