The gap
Vietnamese owners adore their pets — the nutrition standards are what's missing
A 2025 Mon Min Pet survey of 500 owners in Ho Chi Minh City: 72% did not know what AAFCO is, 58% fed rice mixed with meat as they would eat themselves, and 31% fed only meat or only the cheapest supermarket kibble. The results show up as digestive disease, obesity, and kidney decline in middle age.
It is not that owners do not care — it is that nobody gave them clear guidance that fits conditions in Vietnam.
What AAFCO is
The American feed control body — the gold standard
AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) sets the "nutrient profiles": the minimum nutritional requirements for each stage of life — growth (puppy and kitten), maintenance (adult), all life stages, and reproduction.
A genuinely safe food states it plainly on the bag: "Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog/Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for [life stage]". No such line means there is no evidence the food is nutritionally complete.
How VowVet works it out
Calorie target = f(species, weight, BCS, age, life stage, activity)
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Step 1: resting energy
Resting Energy Requirement = 70 × (weight in kg ^ 0.75). This is what your pet burns lying still.
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Step 2: apply the factor
Typical adult ×1.6. Puppy 0-4 months ×3. Neutered ×1.4. Weight loss needed ×1.0. Highly active ×2-2.5.
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Step 3: split the macros
Protein, fat and carbohydrate by species and life stage. AAFCO adult dog minimum: 18% protein, 5% fat. Adult cat: 26% protein, 9% fat — cats are obligate carnivores.
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Step 4: filter allergens
If a check-in ever recorded 'loose stools after eating X', VowVet tags X on that pet's personal allergen list and quietly drops every brand containing it from the catalogue.
Curated brands
Over 100 brands — the Mon Min Pet picks are marked
The VowVet catalogue covers more than a hundred foods sold in Vietnam (Royal Canin, Hill's, Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Taste of the Wild, Pedigree, Whiskas, and local names such as VinaPet and Tu Cana). Each is tagged with species, life stage, protein source, whether it carries an AAFCO statement, and whether it is a Mon Min Pet pick.
A 🌟 Mon Min Pet recommended mark means our veterinary team has reviewed it and stands behind it for Vietnamese conditions: sensible price, easy to actually buy, and free of the ingredients that most often trigger local pets.
"Kibble with no AAFCO formulation is feeding by guesswork. That is instinct, not nutrition.
Forbidden foods
A database kept for the Vietnamese market
VowVet carries a forbidden-foods database written for pets in Vietnam: chocolate, onion and garlic, grapes (dogs), raw fish (cats), cooked chicken bones, mangosteen, avocado. Log a meal containing one of these and the system warns you immediately and proposes a triage urgency.
What our vets suggest
Three foundational supplements the Mon Min Pet team trusts
AAFCO-complete food covers the nutritional base. For pets with particular needs — a sensitive gut, a dull coat, middle age — the Mon Min Pet veterinary team often adds a supplement from Fera (a US range with fully declared formulations). These support a diet; they do not replace a veterinary examination.
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Fera Probiotics + Prebiotics — digestion
Probiotics paired with prebiotic fibre to help balance gut flora — suited to pets whose digestion suffers whenever the food changes. View on Mon Min Pet ↗
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Fera Fish Oil — skin, coat and joints
Fish oil rich in Omega-3 (EPA/DHA), supporting a glossy coat alongside joint and cardiovascular health. View on Mon Min Pet ↗
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Fera Wellness Blend — daily micronutrients
A multivitamin and mineral blend to round out the daily ration, useful for home-cooked diets or where micronutrients fall short. View on Mon Min Pet ↗