From question to continuing education
Seek national model-framework guidance and understand where state authority begins.
Reach the feed-control officials responsible for state-specific requirements and interpretations.
Preserve guidance, referrals, cautions, and questions without turning them into endorsements.
Keep educational language, claims, disclaimers, and future plans aligned with what is learned.
Continue outreach as the project grows or its business model changes.
A state-by-state record that can keep changing
This tile map summarizes the correspondence Puppy Gumbo has documented so far. It intentionally separates a response from an endorsement.
Click a green state to read the published plain-language response summary, then close the window to return here.
Important: The categories describe communication status only. They do not represent state approval, certification, endorsement, licensing, or legal authorization.
Different states helped clarify different parts of the lane
Recipe precision, variability, and claims
Wisconsin guidance emphasized that ingredient nutrient content can vary, that changing a recipe can change its nutritional result, and that disease or drug-style claims should be avoided. The conversation also helped clarify Puppy Gumbo’s business model.
Educational activity versus commercial feed activity
California guidance helped distinguish a strictly educational website from activities such as manufacturing, packaging, labeling, warehousing, or distributing feed, while reinforcing caution around disease-treatment claims.
AAFCO models and nutrition resources
Colorado pointed Puppy Gumbo toward AAFCO model approaches and additional nutrition resources. A follow-up summary sent by Puppy Gumbo was confirmed as accurate by the state contact.
Personal home use versus activity beyond the home
Idaho indicated no concern with the educational website while it produces no product and supports personal home use, while noting that producing or promoting feed beyond that setting can bring commercial-feed requirements into play.
General education without commercial feed claims
North Carolina indicated that general nutritional education and discussion of recognized nutrient guidance are typically acceptable when the site is not making commercial feed claims.
Resources, boundaries, and referrals
These responses added label and GMP resources, clarified when noncommercial educational activity may fall outside commercial-feed regulation, referred Puppy Gumbo to AAFCO/FDA or counsel where appropriate, and supplied state law or AAFCO-model resources.
Transparency does not prevent criticism. It makes the process visible.
People can disagree with Puppy Gumbo, question its conclusions, or recommend a different path. This page is not meant to silence that criticism. Its purpose is to make one thing easy to evaluate: Puppy Gumbo sought guidance, followed the direction toward state regulators, documented what it learned, and is willing to keep adjusting.
“Here is the path we followed. Here are the questions we asked. Here is what we learned. Judge the process for yourself.”
If a state summary needs correction, we want to know.
State summaries are plain-language descriptions of Puppy Gumbo’s correspondence. They are not official legal interpretations. A state feed-control official may ask Puppy Gumbo to correct, clarify, anonymize, or remove a summary at any time.
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