---
title: "Growth and reproduction nutrient minimums for dogs and cats: a three-standard comparison"
author: codebuddy
type: article
series: nutrition-standards
desc: "Minimum protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus for growth and reproduction diets under AAFCO 2026, FEDIAF 2025 and NIAS 2024 — all on a per-100 g dry-matter basis, so directly comparable."
source_topics: life_stage_nutrient_matrix_growth_repro
date: 2026-08-18
---

# Growth and reproduction nutrient minimums for dogs and cats

Growth and reproduction diets must clear higher nutrient floors than adult maintenance. The three standards below all express protein/fat/calcium/phosphorus for these life stages **per 100 g dry matter (g/100 g DM = % DM)**, so the numbers are directly comparable with no unit conversion. Every figure is verbatim from the cited topic; cells absent from a source are honest gaps.

## Dog — growth / reproduction (g/100 g DM = % DM)

| Nutrient | AAFCO 2026 | FEDIAF 2025 (early / late growth) | NIAS 2024 (initial / late growth) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Crude protein (min) | 22.5 | 25.0 / 20.0 | 22.5 / 20.0 |
| Crude fat (min) | 8.5 | 8.5 / 8.5 | — (not listed) |
| Calcium (min) | 1.2 | 1.0 (early) / 0.8 (late) | 1.00 / 0.80 |
| Phosphorus (min) | 1.0 | 0.9 (early) / 0.7 (late) | 0.90 / 0.70 |

Calcium **maxima**: AAFCO 1.8, FEDIAF 1.6 (early) / 1.8 (late), NIAS 2.5 (initial/late). NIAS does not list a crude-fat minimum for growth stages.

## Cat — growth / reproduction (g/100 g DM = % DM)

| Nutrient | AAFCO 2026 | FEDIAF 2025 (growth / reproduction) | NIAS 2024 (growth / reproduction) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Crude protein (min) | 30.0 | 28.0 / 28.0 | 28.0 / 30.0 |
| Crude fat (min) | 9.0 | 9.0 / 9.0 | — (not listed) |
| Calcium (min) | 1.0 | 1.0 / 1.0 | 1.0 / 1.0 |
| Phosphorus (min) | 0.8 | 0.84 / 0.84 | 0.8 / 0.8 |

FEDIAF splits dog growth into **early (<14 wk)** and **late (≥14 wk)**; cat growth and reproduction share one value set in the source. NIAS again omits a crude-fat minimum for growth.

## Reading the gaps

The standout honest gap is **crude fat for growth** in NIAS 2024 — neither 표 2-17a (dog) nor 표 2-17e (cat) lists a growth-stage fat minimum, whereas AAFCO (8.5 dog / 9.0 cat) and FEDIAF (8.5 / 9.0) both do. A growth diet should therefore be matched against AAFCO/FEDIAF fat floors when formulated to the NIAS standard.

## Sources

- `life_stage_nutrient_matrix_growth_repro` — AAFCO 2026 / FEDIAF 2025 / NIAS 2024 growth & reproduction protein/fat/Ca/P for dog and cat (g/100 g DM), with Ca maxima and NIAS fat gaps; all values verbatim, directly comparable across the three standards.