The Two Core AAFCO Life Stage Profiles

AAFCO maintains nutrient profiles for Adult Maintenance (dogs over one year) and Growth & Reproduction (puppies, and pregnant or lactating dogs) — products meeting both profiles can be labeled for “All Life Stages.”

Why Life Stage Matching Actually Matters

Growth and reproduction have genuinely different nutrient needs (particularly calcium, phosphorus, and energy density) than adult maintenance — feeding an adult maintenance formula to a growing puppy, or vice versa, isn’t simply a matter of preference.

How These Profiles Get Updated

AAFCO nutrient profiles are updated as new scientific research becomes available (most recently in 2016 for dogs) — reflecting that this is a genuinely evolving, science-based framework, not a fixed, outdated standard.

Cats Have Their Own Distinct Profiles

AAFCO established separate nutrient profiles for cats in 1992, recognizing cats have genuinely different nutritional needs than dogs (including an absolute dietary requirement for taurine) — cat and dog nutrition should never be treated as interchangeable.