Adding Compounds To Diets
Adding test compounds to standard, custom grain-based, and purified diets is an effective, accurate and convenient means of dosing your animals for research purposes. Compounds can be added to pellets, powder and gels.
We provide the service of homogeneously blending compounds into standard LabDiet® diets and TestDiet® custom grain-based or purified diets. All custom diets are manufactured to order. Approximate manufacturing lead time is 7-10 business days for non-irradiated and 17-20 business days for irradiated diets. Pricing, ordering and delivery of our custom products is handled by our Certified LabDiet® distribution network.
Be particularly mindful of correctly determining compound dosage: It is important to determine approximately how much your animals ingest, not how much they consume. Typically, animals spill part of their food; some, such as mice, quite a large percentage (10%-30%+). Dosage should be based on the amount actually ingested by the animal. We suggest that a short (few days) informal food intake survey be conducted with a representative sample of your animals, accounting for the amount of food leaving the hopper minus the amount spilled in the cage.
The dosage percentage should be based on the ingestion amount. For example, a mouse may "consume" (use up) 5 grams per day, but only ingest 4 grams. If the dosage is based on a "5 gram/day" assumption, the animals will only receive about 80% of the intended dosage; if based on a "4 gram/day" assumption, they will receive the full amount of the intended dosage.
How to Request a Custom Diet with the Addition of your Research Compound:
Step 1: A SDS is required to ensure the safety of the employees that will be handling your compound. Please send a copy of your compound’s SDS to our nutritionists at info@TestDiet.com. Please note: We must have the SDS from the compound supplier through whom you will be purchasing the additive. If the supplier changes for any reason, please submit a new SDS at your earliest convenience. We reserve the right to accept or reject a test compound based on our evaluation of its safety.
Step 2: Please complete the Request to Add Compounds form to help our nutritionists with the formulation process. The calculator below can be used to determine the inclusion level of supplied compound to add to the final diet.
Conversions:
1 mg/kg = 1 ppm
10,000 ppm = 1%
Calculator:
Abbreviations:
DD = daily dose (mg compound/kg BW/day)
BW = animal body weight (g)
FI = daily food intake (g/day)
IR= inclusion rate in mg compound/kg diet, or as % of diet
Step 3: When the nutritionist has formulated your diet, they will send you a spec sheet for your approval.
Step 4: When you inform the nutritionist that the diet is to your specifications, they will finalize the diet. They will provide you with a catalog number to use when ordering the diet from your Certified LabDiet® Dealer (CLD). Your CLD will assist you with pricing, ordering and delivery of the finished diet.
Step 5: You may ship your additive to the TestDiet® manufacturing facility when the formulation process is complete, and the diet is being finalized. Be sure to include in the box with the additive a copy of the Additive Information Form. Please keep in mind that some loss of the compound will occur during the weighing of the compound, mixing and manufacturing of the diet so we do ask that you send about 10 - 15% extra, if possible. For pelleted diets, some loss (1-2 kg) of the diet into the pellet mill will also occur and cannot be recovered so please take this into account when ordering the diet, adjusting your order as necessary.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@TestDiet.com.